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American Physical Therapy Association! Again, for I know. Ready to share new things that are useful. You and your friends.Meditation has come to be highly popular in western society in the new years however; it has existed for thousands of years and has obviously passed the test of time in various other cultures. Meditation has in fact survived 4500 years of political upheaval and socioeconomic transition (Andreson, 2000). If meditation was not useful would it still be colse to and being practiced thousands of years later? Probably not.
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The word meditation tends to cause blurring in many habitancy due to it being unknown or regarded as somewhat metaphysical, new age, or related with a extra dogma or religion. Well as just discussed there is nothing new about meditation and I believe that the foundation for meditation in its clarity N �����ัดเจน is not confusing or complex. The very essence of meditation is simplicity, but as Ayaja states in his psychotherapy text, "simplicity is often the most complicated thing" (Ajaya, 1983, 126). I precisely believe this statement to be spoton in especially western society's way of life.
Life consists of easy principles, however human beings tend to complicate them within their minds rather than living and being from the soul. I know for my life, I select to keep meditation and living as easy as possible. I think Stephen Levine says it best when he discussed meditation in his book, A Gradual Awakening, "meditation is for many a foreign concept, somehow distant and foreboding, seemingly impossible to partake in. But other word for meditation is naturally awareness. Meditation is awareness" (Levine, 1989, 1). Now, this explanation is precisely workable and practical to an personel wanting to come to be complicated in meditation.
Within this paper, I will offer a easy explanation of the process of meditation, its psychological, physiological, and spiritual benefits as well as a brief narrative of my personal experience.
There are any types of meditation, however Levine states that "differences in these techniques are basically due to the customary object which is concentrated on straight through the process" (Levine, 1989, 8). Thus, I will base this paper on mindfulness meditation (Vipassanna) which involves directly participating in each moment as it occurs with as much awareness and understanding as possible. In my concept this is the simplest and most effective form of meditation and precisely a very enlightened way to live your daily life. We live "now" right in this moment and that is what this type of meditation proposes. After all, as Goleman (1972a) states, "the goal of all meditation systems, anything the ideological orientation or source...is to transform the waking state straight through the fruits of practice - to die to the life of the ego and be reborn to a new level of experience" (155).
As previously discussed, the focus of this paper will be mindfulness meditation rather than attentiveness meditation which is what normally comes to mind when the word meditation is mentioned. While attentiveness meditation focuses on the attentiveness of a particular object, mantra, or deity, mindfulness meditation includes a more dynamic inclusive field of observation. It is inclusive of the depth that surrounds us rather than shutting the world out, which is more practical for the median participant in western society (Tacon, 2003 ). It was also recommend by Kabat-Zinn (1994) that mindfulness may be useful to many habitancy in western society who might be unwilling to adopt Buddhist traditions or vocabulary. Thus, mindfulness meditation is considerably more appropriate for our society than discussing the full range of meditation techniques from eastern traditions, due to its simplicity, practicality and perceived detachment from eastern philosophies and religions.
Rather than try to select one definition to relate what mindfulness meditation is, I will gift a range of views from those familiar with this specific practice in order to get the point across more succinctly. First of all, mindfulness meditation is more specifically called "insight meditation" in Buddhist traditions, or vipassanna which is sanskrit and means "to see clearly." Mindfulness meditation is a large part of Buddhism as well as Zen practice; however it can be successfully practiced detached from these traditions. As previously mentioned it is not valuable to be a practicing Buddhist to enjoy the fruits of mindfulness meditation (Levey & Levey, 1999). At this time I will gift various definitions or descriptions of what mindfulness meditation precisely is.
Tacon (2003) describes mindfulness meditation as a "form of meditation that involves stimuli from the field of consciousness rather than the exclusion of stimuli, as in attentiveness meditation" (67).
Kabat-Zinn (1994) states that mindfulness meditation is "paying attentiveness in a particular way; on purpose in the gift moment and non-judgmentally." (108).
Levey and Levey (1999) relate mindfulness meditation in the following way: "mindfulness liberates us from memories of past and fantasies of hereafter by bringing reality of the gift moment clearly into focus" (89). They also state that "mindfulness makes us more aware of life's daily miracles" (89).
