• Log in with Facebook Log in with Twitter Log In with Google      Sign In    
  • Create Account
  LongeCity
              Advocacy & Research for Unlimited Lifespans

Photo
* * - - - 1 votes

Meditation is just a hype?(even with neurological studies)


  • Please log in to reply
30 replies to this topic

#1 Eugene

  • Guest
  • 96 posts
  • -6
  • Location:brooklyn

Posted 31 July 2008 - 03:41 PM


So many people prescribe meditation for everything mental and i just can't help but feel skepticism.

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze. I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year. Eventualy with introduction to neurology, evolution, and western philosophy buddhism(except a few good ideas) started seeming like a naive idealist philosophy that wasn't rooted in reality.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back. The evidence for benefits of meditation is actualy anecdotal. They show some increases of brain tissue and blow flow, but they don't know what it means. Lots of things change once bloodflow and brain tissue. Ive never seen meditation fix problems, only give temprorary fixes.

Does anyone else feel that meditation is not a magical nootropic from the east?
  • Agree x 1

#2 meursault

  • Guest
  • 370 posts
  • 36
  • Location:USA

Posted 31 July 2008 - 04:32 PM

So many people prescribe meditation for everything mental and i just can't help but feel skepticism.

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze. I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year. Eventualy with introduction to neurology, evolution, and western philosophy buddhism(except a few good ideas) started seeming like a naive idealist philosophy that wasn't rooted in reality.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back. The evidence for benefits of meditation is actualy anecdotal. They show some increases of brain tissue and blow flow, but they don't know what it means. Lots of things change once bloodflow and brain tissue. Ive never seen meditation fix problems, only give temprorary fixes.

Does anyone else feel that meditation is not a magical nootropic from the east?


What a naive post! Meditation is not a nootropic, it's a way of life. This post is pretty offensive, calling buddhism a "naive idealist philosophy" and "magical." Your IMPATIENCE and WESTERN attitude focused on PROGRESS and not PEACE is why meditation is not good for you.
  • Off-Topic x 1
  • Pointless, Timewasting x 1

sponsored ad

  • Advert
Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

#3 luv2increase

  • Guest
  • 2,529 posts
  • 37
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 31 July 2008 - 05:51 PM

So many people prescribe meditation for everything mental and i just can't help but feel skepticism.

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze. I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year. Eventualy with introduction to neurology, evolution, and western philosophy buddhism(except a few good ideas) started seeming like a naive idealist philosophy that wasn't rooted in reality.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back. The evidence for benefits of meditation is actualy anecdotal. They show some increases of brain tissue and blow flow, but they don't know what it means. Lots of things change once bloodflow and brain tissue. Ive never seen meditation fix problems, only give temprorary fixes.

Does anyone else feel that meditation is not a magical nootropic from the east?



Just because it did not work for you does not mean it does not help millions of others. You need to humble yourself. Also, increased blood flow in the brain is a good thing.

I would also like to add that cnuckles post hit it right on the spot, and prayer has been found to give the same benefits as does meditation.


So it is either meditate or pray all day to prevent that brain from decay... :) ah that was corny
  • Informative x 1

#4 Mind

  • Life Member, Director, Moderator, Treasurer
  • 18,997 posts
  • 2,000
  • Location:Wausau, WI

Posted 31 July 2008 - 06:02 PM

Alright now, no need to crucify Eugene. Some people are just looking for more concrete effects. Meditation has been a successful practice for many people. However, I could have all the PEACE in the world but I would still die right on schedule like everyone else. I don't see monks breaking any longevity records. I'll speak up for PROGRESS, as it is the only way to accomplish Imminst's mission. Wouldn't a good monk try to achieve a good balance between peace and progress anyway?

#5 ikaros

  • Guest
  • 334 posts
  • 5
  • Location:EU

Posted 31 July 2008 - 06:43 PM

So many people prescribe meditation for everything mental and i just can't help but feel skepticism.

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze. I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year. Eventualy with introduction to neurology, evolution, and western philosophy buddhism(except a few good ideas) started seeming like a naive idealist philosophy that wasn't rooted in reality.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back. The evidence for benefits of meditation is actualy anecdotal. They show some increases of brain tissue and blow flow, but they don't know what it means. Lots of things change once bloodflow and brain tissue. Ive never seen meditation fix problems, only give temprorary fixes.

Does anyone else feel that meditation is not a magical nootropic from the east?


To what type of meditation are you refering to?

