Meditation's Power Over Mental Illness: How Does It Work?

Meditation has been practised for thousands of years in Hindu, Buddhist, Zen/Chan and Taoist communities. Today, it is used to help people cope with stress and worry. There are hundreds of different meditation techniques, from simple to complex, that can be incorporated into a daily routine. Research has shown that meditation can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. It can help people manage negative emotions and reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. It can also help people with mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), schizophrenia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Meditation has also been shown to improve sleep, enhance willpower, and reduce pain.

Meditation helps to manage stress and anxiety

Meditation has been practised for thousands of years in Hindu, Buddhist, Zen/Chan and Taoist communities. Today, it is used to help people cope with stress and worry in a busy world.

Meditation is the practice of focusing one’s mind for a period of time. While there are many forms of meditation, a common result is a feeling of relaxation and inner peace, which can improve mental health.

Meditation trains the brain to achieve sustained focus and return to that focus when negative thinking, emotions, and physical sensations intrude. It can be thought of as a form of mental weightlifting, where the mind is strengthened over time.

Meditation can help to manage stress and anxiety by changing the way the brain reacts to those feelings. It can also help to reduce the physical symptoms of stress and anxiety, such as increased heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate.

The evidence

A review of 18,000 scientific studies on meditation and depression and anxiety found that mindful meditation programs over an eight-week period had moderate evidence of reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety. Another study found that individuals with generalised anxiety disorder who participated in a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program had lower stress-related hormonal and inflammatory levels than those who did not.

Meditation has also been found to change certain brain regions that are specifically linked with depression and anxiety. For example, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), or "me centre", becomes hyperactive in people with depression. When people get stressed about life, the mPFC goes into overdrive. The amygdala, or "fear centre", is another brain region associated with depression and anxiety. It is responsible for the fight-or-flight response, which triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol in response to fear and perceived danger. Research has found that meditation helps break the connection between these two brain regions.

Other benefits

Meditation can also help to protect the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory. One study found that people who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks increased the volume of grey matter in their hippocampus.

Meditation can also help to improve sleep quality, enhance willpower, boost emotion regulation, and reduce pain.

It can reduce symptoms of depression

How Meditation Can Reduce Symptoms of Depression

Meditation has been shown to help reduce symptoms of depression. While it is not a cure, it can be a valuable tool in managing the condition. Meditation teaches people to pay attention to thoughts and feelings without getting caught up in self-judgment or criticism. It helps to disrupt cycles of negative thinking by allowing people to observe and accept their thoughts without acting on them. For example, if someone is sharing a peaceful moment with their partner and suddenly thinks, "They're going to leave me," meditation can help them acknowledge that thought without getting trapped in a cycle of distressing thoughts. Instead, they can accept it as one possibility while also recognizing that it is not the only possibility.

Meditation also helps people learn to manage depression more effectively by enabling them to stay present in the moment and notice warning signs of a depressive episode early on. It makes it easier to pay attention to emotions as they arise, so when someone begins to experience negative thought patterns or notice increased irritability, fatigue, or loss of interest, they can choose to focus on self-care to prevent things from worsening.

Research supports the benefits of meditation for depression. Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, which incorporates mindfulness meditation practices, has been found to lower the chances of depression relapse. Additionally, a 2017 study of 181 nursing students suggested that meditation could be highly beneficial for managing depression, even more so than physical exercise.

Meditation can also bring about positive changes in the brain. It has been found to change certain brain regions specifically linked to depression, such as the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the amygdala. The mPFC, often called the "me center," is where people process information about themselves and tend to ruminate about the past or worry about the future. When people get stressed, this area goes into overdrive. The amygdala, or "fear center," is responsible for the fight-or-flight response and triggers the release of the stress hormone cortisol in response to fear or perceived danger. Meditation helps break the connection between these two brain regions, reducing the negative impact of stress and anxiety.

Furthermore, meditation has been shown to protect the hippocampus, an area of the brain involved in memory. One study found that people who meditated for 30 minutes a day for eight weeks had increased gray matter volume in their hippocampus, while those with recurrent depression tend to have a smaller hippocampus.

It can help to regulate negative emotions

How Meditation Helps to Regulate Negative Emotions

Meditation has been proven to help people regulate negative emotions such as anger and fear. This is achieved through the practice of focusing one's mind for a period of time, which results in a feeling of relaxation and inner peace. This can be particularly beneficial for people with mental health conditions such as depression, schizophrenia, anxiety, PTSD, and ADHD.

