Download POSITIVE EFFECT OF MINDFULNESS MEDITATION ON STRESS

POSITIVE EFFECT OF
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION
ON STRESS
MEDITATION
The term meditation refers to a broad variety of practices that
includes techniques designed to promote relaxation, build
internal energy or life force and develop compassion, love,
patience, generosity and forgiveness.
Meditation is the practice of turning your attention to a single
point of reference. It can involve focusing on the breath, on
bodily sensations, or on a word or phrase known as a mantra.
In other words, meditation means turning your attention away
from distracting thoughts and focusing on the present moment.
MINDFULNESS
Mindfulness refers to a psychological quality that involves –
Bringing one’s complete attention to the present experience
on a moment to moment basis /
Involves paying attention in a particular way:
1. on purpose
2. In the present moment
3. Non judgmentally
4. Non-elaborative
In which each feeling , thought, or sensation that arises in the
attentional field is acknowledged and accepted as it is.
TWO COMPONENT MODEL OF
MINDFULNESS:
Bishop, Lau, and colleagues (2007) :
First Component
- Self regulation of attention
- Maintained on an immediate
experience
- Allows for increased recognition of
mental event in the present moment.
- Self regulated attention involves –
awareness of one’s current thoughts,
feelings, and surroundings.
Second Component
- Involves adopting a particular
orientation towards one’s experiences
in the present moment
- The orientation consists of –
curiosity, openness and acceptance.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
1979 – Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn founded – MINDFULNESS BASED – STRESS
REDUCTION PROGRAM at university of Massachusetts.
Aim – to treat the chronically ill
This sparked a growing interest and application of mindfulness ideas and practices
in the medical world.
Many of the mindfulness based clinical treatments we have today have been
inspired by teachings from the east, particularly from the Buddhist traditions, where
mindfulness is the 7th step of the Noble Eightfold path taught by Buddha.
Although originally a part of Buddhism, there is nothing inherently religious about
mindfulness. It is often taught independent of religious/ cultural connotation.
Psychotherapists have adapted and developed mindfulness techniques into a
promising cognitive behavioral therapies – Acceptance and commitment therapy.
Current research suggests that it is useful in the treatment of –
1. Pain
2. Stress
3. Anxiety
4. Depressive relapse
5. Disordered eating
6. Addiction
7. Improving immune system
Researchers attempt to define and measure results
of mindfulness primary through controlled,
randomized studies of mindfulness intervention on
various dependent variables.
The most common scales are –
1. The Attention Awareness Scales
2. The Cognitive and Affective Mindfulness Scale
etc
Through the use of scale – one can know the
changes in levels of mindfulness, which has been
correlated with subjective well-being, health and
performance.
THE RESEARCH ON THE OUTCOMES OF
MINDFULNESS FALLS INTO 2 MAIN
CATEGORIES:
1) Stress reduction – human response to stressors in the
environment produces emotional and physiological changes in
individual human body in order to cope with that stress.
This process most likely evolved to - help us attend to
immediate concerns in our environment to better our chances
of survival. But in modern society, much of the stress felt is
not beneficial in this way.
Stress is shown to have several negative effects on health,
happiness, and overall wellbeing.
FINDINGS
James and Shapiro (2007) conducted a study to show that –
mindfulness meditation may be specific in its ability to “reduce
distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviours.
This may provide a “unique mechanism by which mindfulness
meditation reduces distress.
Brown (2003) found declines in mood disturbance and stress
following mindfulness interventions.
Garland (2009) found declines in stress after mindfulness
interventions, which are potentially due to the positive re-appraisal of
what were at first appraised as stressors.
Jha (2010) found that a sufficient mindfulness meditation training
practice may protect against functional impairments associated with
high-stress contexts.
2) mindfulness as a tool to raise and sustain “positive”
emotions and their relative outcomes:
Davidson (2003) found that mindfulness meditation
increased brain and immune function in positive ways, but
highlighted the need for additional research.
