Meditation May Do More Than Relax You—Science Points to Real Health Benefits
The World Health Organization recommends using the terms complementary and alternative medicine to describe so-called natural medicine and other unconventional medical practices. Today, the popularity and use of alternative medicine services and products are increasing worldwide, including in Lithuania. In the United States, alternative medicine generates up to 7 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenue, and meditation is one of the ten most common unconventional healing methods. According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health in the United States, as many as 8% of Americans practice meditation as a form of treatment.
What Is Meditation?
Various cultures and religions have long spoken about meditation in both the East and the West. Meditation (Latin meditatio – contemplation; Latin medius – middle) is one of the methods of spiritual concentration, a form of prayer, and a process of thought. Many describe meditation as a form of relaxation. Others suggest that it can also be a way of life. In the dictionary, the term meditation is defined as contemplation, immersion in one’s thoughts, and a state of deep concentration. In various religious, spiritual, and therapeutic schools, this concept is explained somewhat differently. Nevertheless, it can be said that meditation is more than an attempt to relax, focus, immerse oneself, or sit in a particular posture. It is a method, or technique, through which the mind can be freed from external thoughts, emotions, and other distractions. Meditation allows a person to better understand oneself and the surrounding world. Through deliberate effort, for example by focusing on breathing, bodily sensations, or natural sounds, one can intermittently interrupt the flow of thoughts. In this way, emotions subside, calmness develops, and an intuitive, deep perception of reality emerges. It is said that the ultimate goal of meditation is to achieve a certain state of enlightenment, or spiritual awakening. Enlightenment is inseparable from peace, relaxation, the absence of disturbing emotions, and deep inner insight.
The technique and results of meditation depend on a person’s ability to concentrate. Meditation can be practiced in various ways: by intentionally directing thoughts toward a specific goal, for example through the use of mantras, or by simply clearing the mind of thoughts and drawing energy. Meditation can be practiced daily, but for some people it becomes a way of life. It is noted that meditation is most effective when practiced while experiencing a profound sense of gratitude and letting go of all thoughts, emotions, and attempts to judge. Meditation can be practiced alone or in a group, with the use of incense, soothing music, special lights, or colors. Meditation is also one of the essential elements of yoga practices.
There are many different meditation practices. The best-known types include raja yoga, mantra meditation, mindfulness-based introspection, vipassana, transcendental meditation, kundalini meditation, sudarshan kriya, kirtan kriya, sahaja samadhi, Osho meditation, silent meditation, and pranayama meditation.
The Effects of Meditation on the Body: A Review of Studies
Meditation strengthens the body’s energy potential and the immune system’s ability to resist disease, thereby enhancing the body’s internal healing powers. It promotes positivity and more constructive thoughts about oneself and one’s bodily functions, ultimately leading to improved health. Regular meditation (20–45 minutes, 1–2 times per day) produces the following effects on the body:
· reduces blood pressure and heart rate;
· improves blood flow to the heart and brain;
· improves sleep and digestion;
· reduces fatigue, anxiety, and depression, according to psychological assessment scales;
· shortens the duration of illnesses and reduces their frequency;
· reduces the number of accidents and missed workdays;
· improves personal relationships, and so on.
It has been observed that meditation may help strengthen the body and promote faster recovery in conditions such as allergies, asthma, anxiety, increased stomach acidity, oncological diseases, mild depression, diabetes, hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, migraines, addictions such as alcohol and tobacco dependence, and tension-type headaches.
Contraindications include psychosis, severe depression, confusion, severe anxiety, and dementia.
The above data was published by the U.S. Department of Health in 2007, indicating that an independent review of studies demonstrated the benefits of methods such as yoga, meditation, prayer, and other spiritual practices. A total of 813 studies were reviewed, including 547 interventional and 266 observational/analytical studies. Most of these studies were conducted on healthy participants, including college and school students, older adults, healthy military volunteers, workers, athletes, and prisoners. The second largest group of studies involved individuals with mental disorders: 66 studies in total, including 65 interventional and 1 observational study. The participants suffered from insomnia, anxiety, eating disorders, burnout syndromes, depression, mood disorders, neurotic-spectrum disorders, difficulty managing anger, obsessive-compulsive disorder, personality disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic psychoses, and substance abuse. Some participants had early cognitive decline, and some were parents of children with behavioral disorders.
