HEALTH INMPROVEMENT Archives - Mindful Happiness

November 9, 2016 By Admin

Research Supports Meditation for Health Improvement

Meditation for Health Improvement

It is estimated that between 10 and 15 million Americans participate in some form of regular mindfulness or contemplative practices; secular-based meditation and yoga may be the most common of these practices. Many others practice tai chi, qi gong, forest-based contemplation, Taoism, etc. The US National Institute of Health has been a regular generous funder of many mindfulness research projects. Most mindfully-informed people have heard of or practice Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction; many informed therapists have heard of or practice Steven Hayes’ Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. Much of this supporting research MindfulHappiness_WhatisMindfulness-2015 comes from controlled studies with random assignment, and some of the research is based on randomized controlled clinical trials. Various well-designed meta-analyses (2014, 2015) have found that there are moderately strong and positive effects from the practice of regular meditation and/or yoga. Despite the popular press claims that meditation and yoga cure just about everything, these careful studies have noted that there are beneficial meditation effects for depression, anxiety, stress reactivity, chronic pain and substance misuse; in the last area, improvements are due mainly to improved awareness of bodily sensations leading to emotions (interoception), better emotion regulation, executive strengthening, and limbic quieting. Below I will list various research-supported positive effects from regular meditation practices.

Improvements documented in research (with many controlled randomized clinical trials)include:

Better attentional capacities (sustained, reoriented, shifted);
Improved working memory;
Better emotion regulation (cognitive and physiological practices that counter stress);
Greater compassion (especially from loving kindness meditation);
Improved personal happiness in various forms;
Greater access to deep wisdom about the WAY things are, the nature of reality (less so in secular practices);
Informed insight into causes of personal suffering;
Improved breathing capacities (respiratory volume, respiratory efficiency, oxygen exchange) and skills;
Better awareness in both focused and open mental orientations;
Faster and better alerting perceptual skills;
Improved relaxation and equanimity – the famous “relaxation response;”
Better response inhibition – better self-control in challenging emotional situations;
Improved overall psychological and emotional well-being (life coping, contemplative quality, life purpose, life meaning, life satisfaction, etc.);
Greater gratitude for what you do have right now;
Reduced depression and anxiety;
Improved chronic pain management;
Better concentration skills;
Reduced self-medication habits;
Improved physical health – especially movement meditation and meditation/yoga coupled with exercise;
Deeper social and earthly connections (non-duality);
Strong transformational processes with improved integrations of body-mind-heart-spirt experience (via spiritual/religious path practices);
Improved personal behaviors in life – more positive compassion-based behaviors, less negative greed-based behaviors); and,
Positive impact on cardiovascular, endocrine, immune, musculoskeletal disorders.

With all these potential personal benefits from regular meditation (and yoga) practice, WHY would you NOT do such practices????? It is time!

For more information refer to Kaszniak, A. W. (2014). Contemplative pedagogy: Perspectives from cognitive and affective science. In O. Gunnlaugson et al. (Eds.). Contemplative Learning and Inquiry Across Disciplines. Albany, NY: SUNY Press, pp. 197-211. See also Khalsa, Sat Bir S. (Winter, 2016). Unpacking the science of yoga. Kripalu: Stockbridge. MA. This research is based on work done and used at Harvard Medical School. And Quintiliani, A. R. (2014). Mindful Happiness…Shelburne, VT: Vermont Voices Press.

By Anthony R. Quintiliani, PhD., LADC

From the Eleanor R. Liebman Center for Secular Meditation in Monkton, Vermont

Author of Mindful Happiness

New Edition of Mindful Happiness in Production…Coming soon!

Calming Your Self-Critical Self with Mindfulness A core problem for many people is their incessant self (or other) criticism. This is a major part of our psychological mind suffering today. In the past life for most people was more difficult, so human basic needs were the energized priorities; today so many of us have been […]

Mindfulness Defined… There are many definitions of mindfulness. Here I have combined several popular views into one. This definition and process may be helpful to readers who cannot quite grasp what it is, what it feels like, and what steps can make it happen. Good luck in your regular practices! Mindfulness is: Paying […]

Mindful Solidarity with Standing Rock Sioux Earth Protectors The Standing Rock Sioux earth protectors are fighting earth destruction, environmental degradation, oil profiteering, and corporate greed. Yes, I suppose finding huge reserves of crude helps many people become employed in the Dakotas. This is important. But other earth-wise activity (more solar for example) would be far […]

I Have Questions Our spiritual traditions have many sources of powerful spiritual origination: Shiva, Buddha, Jesus, Saint Francis to note just a few. The Roman thinker Seneca noted that our most feared day is our last on earth, but this is also the beginning of our eternity. As a practicing Buddhist, a secular meditation teacher, […]

