Anti-Anxiety Meditation : How Meditation Can Save Your Life By Reducing Stress
What Is Meditation?
Your Perspective: Meditation is the ability to self regulate internal mental distractions.
Scientists Perspective: A means to enhance brain function and cognition in healthy and impaired individuals.
“Stressed Out” brain compared to a “Blissed Out” brain
The average person has 70,000 thoughts per day
Meditation Goals:
• Meditation exercises the mind in the same way we exercise our body–an active form of brain training.
• It infuses thoughts with greater positivity, love, calm and joy.
• Maintains balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
Types of Stress:
Acute versus Chronic Stress
1. Acute is a short term stress: Recent and anticipated demands and pressures.
2. Chronic is a long term stress: Poverty, childhood trauma, family disfunction or environmental.
Physiology of Stress:
1. Stressful event occurs
2. Panic and / or tension ensues
3. Increase in hormones such as cortisol, adrenaline, and epinephrine
4. Increased blood pressure
5. Energy diverted from immune, digestive, and reproductive systems
Stress Related Ailments:
• Cardiovascular issues
• anxiety
• sleeplessness
• addiction
• depression
• headache
• weight gain
• pain
• fatigue
• lack of motivation
• weakened immune system
Benefits of Meditation:
Reduction in Test Groups Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure
• Medical Students: Systolic -8 MM HG ; Diastolic -7 MM HG
• Coronary Heart Disease Patients: Systolic -5.4 MM HG; Diastolic -4 MM HG
• Elderly Retirement Home Residents: Systolic -8 MM HG; Diastolic -7 MM HG
• Adults with Hypertension: Systolic -4 MM HG; Diastolic -2.2 MM HG
Ability to Reduce Symptoms of Depression, Anxiety and Pain
• Effect of Meditation: 0.3
• Effect of Antidepressants: 0.3
In a Sample of 201 African Americans with Coronary Heart Disease:
A study showed a 43% reduction in risk for myocardial infarction and stroke after incorporating a Transcendental Meditation practice into their daily routine.
Percent Change in Amygdala Activity After Meditation :
• The region of the brain connected to anxiety and stress
• Mindfullness Meditation: -0.13;
• Compassion Meditation: -0.05;
• Control Group (no meditation) +0.05
Increased Gray Matter in the Hippocampus Important region of the brain for learning and memory
• Controls: +.002
• Mindfullness Based Stress Reduction: +.01
Sources:
• umassmed.edu/cfm/stress-reduction/faqs/
• youtube.com/watch?t=360&v=6J0fqswzxWM
• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/12/exercising-the-mind-to-treat-attention-deficits/
• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/28/how-meditation-may-change-the-brain/
• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/20/can-meditation-curb-heart-attacks/
• well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/02/23/meditation-for-a-good-nights-sleep/
• psyn-journal.com/article/S0925-4927%2810%2900288-X/abstract
• circ.ahajournals.org/cgi/content/meeting_abstract/120/18_MeetingAbstracts/S461-a
• news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8363302.stm/
• secularbuddhism.org/meditation-support/basic-meditation-instructions/
• sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2009/issue61/
• chopra.com/ccl/discover-meditations-healing-power
• loni.usc.edu/about_loni/education/brain_trivia.php
• loni.usc.edu/media/newsevents.php?id=478
• forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2015/02/09/7-ways-meditation-can-actually-change-the-brain
• mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987?pg=1
• apa.org/helpcenter/stress-kinds.aspx
• apa.org/helpcenter/stress-body.aspx
• ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3485650