Dunn, Hartigan, and Mikulas (1999) state that "mindfulness practice involves open receptivity and awareness to all stimuli, while evaluation, pathology or classification of those stimuli is suppressed" (p.148).
Ruth Baer states "mindfulness is the nonjudgmental consideration of the ongoing streams of internal and external stimuli as they arise" (2003, p. 125).
Although each of these passages use separate terminology to assert what mindfulness meditation is; the allinclusive consensus comes down to "being gift in life." In my personal opinion, this may well be the secret that all human beings have been searching for outside of themselves. Being gift in the moment is very simple, yet profound. Most habitancy will likely say, "There has got to be more to living than this." Is there?
Mindfulness meditation focuses on all areas of our being. Levey and Levey (1999) gift a range of these areas in their book, easy Meditation and Relaxation. These elements of the human being consist of being mindful or aware of your sense without judgement, being aware of your emotions with acceptance, maintaining awareness of your thinking and allowing thoughts to flow by, just noticing. other two vital areas consist of being aware of your breathing as well as what is going on with your body (pp. 95-97). What it comes down to is being aware of what is going on for you in each moment. To further assert this I will provide various excerpts from a mindfulness meditation by Stephen Levine (1989).
o "Find a comfortable place to sit, with back straight but not rigid..."
o "Keep your attentiveness at one spoton point and note the sensation that accompanies each breath..."
o "Sounds arise. concept arise. Other sensations arise. All background, arising and passing away..."
o "Sensations arise in the body, Thoughts arise in the mind. They come and go like bubbles..."
o "Don't get lost. If the mind pulls away, gently, with a soft non-judging, non-clinging awareness, return to the breath..."
o "Moment to moment awareness of anything arises, anything exists" (pp. 32-36).
My hope is that these excerpts further construe mindfulness meditation to the reader. Levine is a devotee when it comes to simplicity in one's life as well as having the capacity to make meditation practical and efficient. Next, I would like to discuss a range of interventions using mindfulness followed by explore demonstrating the psychological, physiological, and spiritual benefits. Mindfulness meditation is truly a holistic application and this will be shown straight through the explore findings discussed in this article.
Interventions
As previously discussed meditation has been colse to for thousands of years, however has only recently been integrated into psychotherapy in western society. The American Psychological Association, colse to 1977, recommend that "meditation could facilitate the therapeutic process" (Taskforce on Meditation, 1977, p. 3). Unfortunately, about 20 years later it still hasn't precisely come to be mainstream. However, we must be fortunate that some progress is being made. At this time, I would like to discuss four current interventions that are using mindfulness meditation as part of the therapeutic process.
The first intervention is the integration of mindfulness meditation in the normal psychotherapy process. La Torre (2001) discussed it as an effective component of psychotherapy and stated that as meditation brings awareness to feelings and discomforts in the therapeutic process, psychotherapy can provide consulation and exploration of these insights. She also expresses that the capability to practice meditation in and out of the therapeutic session fosters independence and self mastery on the client's part. La Torre (2001) concludes by stating, "That in most cases the incorporation of meditation into the therapeutic process has enriched therapy and given clients a greater sense of control and awareness" (p. 104).
In a separate case study by Boorstein (1983), he describes his integration of mindfulness meditation and bibliotherapy and its effectiveness with a depressed, agitated, and paranoid client. Boorstein integrated various readings with a transpersonal theme as well as mindfulness meditation in and out of session. Boorstein claims that the outcome was valuable and included increased self-esteem, psychological and spiritual growth and relief of presenting symptoms. Boorstein conducted follow ups and stated that the sure outcomes were maintained and the client prolonged to focus on personal and spiritual growth in his life.
A second popular intervention and the most frequently cited method of mindfulness meditation intervention is the program advanced by Jon Kabat-Zinn called Mindfulness Based Stress reduction (Mbsr). This program was advanced specifically for continuing pain and stress related disorders. It is an 8-10 week procedure for groups which utilizes a unique blend of discussions related to stress, coping, as well as homework assignments and an intense study and practice of mindfulness meditation. The capability for clients to practice inside and outside of session in real life situations is again a advantage of this modality (Baer, 2003).