Secular Meditation and Addictions Treatment Today we have ample research evidence (NIH, NIDA, SAMHSA, etc.) that mindfulness, meditation, yoga, and mind training all have some effectiveness in improving addiction disorders. In recent meta-analyses the primary effect was through improved emotion regulations, whereas there was a more direct positive impact on chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. […]

Mindfulness On Loss, Grief and Mourning Mindfulness about personal loss, grief, and mourning may encompass many things. Here I will focus on the process and what people can do to better handle their suffering and pain. One way to look at it is through the lens of radical acceptance; another is via the reality of […]

Contemplative Practices – Affirmative Self-Inquiry Contemplation and affirmative self-inquiry may be helpful in improving your awareness of your better parts of self – your positive strengths and traits. Our self-critical mind often causes us to spend far too much time on critical, negative thinking about ourselves and about others. The practice below may be helpful […]

Psychoanalytic Gems – Even More D. W. Winnicott has made significant clinical contributions to both building therapeutic alliance and maintaining a positive, helpful focus in psychotherapy. Below I have noted various approaches to use in your therapy. Use of these “gems” requires considerable knowledge and skill by the therapist. Here is the list: Respect the […]

Gurdjieff’s The Fourth Way to Consciousness: Background A core teachings is that there are three ways of being: the fakir (master of the physical body); the monk (master of faith and feeling); and, the yogi (master of mind development). A key goal is to KNOW yourself at the deepest levels. To KNOW is to be, […]

Mindfulness Skills and Psychotherapy Outcomes There are at least ten good reasons why mindfulness training and regular practice may improve psychotherapy outcomes. These reasons assume the training is presented by a well-trained clinician-mindfulness practitioner. Of course improved outcomes also depend upon the client’s motivation and energy to actually practice mindfulness skills on a regular basis. […]

Personal Happiness in the Age of COVID-19 We are all in this together! However, wealth and employment status do play important roles. RTI International and the Consortium for Implementation Science have serious concerns about the links between racial equity, social justice, and personal responses to COVID-19. Neuroscience notes that personal happiness in a brain-mind-body thing. Its […]

Liberation of the True Self Socrates is reported to have noted that “the secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old but on building the new.” In Buddhism there are clear relationships between “no-self” and the force of impermanence, that reality that ensures constant change and thus personal […]

Practice: Mindful Actions to Improve YOUR Self-Esteem Improving Your Awareness with Practice Remain mindfully aware of the content and meta-cognition regarding the “speaking” of your inner, self-conscious critic. Note what trends appear in the conversation. Remain mindfully aware of the reactions your mind and body experience regarding the activity of your inner self-critic in dealing […]

Plasticity – The Amazing Human Brain We humans are very fortunate in that our brain is one of the most complex entities in our known universe. Natural selection, genetic modifications, and use-related neuroplasticity have blessed us with a brain quite capable of some of the most complicated tasks imaginable. Some of these tasks (medical miracles, […]

The Deep Courage to Let Go Pema Chodron, now recognized as a world leader in the Chogyam Trungpa Shambhala tradition, has presented a wonderfully clear method for letting go of personal blockages and impediments to enlightenment, the bodhisattva way of life, and awakened bodhichitta (clear mind, soft heart). She teaches us how in “The Joy […]

Core Elements in Clinical Supervision In addition to what supervisors bring into group supervision and clinical training, the list below will be used for discussion about YOUR supervisory role. The order of content below is generally random. The content noted applies to clinical supervision; it could also apply to doing effective therapy. The skills and […]

Self-Care as Ritual Self-care for Americans is often considered a luxury. Due to our technological demands and addictions (Demons as they are), and the slow slipping of our economic structures, we are often at the mercy of the bottom line at work. Over-paid CEOs and CFOs and their many assistants eat up so, so much […]

Consciousness of Your Emotions Besides common scientific reflections on human emotions – that is neuro-chemical-electrical cellular impulses in response to sensory inputs – our emotional response system includes you and your innermost emotional reactions to both internal and external stimuli (people, places, things, memories, experiences, phenomena). Your mental state in response to sensory contact with […]

Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Trauma In line with the thousands of studies now available supporting the use of mindfulness-based interventions in depression, anxiety, chronic pain and addictions (via emotion regulation and interoception), this post will review recommended mindfulness interventions for trauma and PTSD. The post will note information from two recent books on this topic. Also recognize […]

In Times of Uncertainty; Clinical Practice H. Colodro and J. Oliver provide sound advice in their new book, A Guide to Self-Care for Practitioners in Times of Uncertainty. This 2020 New Harbinger publication is loaded with helpful suggestions on surviving, even thriving, in our time of struggle. Their core questions include: What do my clients need most […]