Research on Meditation and Negative Emotions

A small study published in the journal Consciousness and Cognition suggested that meditation may help people cope with anger. The study found that improvements were seen with just one session of meditation. Participants who had never meditated before experienced an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate when asked to relive anger-inducing experiences. After meditating for 20 minutes, they had a much lower physical response when asked to relive the same experiences.

Another small study, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, found that meditation helped people manage negative emotions. The study showed that participants who took part in a guided meditation session had a quicker recovery in their emotional response after being shown disturbing images, compared to a control group.

Meditation and the Brain

Meditation has been found to change certain brain regions that are specifically linked with depression. For example, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), often called the "me center", becomes hyperactive in depressed people. When people get stressed about life, the mPFC goes into overdrive. Another brain region associated with depression is the amygdala, or "fear center", which is responsible for the fight-or-flight response. Research has found that meditation helps break the connection between these two brain regions, allowing people to better ignore the negative sensations of stress and anxiety.

Meditation and Stress

Meditation is a practice of concentration, which improves as people continue to meditate. This increased ability to concentrate can help people become more productive, especially when fatigued or in pain. Additionally, meditation can alter the way the brain responds to stress and anxiety, which are major triggers of depression. By meditating, people can achieve a sense of sustained focus and return to that focus when negative thinking, emotions, and physical sensations intrude.

It can improve sleep

How Meditation Can Improve Sleep

Meditation has been shown to improve sleep quality and shorten the time it takes to fall asleep. This is especially beneficial for those with mental health conditions, as well as those without.

Reducing Stress and Anxiety

Meditation can reduce stress and anxiety, which are often triggers for sleep difficulties. By altering the way the brain responds to stress and anxiety, meditation can help to manage these feelings and improve sleep.

Research has shown that even brief meditation sessions can help to manage stress. For example, a study published in the journal Psychoneuroendocrinology found that participants who underwent three consecutive days of 25-minute mindful meditation training sessions reported feeling less stressed than those who did not.

Improving Sleep Quality

Meditation can also improve sleep quality by reducing the time it takes to fall asleep. This was demonstrated in a study where participants who meditated fell asleep faster than those who did not.

Managing Chronic Pain

Meditation has been found to reduce pain and improve emotion regulation, which can be beneficial for those with chronic pain. By managing pain and improving sleep, meditation can have a positive impact on overall well-being.

Lowering Blood Pressure

Meditation has been shown to lower blood pressure, reducing strain on the heart and blood vessels, and helping to prevent heart disease. This can create a sense of calm and relaxation, which can improve sleep quality.

It can help to manage chronic pain

Meditation for Chronic Pain Management

Meditation has been shown to help people manage chronic pain. It can be an effective tool for those suffering from chronic pain to find some relief. Here are some ways in which meditation can help with chronic pain management:

Reducing Pain and Boosting Emotion Regulation

Meditation has been found to reduce pain levels and improve emotion regulation. This can be especially beneficial for those dealing with chronic pain, as it can help them cope with the emotional aspects of their condition and better manage their pain.

Lowering Stress and Improving Sleep

Meditation is well-known for its ability to reduce stress and improve sleep quality. Since chronic pain can often be a source of stress and disrupt sleep patterns, meditation can help address these issues. Lowering stress levels and improving sleep can positively impact how individuals perceive and manage their pain.

Enhancing Focus and Attention

Meditation techniques often involve enhancing focus and attention. By improving one's ability to focus, meditation can help individuals with chronic pain redirect their attention away from pain sensations and towards more pleasant or neutral stimuli. This can provide temporary relief from the constant awareness of pain.

Increasing Self-Compassion and Kindness

Practicing meditation can lead to increased self-compassion and kindness towards oneself and others. Chronic pain can be emotionally challenging, and meditation can help individuals develop a kinder and more compassionate attitude towards themselves and their condition. This can improve their overall well-being and sense of resilience in dealing with pain.

Changing the Brain's Response to Pain

Research has shown that meditation can bring about changes in brain regions associated with pain perception and emotional processing. For example, the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and the amygdala, which are linked to depression and the fight-or-flight response, respectively, can be positively influenced by meditation practices. By altering the connection between these brain regions, meditation may help individuals respond differently to pain stimuli and reduce their overall stress levels.

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