What is Meditation?

I am often asked to define what meditation is and how it fits in with mental health. Do you have to practice a certain way? Do you have to be cross legged on the floor chanting? Do you have to be a Buddhist to practice? The answer to all of these is a resounding no.

According to theoretical physicist David Bohm, "the words medicine and meditation come from the Latin mederi, which means "to cure" (Kabat-Zinn, 2013). In this way, I use it in therapy as insight into what your mind is doing and saying to you in order to "treat" thoughts and ideas that may not be serving you. It is like getting an inside perspective at the thoughts, feelings, and sensations that normally go unnoticed. We tend to live our lives on autopilot to some degree and aren't familiar with the myriad of stories we are often telling ourselves, true or not. When we sit down to meditate we are doing so with an intention to recognize what our inner landscape is telling us. We change the relationship with the thoughts and feelings and begin to see them for what they are, simply ideas in our mind, not necessarily truth.

Simply put, meditation is about paying attention (Kabat-Zinn, 2013).

Meditation allows us to practice this in a specific way. Many therapeutic techniques incorporate mindfulness meditation into their design because it gives us the ability to be able to get perspective on ideas and emotions. Let me give an example. In my own practice I may set a timer for 10 minutes and sit down in a chair and close my eyes. I put my attention on my breathing and wait for the thoughts, feelings, images to come (which they always do!) and as I see each one I note it, "hmmm that's a thought about what I am going to make for dinner" or "that's a worry thought about that event coming up" and then I watch them move on. They come and go. I don't have to follow and believe every thought. I don't have to get vested in their story. I simply see them pass like clouds in the sky. With enough practice I can then practice diffusing the thought from me. If I have a thought, "oh, I am a horrible cook," I don't have to believe it to be true necessarily because I have learned to separate all the random thoughts I get in my head to what the actual truth may be (I am a great cook by the way).

Sounds easy right? It is deceptively simple. It is something that needs to be practiced and ideally should be taught to you by someone who has a good understanding of it themselves.

I first became interested in meditation because of the now famous 2002 study by neuroscientists Antoine Lutz and Richard Davidson. They put long term meditators through a battery of neurological tests at the Waisman Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin. The tests used fMRI technology and EEGs to measure electrical activity deep within the brain. Measurements of EEG activity during meditation were so far off the scale of a normal reading that the lab technicians first thought there was an error in the machinery. They found that the electrical activity associated with attention and awareness transcended anything they had ever witnessed (Mingyur Rinpoche, 2007).

Meditation is associated with brain structure changes. Regions changed in the brain are associated with introspection, awareness about thinking patterns, body awareness, memory consolidation, self control, emotion regulation, and communication within and between brain hemispheres ("Research", 2014).

Further studies have shown similar results. According to the Mayo clinic, meditation can help with (Mayo, April 2022).

• Gaining a new perspective on stressful situations

• Building skills to manage your stress

• Increasing self-awareness

• Focusing on the present

• Reducing negative emotions

• Increasing imagination and creativity

• Increasing patience and tolerance

• Lowering resting heart rate

• Lowering resting blood pressure

• Improving sleep quality

• Anxiety

• Asthma

• Cancer

• Chronic pain

• Depression

• Heart disease

• High blood pressure

• Irritable bowel syndrome

• Sleep problems

• Tension headaches

Meditation techniques are incredibly varied. There are a variety to choose from, depending on what in particular you are wanting to focus on. Some include loving kindness meditation, transcendental meditation, mindfulness meditation, walking meditation, vipassana meditation, and many others.

I don't always use meditation in practice with clients. Autonomy is essential is healing and so if a client is interested in learning more we can talk about what it might look like for them and how it can help. If a client doesn't see that as part of their treatment then we don't. However, from my experience it can be an effective tool in practicing good mental health.

I hope this article has helped explain some facets of meditation. Please keep in mind this article is not intended as professional therapy or clinical advice. If you need help with a mental health issue you are facing, please contact a licensed mental health clinician.

I wish you well.

-Dr. Zaleski

Dr. Katrina Zaleski is a licensed clinical psychologist providing therapy in the state of California. One of her specialties is working with those looking for help with depression and anxiety. Learn more about Dr. Zaleski’s services for Depression Counseling and Anxiety Counseling.

References

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2014). Full catastrophe living. Using the wisdom of your body and mind to

face stress, pain, and illness. Bantam Books.

Mayo Clinic, (April 2022). Mayo Clinic Website. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-

procedures/meditation/in-depth/meditation/art-20045858

Mingyur Rinpoche, Y. (2007). The joy of living: Unlocking the secret and science of

happiness. Harmony Books.

Research roundup, (2014, August). Mindful. (2)3, 12.