Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Take A Deep Breath

Since its antiquity, meditation has referred to a broad variety of techniques that promote relaxation and the development of compassion, forgiveness, and generosity. But what was once previously regarded as only a religious practice in eastern cultures has now become increasingly popular in the west for its use in secular contexts. So what does it mean to be mindful? It is a psychological concept defined as complete one-pointedness of awareness in the present moment. This practice is thought to bring greater calmness and physical relaxation, as well as psychological balance. Recent studies have observed the neurobiological affects of meditation and mindfulness exercise, and the results are astounding.
            In eastern cultures, meditation practices go beyond just sitting in one spot for hours with legs crossed. Although this is the most common method, it takes years of practice to actually get any benefit out of sitting meditation. The western culture has become more attracted to meditation practices that involve controlled movement. Techniques such as yoga or Tai Chi have become more popular. Many westerners are now familiar with these meditation practices and enjoy taking part in them. Students studying fields such as kinesiology may search for careers involving yoga after understanding the physical and mental benefits of the practice. In Dr. Jeste’s reference to Dr. Lavretsky’s talk, she explains that these practices have become an increasingly used approach to improve psychological well-being.

            In the article, Dr. Jeste explains that there is a tendency to divide psychiatric interventions in which pharmaceuticals function through biological mechanisms and psychosocial ones function through mental processes. This means that the biology of psychiatric disorders can only be affected through drugs while the behavioral aspects remain separate. However, many patients with mental disorders have increasingly turned to meditation as a noninvasive “drug” for the relief of symptoms such as stress, insomnia, and anxiety. Researchers are now more interested in the biopsychosocial outcomes of this integrative medicine.
            As research shows, meditation practices have shown to promote relaxation and benefit depression, hypertension, and anxiety. Immune function has also shown to improve in people to practice mindfulness meditation. Electroencephalography (EEG) readings have shown increases in alpha, beta, and theta wave activity, which means that these subjects show in increase in relaxation and attentiveness. From the article, studies on stressed family dementia caregivers have shown that meditation resulted in lower levels of depressive symptoms and improvements in cognitive functions and mental health. Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have shown an increase in gray matter in specific brain regions due to an enhancement in cognition. Meditation is thought to elicit the activation of networks of internalized attention and emotion processing.

            So instead of turning to just drugs to treat the symptoms of disorders, although in many cases this may be the only option, westerners have sought to gain the benefits of practicing mindfulness meditation along with their medical treatments. This can be argued against by the cultures of people who have utilized meditation for centuries for its cleansing-of-the-mind purposes. Many eastern religions forbid the use of intoxicants while practicing meditation. They regard meditation as having a spiritual significance in which invasive drugs can only make the practice more impure. Taking drugs while practicing mindfulness defeats the purpose of mediation as an attempt to self-regulate the mind. Whether one practices mediation with drugs for the treatment of mental disorders or just simply practices meditation for its health benefits, this decision is up to the individual. It is also interesting to note that without the use of technology, ancient eastern cultures understood the importance of meditation. Their evidence was simply a mastered concentration and an overall state of well-being.


References

Jeste, M.D., Dilip. "Mindful Exercises and Meditation: Neurobiological Effects." PsychiatryOnline
N.p., 19 Apr. 2013. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsarticle.aspx?articleid=1680433>.

Lyons, Ph.D., Thomas. “Mindfulness, Meditation, and Drugs and Alcohol Use.” Loyola University   Chicago Neuroscience Seminar. 20 March 2014.

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