#6 forever freedom

  • Guest
  • 2,362 posts
  • 67

Posted 31 July 2008 - 06:49 PM

Instead of meditating, i just watch some TV comedy show when i need to relax. Same effects :)

#7 lucid

  • Guest
  • 1,195 posts
  • 65
  • Location:Austin, Tx

Posted 31 July 2008 - 07:24 PM

Alright now, no need to crucify Eugene. Some people are just looking for more concrete effects. Meditation has been a successful practice for many people. However, I could have all the PEACE in the world but I would still die right on schedule like everyone else. I don't see monks breaking any longevity records. I'll speak up for PROGRESS, as it is the only way to accomplish Imminst's mission. Wouldn't a good monk try to achieve a good balance between peace and progress anyway?

I don't know about dying right on time mind... I think that we have all seen epideemiological studies showing slight lifespan increases from being religious (which I attribute to stress reduction coming from prayer and less fear of death). As follows is a study showing a decrease in mortality rates for practitioners of meditation:
http://www.medicalne...icles/23697.php

Transcendental Meditation extends lifespan
The American Journal of Cardiology reports in its May 2, 2005, issue that the Transcendental Meditation technique, a non-drug stress-reduction method, reduces death rates by 23% and extends lifespan.

The first-of-its-kind, long-term, randomized trial evaluated 202 men and women, average age 71, who had mildly elevated blood pressure. Subjects in the study participated in the Transcendental Meditation program; behavioral techniques, such as mindfulness or progressive muscle relaxation; or health education. The study tracked subjects for up to 18 years. Vital statistics were obtained from the National Death Index.

The study found that compared to combined controls, the TM group showed:

-- 23% reduction in the rate of death from all causes

-- 30% reduction in the rate of death from cardiovascular disease

-- 49% reduction in the rate of death from cancer


Transcendental Meditation Reduces Risk Factors in Heart Disease

"Research has found the Transcendental Meditation program reduces risk factors in heart disease and other chronic disorders, such as high blood pressure, smoking, psychological stress, stress hormones, harmful cholesterol, and atherosclerosis," said Robert Schneider, M.D., FACC, principal author of the study and director of the Center of Natural Medicine and Prevention.

"These reductions slow the aging process and promote the long-term reductions in death rates."

Researchers collaborated on the study from Harvard, University of Iowa, Medical College of Georgia, West Oakland Health Center, and Maharishi University of Management. The study was funded, in part, by a grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.

Interviews and b-roll are available.

The Center of Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, was established by an $8 million grant from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health, to serve as a Specialized Center for Research and to study natural medicine in relation to cardiovascular disease in minority populations.

Chronic Stress is a really powerful biological force and meditation is a powerful way to control stress levels.
  • WellResearched x 1

#8 Mind

  • Life Member, Director, Moderator, Treasurer
  • 18,997 posts
  • 2,000
  • Location:Wausau, WI

Posted 31 July 2008 - 07:30 PM

Yes, yes, yes, yes, I am aware of meditation's positive effects. By right on schedule I meant within the current 120 year pseudo-limit. Should have been more clear.

I said "monks are not breaking any longevity records". We need biomedical progress for that.

#9 lucid

  • Guest
  • 1,195 posts
  • 65
  • Location:Austin, Tx

Posted 31 July 2008 - 09:30 PM

Not to pick nits, but CR would be viable to increase life even if we didn't know what cells were (had no biological knowledge), the same goes for meditation. People 200 years ago could have run controlled experiments on the effects of meditation and CR on lifespan in humans. Once we have full biological understanding of these processes then we can make pills so people dont actually have to practice meditation or CR.

#10 wydell

  • Guest
  • 503 posts
  • -1

Posted 02 August 2008 - 01:49 PM

If you meditate and medtiation is supposed to produce a sense of peacefulness and unattachment, it does not seem to come across in your writing style.


quote]

What a naive post! Meditation is not a nootropic, it's a way of life. This post is pretty offensive, calling buddhism a "naive idealist philosophy" and "magical." Your IMPATIENCE and WESTERN attitude focused on PROGRESS and not PEACE is why meditation is not good for you.
[/quote]

#11 ajnast4r

  • Guest, F@H
  • 3,925 posts
  • 147
  • Location:USA
  • NO

Posted 02 August 2008 - 02:24 PM

So many people prescribe meditation for everything mental and i just can't help but feel skepticism.