Another intervention which is strongly related with Mbsr is Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (Mbct). This intervention incorporates aspects of cognitive therapy that facilitate a detached or decentered view of ones thoughts together with statements such as "Thoughts are not facts" and "I am not my thoughts" (Baer, 2003, p. 127). Mbct is designed to teach skills for previously depressed individuals to contemplate their thoughts and feelings non-judgmentally and to see them as naturally thinking events that come and go rather than as reality or aspects of themselves (Baer, 2003).
The final intervention that I will discuss that incorporates mindfulness meditation is a therapy termed Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (Dbt). This specific therapy was designed to treat borderline personality disorder however it is currently being applied to a range of separate populations. Dbt integrates mindfulness meditation training with cognitive behavioral skills in order to facilitate acceptance and change at the same time. specific aspects of this intervention consist of emotional regulation, interpersonal skills, and distress tolerance skills (Baer, 2003). In my personal career I have had direct caress with this an addiction facility and found it to be quite effective. Residential clients embraced the mindfulness components in all aspects of their lives and appeared to truly advantage from practicing acceptance and non-judgment as part of their recovery. I precisely hope that more interventions will come to be ready and mindfulness meditation will finally get the respect it deserves in the field of psychotherapy and life in general.
Mindfulness meditation is a holistic tool for growth and self awareness. It benefits the mind, body, and soul as a whole, however for this papers purpose I will separate the components into the benefits related to psychological, philosophical, and spiritual elements of the human being. These will be based on the literature pertaining to mindfulness meditation specifically and what has been discussed in a range of explore studies.
Physiological Benefits
The literature discusses an weighty number of physiological benefits derived from mindfulness meditation. To list and discuss all of them is beyond the scope of this paper; however I will discuss some of the main corporeal benefits shown throughout the empirical literature. First, the physiological changes that have been noticed when practicing meditation such as decreased heart rate, breathing and the lowering of blood pressure has been termed the "relaxation response" by Benson (1975). These changes can of procedure be highly useful to those individuals needing to flee the daily stress and chaos of society. However, the physiological benefits of mindfulness meditation transcend the momentary changes while the act of meditation. In Perez-De-Albeniz's (2000) 75 study Meta pathology he discussed a vast array of benefits that were found in his perusal of the ready research. These included growth cardiac output, muscle relaxation, increased serotonin and melatonin levels, and valuable revising in continuing pain. In increasing mindfulness meditation was found to be useful for psoriases, epilepsy, fibromyalgia, and hypertension. This brief overview obviously demonstrates that mindfulness meditation can be effective for the body component of a human being. Lets contemplate the other two elements that make up human beings.
Psychological
Numerous psychological benefits of mindfulness meditation are mentioned throughout the empirical literature. Again, this is not an exhaustive relate of the literature, but a brief articulation of outcomes reported with regard to the practice of mindfulness meditation. La Toree (2003) explains the benefits of mindfulness meditation in terms of its emotional benefits with regard to self growth. In her narrative she explains that remarkable feelings are better able to be appropriate as an personel is able to own these feelings and caress them with a greater sense of safety.
In Perez de Albeniz's Meta pathology of the literature the following were demonstrated throughout the empirical studies that were reviewed:
o Increased happiness
o Increased joy
o Increased sure thoughts
o Increase qoute solving skills
o Enhanced acceptance
o Enhanced compassion
o Enhanced tolerance
o Increased relaxation
o Increased resilience
o Better control of feelings and personal responsibility
o Improvement in psychological well being
o Decreased anxiety
o Decreased substance abuse
Perez de Albeniz also discussed mindfulness meditation's capability to help patients understand that there are no quick solutions in life which leads to development of patience in their personal growth journey. In addition, the promotion of a non-judgmental attitude as well as the capability to come to terms with what is rather than what could have been.
Finally I think it is leading to mention a study by Shapiro, Schwartz, and Bonner (1998) in which Mbsr was offered to medical and pre medical students. The application complicated a 7-week intervention with a wait list control. The outcome of this study included reduced self-reports of allinclusive psychological distress, together with depression, reduced self-reports of state and trait anxiety and increased scores of empathy levels. Again, in the psychological domain it is sure that mindfulness meditation has tremendous benefits.