The groups with somatic disorders included patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, migraines and tension-type headaches, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, chronic bronchitis, tinnitus, a history of stroke, dental problems, eczema, HIV, irritable bowel syndrome, and obesity, as well as individuals with infertility, menopause, premenstrual syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, muscular dystrophy, pain syndromes, and osteoporosis.
Other Studies
A review of 82 studies, including 20 randomized controlled trials involving 958 participants (397 in the experimental group and 561 in the control group), found no significant adverse effects.
It is claimed that significant effectiveness was observed in patients with epilepsy and in those suffering from premenstrual syndrome and menopausal symptoms. A positive effect was also observed in patients with mood and anxiety disorders, and meditation improved the mood of patients with autoimmune and oncological diseases.
Neurobiological Studies
Changes in the central nervous system during meditation have been studied using positron emission tomography (PET), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), particularly in yoga practitioners, and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), particularly in Tibetan meditation practitioners. The results show that blood flow and cerebral perfusion during meditation differ greatly from those seen during slow-wave sleep and wakefulness. PET, SPECT, and MRI make it possible to examine changes in blood flow in specific brain regions, the metabolism of substances, and receptor activity while the participant performs different tasks. For example, most concentration-based meditation practices are associated with increased regional blood flow and glucose metabolism in the prefrontal and cingulate cortex. During visualization practices, regional blood flow increases in the visual cortex and occipital area. Self-awareness activates both sides of the parietal region of the brain. Increased activity of the parasympathetic nervous system is associated with subjective experiences that begin with relaxation and later develop into a deeper state of calm. Activation of the parasympathetic nervous system reduces heart rate and breathing frequency. All of these physiological processes are noticeable during meditation.
Neurochemical Changes
When respiratory rate and heart rate decrease, which occurs during meditation, the activity of the locus coeruleus in the brainstem also decreases. If, during meditation, the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system becomes relatively greater than that of the sympathetic nervous system, adrenal function weakens, and the levels of catecholamines, adrenaline, and noradrenaline decrease. It has been shown that serotonin levels in the brain increase during meditation. Serotonin is known to have an antidepressant effect, as antidepressants used to treat depression are known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. By improving mood, serotonin also promotes the production of acetylcholine, which is necessary for memory and attention mechanisms. Studies have shown that meditators have reduced levels of noradrenaline and cortisol in their urine and plasma.
EEG and Meditation
Meditation is classified as a fourth state alongside sleep, dreaming, and wakefulness, during which alpha and theta brain wave rhythms become stronger, and alpha wave coherence increases, improving blood flow and melatonin secretion more than in a sleep state.
Increased coherence of the cerebral cortex and improved interaction between the left and right hemispheres of the brain have also been reported. Furthermore, practicing compassion meditation increases gamma wave activity.
EEG studies conducted on meditating individuals have shown sustained activity of conscious wakefulness in the middle and posterior brain regions, while activity in the frontal area changes significantly and decreases.
Meditation and Neuroplasticity
Recent MRI studies have aimed to determine cortical thickness in individuals engaged in long-term, deep meditation practice. One such study involved 20 participants who combined meditation practice with their careers, studies, and family life. The research showed that the brain regions responsible for attention, interoception, and sensory processing, namely the lateral prefrontal cortex and the right anterior insula, were thicker in the meditating group than in the control group. The thickest prefrontal cortex was found in the older participants. This suggests that meditation protects the brains of older individuals from cortical thinning. These findings clearly indicate that meditation is related to cortical plasticity, meaning that meditation promotes neuroplasticity.
Meditation and Mental Disorders
Anxiety
Meditation induces certain neurochemical changes that reduce anxiety. Anxiolytic effects are associated with increased parasympathetic nervous system activity, decreased activity of the locus coeruleus and reduced noradrenaline release, strengthening of the gamma-aminobutyric acid pathway, increased serotonin levels, and decreased cortisol levels. Increased levels of endorphins and arginine vasopressin during meditation also help suppress anxiety.