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze. I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year. Eventualy with introduction to neurology, evolution, and western philosophy buddhism(except a few good ideas) started seeming like a naive idealist philosophy that wasn't rooted in reality.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back. The evidence for benefits of meditation is actualy anecdotal. They show some increases of brain tissue and blow flow, but they don't know what it means. Lots of things change once bloodflow and brain tissue. Ive never seen meditation fix problems, only give temprorary fixes.

Does anyone else feel that meditation is not a magical nootropic from the east?



i do.

a year is not that long to be honest. and also different styles of meditation have different levels of effectiveness imo... you may just not have been doing it long enough, or you may not have been doing it right.

my experience with meditation is pretty much opposite of yours. while it did help release stress/create calm WHILE meditating... it had profound changes on my normal 'waking life'. it made me a calmer person in general. it made me more compassionate and emotionally open. it reduced my anger reactions & the frequency with which i got annoyed... not that i would get angry and get over it quicker, but that i actually was much less prone to getting angry.


imo, the benefits of meditation are not really up for debate. you just have to do it consistently and be disciplined about long term regular practice

#12 deekz

  • Guest
  • 22 posts
  • 0

Posted 03 August 2008 - 01:46 AM

benefits of meditation are mainly from constantly reminding yourself and your mindset to be in the present. Future and past thoughts bring about unneeded anxiety. Focusing on breathing (any time of day) relaxes the mind and stops racing thoughts.

#13 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 01:55 AM

benefits of meditation are mainly from constantly reminding yourself and your mindset to be in the present. Future and past thoughts bring about unneeded anxiety. Focusing on breathing (any time of day) relaxes the mind and stops racing thoughts.


How would someone who has never meditated (but is curious) best go about trying it out?
And good sites/podcasts, etc on the internet?

I love future thoughts. Dreams of my future inspire my today. But I understand what you are refering to - those times when past and future thoughts, worries and stresses can get the best of one.

#14 wanderer

  • Guest
  • 30 posts
  • 0

Posted 03 August 2008 - 02:24 AM

If you want to sell meditation to people who hang around ImmInst, showing how it significantly affects health and longevity would work wonders. I don't think it is enough, however. Many of the people who post here are VERY interested in progress (while obviously desiring peace). Personally, I have absolutely no desire to be satisfied and at peace (peace of mind peace, not world peace peace) when the reality of world and where it is headed is so obviously not... satisfactory.

Meditation is fine for certain types of people, but before I support it I would like to see how many serious meditation practitioners go on to win Nobel prizes in the sciences, or even achieve great success in the business world... or achieve high levels of success in anything, honestly. I am not trying to be disrespectful, and I believe the world would be a better place if everyone regularly meditated, but being calm, satisfied, and at peace, living in the moment, being detached... these things seem to be the enemy of progress and achievement. Stress has to be managed, for sure, but I WANT to be disturbed by injustice. I WANT concern over problems in the present and worry about the future to spur me on to work hard to find solutions.

Obviously everyone does not share my opinion, which is fine, but things are not OK in the world. They aren't fine. If you want to enjoy personal peace and not be bothered with the reality of the situation around you, that's your prerogative. At a site like this, however, one full of ambitious dreamers who see problems with the way things are, don't be surprised to find that most are skeptical when it comes to meditation.

Edited by wanderer, 03 August 2008 - 02:34 AM.


#15 cyborgdreamer

  • Guest
  • 735 posts
  • 204
  • Location:In the wrong universe

Posted 03 August 2008 - 02:50 AM

Are there any studies comparing meditation with just taking time to relax and think?

#16 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 05:07 AM

To wanderer -

Well, as a dude how knows little about meditation, I'll offer this balanced perspective.

We all have an emotional range. And for a reason. It's adaptive. Yes, there are "types". "A-type" personalities that run around stressed and angry most of the time and thrive on it and those who are calmer and like to be and thrive on it - most of the time.

But, the key word is most

No one is one way all of the time. And I'd just take it on assumption that people here and everywhere want the full range of emotions (but their own personal and chosen configuration of the emotional range) and that meditators want to increase their capacity for peacefulness, harmony, stress-reduction, returning to equilibrium after an upseting event, but do not wish for a brain lobotomy. Do not want to be at complete calmness all the time and unable to experience excitement, thrill, ecstacy, joy, all the good intense emotions, as well as outrage at social injustices, etc. Just as I love both my intensity and my calmer moments.

I'd guess you are worried about over-self control and losing some good intensity. And maybe some who value calmness would over-restrain their anger. But, I assume everyone knows what anger feels like and what useful anger is and that those who value calmness think a safer managing of the situation would be found through their own less intense route.

