| Meditation and Relaxation Daniel M. Burrello Meditation, ancient and varied in form and method, has benefited mankind for millennia with a path toward an alteration of consciousness and a way toward a more tranquil inner life. The larger schools of non-secular meditative practice such as Buddhist Zazen and Tibetan practices and the Transcendental Meditation movement promote a stillness of mind and a realization of the Self, sometimes called �mindfulness�. �Mindfulness� is a common goal among many of the schools of psychology as well. In the Major meditative paradigms, �Self� is the �Undivided All� or hyperconsciousness, whereas, for the most part, psychological use of the terms �self-actualization� and �self-realization� refer to personal consciousness. Here, we are concerned primarily with meditation for health psychology and with its ability to control and bring about a relaxation response for the practitioner to facilitate healing and good health. This said, it is helpful to note several physiological and psychological responses to the meditative state. This condition is defined by some as a hypo-metabolic state, in which the individual�s metabolism is in a deeper state of rest than even sleep can offer. This fact can be demonstrated by the fact that during meditation, oxygen consumption drops by 10 and even 20 percent of that of resting wakefulness. In sleep the oxygen use is reduced by only 8 percent (Murphy & Donovan, 1999 p.29). Further physiological changes occur and have been demonstrated in a plethora of studies. 1. Meditation is the only practice that reduces blood lactate, a definitive marker of stress or anxiety. 2. Hormones that calm, Serotonin and melatonin are increases, and cortisol, the stress hormone, is decreased. 3. DHEA, a youth related hormone is secreted in a larger amount and at a higher rate by meditators as they age as compared to non-meditators. Specifically, 45 year-old males average 23 percent more than nonmeditators. Females fared even better at 47 percent more. DHEA has been shown to increase memory function, decrease stress, maintain sexual functioning and control body fat. 4. In long termed studies, meditators experienced 80- percent less heart disease and 50 percent less cancer than nonmeditators. 5. Meditation has a marked effect on blood pressure, hearing ability and close vision. 6. Insomniacs saw a 75 percent improvement in sleep through meditative practice. 7. Individuals suffering from chronic pain, found relief through meditation. So much so, that they reduced medication by 34 percent (Murphy & Donovan, 1999 p.29). The individual endocrine system is the mediator of the impact of meditative practice. When an individual meditates, a quiet dialogue begins between the rational thought center, housed in the cortex, and the emotional centers, the hippocampus and amygdala, both of which are part of the limbic system. When both systems agree that its time to relax, they communicate this command to the hypothalamus which connects the brain to the endocrine system� thus, releasing a bounty of calming neurotransmitters and hormones. The immune system stimulated within its own sphere of influence, also molecularly communicates with the brain, completing the healing circuit. The parasympathetic nervous system is favored during a relaxed state, sending signals to the organs and to the glands responsible for the immune response (such and the thymus). This is the perfect setting for healing (Murphy & Donovan, 1999 p.30). Some of the long-term effects of a meditative practice are: 1. A slower heart rate and breathing rate translate to less wasted energy. This stresses the body and the mind less. A more relaxed body is a more efficient body. 2. Individuals who have a regular meditative practice experience less illness in general. This, of course translates into a longer lifespan. 3. Meditators react more quickly and more effectively to stressful events. 4. Individual perceptual abilities are increased as is one�s motor control. 5. High school students who meditate showed a greater than average growth in intelligence. Meditation has been shown to help everyone who practices it. Even prisoners were proven to have less mental illness, less aggressiveness and exhibited more socially acceptable behavior (Najemy, 2003) References Murphy, M. & Donovan, S. (1999). The Physical and Psychological Effects of Meditation: A Review of Contemporary Research with a Comprehensive Bibliography 1931-1996. 2nd Edition. E. Taylor. (ed.). Sausalito, CA: Institute of Noetic Sciences. Najemy, R. E. (2003) Benefits of meditation [article on the website Your pure life]. Retrieved July 13, 2004 from the World Wide Web: http://www.yourpurelife.co.uk/articles/mem |