Depression
Spiritual practices act as antidepressants due to increased levels of serotonin and dopamine. The antidepressant effect is also supported by increased levels of melatonin and arginine vasopressin. Meditation significantly increases beta-endorphin levels and NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) receptor antagonism, which also contributes to its antidepressant effect. Depression is further reduced by decreased levels of corticotropin-releasing hormone and cortisol. These and many other neurochemical changes that occur during spiritual practices may help reduce the symptoms of depression.
Everyday Benefits of Meditation
The psychological benefits of meditation can also be useful in everyday life:
- It improves focus and makes it easier to concentrate, which leads to improved work productivity and easier learning. It also enhances creativity and helps develop memory.
- It improves self-esteem.
- It enables an easier response to stressful situations by helping manage emotions and delay poor decisions.
- It increases tolerance and sociability.
- It improves mood and sleep.
If a patient engages in spiritual practices, attention should be paid to the following aspects:
· when practicing meditation and yoga, side effects may occur that are often related to personality structure and psychosocial experience. It is important who leads such practices;
· forced lifestyle or philosophical changes may cause emotional distress or feelings of guilt in some individuals;
· practicing certain methods may provoke symptoms of psychosis, especially in open and sensitive individuals;
· it should be kept in mind that a recommended practice may subtly transmit a religious worldview or philosophy for the personal purposes of a certain group or its leader;
· due to a lack of knowledge, proven and effective treatment methods may be rejected in favor of an unclear experimental path.
The Significance of Meditation in Psychiatry
· Negative attitudes toward alternative medicine among psychiatry professionals would decrease if the treatment methods in this field were integrated more smoothly and consistently into everyday clinical practice.
· Meditation is a low-cost, maintenance-free treatment method that can be continued throughout life.
· Group therapy helps save money.
· It can be easily combined with other treatment methods, such as mindfulness-based cognitive therapy.
· More research would help clarify how and which symptoms should be addressed with alternative therapeutic practices.
· The aforementioned, or similar, practices could be included in preventive psychiatry programs.
· Meditation can be used as a means of developing personal psychological resources, harmonious living, and self-improvement.
· The state achieved through meditation can evolve into long-term qualities that help a person focus and, over time, avoid anxiety, depression, psychosomatic disorders, and better control stress.
Benefits for the Health of Medical Professionals
· These techniques can help improve the health of medical professionals, especially in the prevention of burnout syndrome.
· Having experienced the effects of meditation themselves, medical professionals may recommend daily practice to their patients.
· Meditation is one of many ways to help a doctor’s body recover after demanding work.
· It may help people learn to control emotions instead of directing them toward others or loved ones.
· The specific benefits of these practices for medical professionals could be determined through further research.
Benefits for Patient Health
· Meditation is widely used for anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, panic attacks, post-traumatic stress disorder, premenstrual syndrome, menopause, various addictions such as alcohol and tobacco dependence, mild cognitive impairment, psychosomatic illnesses, insomnia, and other conditions.
· If properly designed and integrated into the treatment plan, meditation could reduce not only the patient’s treatment costs but also the costs borne by the healthcare system. It could also help ease the patient’s condition when specialist consultations are difficult to access or involve long waiting times.
· Alternative medicine strengthens a holistic approach to human health.
Recommendations for the Future
· Develop strategies to improve well-being, inner health, and spiritual harmony in healthy populations.
· Standardize therapeutic meditation.
· Determine the effective duration of meditation.
· Identify which types of meditation are applicable to different disorders and diseases.
· Understand the impact of meditation and spiritual practices on specific organs.
· Understand the neurobiological changes in specific diseases during meditation in order to modify them.
· Treat the person, not the disease.
Summary
Meditation, which has accompanied humanity for millennia, is now becoming especially relevant because it may help in the treatment of many diseases. There is growing consideration of how meditation could be integrated into the treatment process. It is believed that in the twenty-first century there will be a different approach to alternative medicine within healthcare, in which it will be valued not merely as an additional measure, but as a standard method of treatment.
Prepared by:
Simonas Pilkauskas
Dr. Alvyda Pilkauskienė
Kaunas College
Dainava Polyclinic Mental Health Center, Mental Day Care Unit