Spiritual
Spiritual benefits are also demonstrated in the practice and application of mindfulness meditation. In the Shapiro et al study (1998) it was also found that there were increased scores on the measures of spiritual experiences, which basically meant that following the mindfulness introduction, participants had a greater conviction of the existence of a higher power as well as an growth in the internalization of a personal intimate connection to a higher power. In Perez de Albeniz (2000) it was noted that mindfulness meditation helps a sick person or man to trust their inner nature and wisdom. Finally, Walsh (1983) expresses in his narrative that meditation is "available as a tool for those who wish to plumb the depths of their own being and contemplate the nature of mind, identity, and consciousness. It's a tool that can be used from the beginning to the end of the spiritual quest" (45). Obviously, there are many other spiritual benefits of meditation, together with the obvious, Nirvana; however I merely supplied the reader with a summary. Perhaps, it may motivate some to enter this journey of awareness and contemplate the many further gems along the path.
Personal Experience
Henry Miller said "the aim of life is to live, and to live means to be awake, joyously, drunkenly, serenely, divinely aware." This is what mindfulness meditation has brought to my life. By all means, do not think that I sit in meditation continuously and separate from the world. Mindfulness allows me to feel every moment of life within my entire being. It allows me to live life rather than just existing and the application of this practice throughout the past five years of my life has transformed who I am. I have tapped into my genuine being and united with the energy of the universe. naturally by cultivating awareness of the moment straight through mindfulness I have been able to transcend my ego and voyage each day on the path of self-actualization. I have experienced the pure essence of mindfulness meditation. Each moment of my life allows continuous practice and application of this valuable skill that precisely gives life. Each human being on this earth has the innate capability to tap into the perfection and precision of mindfulness meditation. Go and caress the bliss that it offers.
Finally, throughout this paper I have discussed what mindfulness meditation is, in case,granted a range of narrative by the experts in this practice, and given the reader examples of the process of mindfulness meditation based on writings by Stephen Levine. It was concluded, that naturally mindfulness meditation is being aware of life, which obviously can be practiced in any setting. Mindfulness mediation is highly practical in the west and has been utilized in a range of therapeutic interventions with much success. Additionally, it has been shown to have physiological, psychological, and spiritual benefits by the explore thus far. In short, mindfulness mediation is a great tool for the whole man to use toward personal and spiritual growth. Mindfulness is precisely living life in this very moment. Go truly live in the now and caress the true essence of life without the deluded impediments caused the thinking mind.
References
Ajaya, S. (1983). Psychotherapy East and West, Honesdale, Pa:The Himalayan International Institute.
Andreson, J. (2000). Meditation meets behavioral medicine. Journal of Conciousness Studies, 7(11-12), 17-73.
Baer, R. (2003). Mindfulness training as a clinical intervention: a conceptual and empirical review. Clinical Psychology: Science and Practice, 10(2), 125-143.
Benson, R. (2003). The leisure Response, New York, Ny: Morrow.
Dunn, B. R., Hartigan, J. A., & Mikulas, W. L.. (1999). attentiveness and Mindfulness Meditations: Unique form of consciousness?. Applied psychophysiology and BioFeedback, 24(3), 147-165.
Goleman, D. (1972a). The Buddha on meditation and states of consciousness, Part I: A typology of meditation techniques. Journal of Transpersonal Psychology, 4(1), 1-44.
Kabat-Zinn, K. (1994).Wherever you go there you are: Mindfulness meditation in daily life. New York: Hyperion
La Torre, M. A (2000). A holistic view of psychotherapy: Connecting mind, body, and spirit.. Perspectives in Psychiatric Care, 36(2), 67-68.
Levey, J & Levey, M. (1999). easy meditation and Releaxation . Berkeley, Ca: Conari Press.
Levine, S. (1989). A Gradual Awakening. New York, Ny: Anchor Books.
Perez-De-Albeniz, A. (2000). Meditation, concepts, effects and uses in therapy. International Journal of Psychotherapy, 5(1), 49-58.
Tacon, T. M. (2003). Meditation as a complementary therapy in cancer. House and society Health, 26(1), 64-73.
Taskforce on Meditation. (1977). Position statement on meditation. American Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 720.
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