Brown (2009) investigated subjective well-being and
financial desire. He found a large discrepancy between
financial desires and financial reality correlated with low
subjective wellbeing but that the accumulation of wealth did
not tend to close the gap.
Mindfulness however was associated with a lower financial –
desire discrepancy and thus higher subjective well-being, so
mindfulness may promote the perception of “having enough”.
META-ANALYSIS - 2003
Stated - Mindfulness – based stress reduction involves
Continuous awareness of consciousness
•Does not seek to censor thoughts
Conclusion –
•Maybe useful for individuals attempting to cope with clinical and
non-clinical problems
•It is helpful for – chronic pain, cancer patients and coronary heart
disease.
•Significant improvement was observed in both physical and
mental health measures.
Mindfulness and related techniques such as meditation
are intended to train attention in order to provoke
insight.
A wider and more flexible attention span makes it
easier to –
Be aware of situation
To be objective in emotionally/ morally difficult
situations
Achieve a state of responsiveness
MEDITATION AND STRESS
Research in Harvard medical school – during
meditation, physiological signals show –
A decrease in respiration
Increase in heart rate
Increase in blood oxygen saturation levels
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
“Practicing meditation has been shown to induce some changes in
the body…some types of meditation may work by affecting the
automatic nervous system of the body.
The systematic nervous system (aka – “fight or flight system) is
responsible for our reaction to stress and fear.
The parasympathetic nervous system (aka – “rest and digest”) is
active during times of rest.
“It is thought that some types of meditation might work by
reducing activity in the SNS and increasing activity in the PNS.
GOLEMAN: AMYGDALA AND PREFRONTAL CORTEX
Danial Goleman & Tara Bennett-Goleman – meditation works
because of relationship between the amygdala and prefrontal
cortex.
Amygdala decides if we should get angry anxious etc.
Makes rapid decisions and has a powerful effect on our
emotions and behavior, linked to survival needs.
Prefrontal cortex – makes us stop and think about things. Aka
the inhibitory center.
Very good at analyzing and planning, but it takes a long time to
make decisions.
GRAY AND WHITE MATTER
Studies done by Yale, Harvard, General Hospital
shows that mediation –
increases gray matter in brain
Slows down deterioration of the brain as a part of
natural aging process.
Experiment included – 20 individuals with
intensive Buddhist “insight meditation” training and
15 who did not meditate.
RESULTS OF THE STUDY:
Brain scan – those who meditated had an increased
thickness of grey matter in parts of the brain that are
responsible for attention and processing sensory input.
Increase ranged from 0.004 – 0.008 inches and was
proportional to amount of meditation
MEDITATION AND EEG
RECORDINGS
Skilled meditators showed a significant rise in the
gamma wave activity (80 – 120 Hz range) during
meditation.
These meditators had 40 years of training in
Buddhist – based mental training.
Experienced meditators also showed increased
gamma activity while at rest and not meditating.
THE RELAXATION RESPONSE
Dr. Herbert Benson of Mind – Body Medical Institute, affiliated with
Harvard University reports that –
Meditation induces a host of biochemical and physical changes in the
body.
These changes are collectively referred to as – “relaxation response”
It included –
1. Metabolism
2. Heart rate
3. Respiration
4. Blood pressure
5. Brain chemistry
CRITICISMS
Various scholars have criticized how
mindfulness has been defined/ represented in
recent western psychology publications.
 Alan Wallace stated that an influential
definition of mindfulness in psychology literature
significantly differs from definition given by
Buddha himself, and by much Buddhist tradition.
CONCLUSION
Mindfulness meditation results into –
1. Higher subjective well-being, so it may promote the
perception of “having enough”.
2. Positive correlation against reduction of stress.
3. Increase brain and immune function in positive ways.
4. Significant improvement in both physical and mental health
measures
5. Increases gray matter in brain
6. Slows down deterioration of the brain as a part of natural
aging process.
However, further research in this field is required for more
significant empirical evidence.
THANK YOU!
By Tvishi Sharma