Anyway, I'm, an unabashed proponent of the full emotional range and developing myself in all directions and utilizing the adaptive qualities of all emotions and admitting within myself all emotions.

My interest in psychoanalys is showing here.

So, if I looked into meditation it wouldn't be for the non-drug equivanent of being on Valium, 24-7, it would be so when life gets under my skin and some bullshit is overwhelmingly, I could return to a healthier state quicker.

But, here is probably why I'm interested in psychoanalysis and have never looked into meditation. I always want to think and work-through a problem, and not empty my mind of all thoughts. Yet, the mind works at more than the conscious level and some things seem to be processed better when we aren't paying direct attention to them. So, maybe meditation can augment thinking and its processing. And maybe a little meditation can go a long way (like unwinding at the end of the day).

Also, some forms of meditation are purposively attention-enhancing (focusing on a single object for a sustained time).



http://www.ncbi.nlm....Pubmed_RVDocSum

1:
Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 Apr;12(4):163-9. Epub 2008 Mar 10.Posted Image Links
Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation.
Lutz A, Slagter HA, Dunne JD, Davidson RJ. Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA. alutz@wisc.edu <alutz@wisc.edu>

Meditation can be conceptualized as a family of complex emotional and attentional regulatory training regimes developed for various ends, including the cultivation of well-being and emotional balance. Among these various practices, there are two styles that are commonly studied. One style, focused attention meditation, entails the voluntary focusing of attention on a chosen object. The other style, open monitoring meditation, involves nonreactive monitoring of the content of experience from moment to moment. The potential regulatory functions of these practices on attention and emotion processes could have a long-term impact on the brain and behavior.



http://www.ncbi.nlm....Pubmed_RVDocSum
1: J Clin Psychol. 2008 Jul;64(7):840-62.Posted Image Links
Cultivating mindfulness: effects on well-being.
Shapiro SL, Oman D, Thoresen CE, Plante TG, Flinders T. Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA 95053, USA. slshapiro@scu.edu

There has been great interest in determining if mindfulness can be cultivated and if this cultivation leads to well-being. The current study offers preliminary evidence that at least one aspect of mindfulness, measured by the Mindful Attention and Awareness Scale (MAAS; K. W. Brown & R. M. Ryan, 2003), can be cultivated and does mediate positive outcomes. Further, adherence to the practices taught during the meditation-based interventions predicted positive outcomes. College undergraduates were randomly allocated between training in two distinct meditation-based interventions, Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR; J. Kabat-Zinn, 1990; n=15) and E. Easwaran's (1978/1991) Eight Point Program (EPP; n=14), or a waitlist control (n=15). Pretest, posttest, and 8-week follow-up data were gathered on self-report outcome measures. Compared to controls, participants in both treatment groups (n=29) demonstrated increases in mindfulness at 8-week follow-up. Further, increases in mindfulness mediated reductions in perceived stress and rumination. These results suggest that distinct meditation-based practices can increase mindfulness as measured by the MAAS, which may partly mediate benefits. Implications and future directions are discussed. Copyright 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.







Edited by Rags847, 03 August 2008 - 05:46 AM.

  • Informative x 1

#17 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 05:10 AM

Some great reading here on Brain Science and Meditation

http://www.crystalin...m/medbrain.html




And if this is true, sign me up for meditation!

http://www.ncbi.nlm....Pubmed_RVDocSum

1: Neuroreport. 2005 Nov 28;16(17):1893-7. Links
Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness.
Lazar SW, Kerr CE, Wasserman RH, Gray JR, Greve DN, Treadway MT, McGarvey M, Quinn BT, Dusek JA, Benson H, Rauch SL, Moore CI, Fischl B. Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. lazar@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu

Previous research indicates that long-term meditation practice is associated with altered resting electroencephalogram patterns, suggestive of long lasting changes in brain activity. We hypothesized that meditation practice might also be associated with changes in the brain's physical structure. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to assess cortical thickness in 20 participants with extensive Insight meditation experience, which involves focused attention to internal experiences. Brain regions associated with attention, interoception and sensory processing were thicker in meditation participants than matched controls, including the prefrontal cortex and right anterior insula. Between-group differences in prefrontal cortical thickness were most pronounced in older participants, suggesting that meditation might offset age-related cortical thinning. Finally, the thickness of two regions correlated with meditation experience. These data provide the first structural evidence for experience-dependent cortical plasticity associated with meditation practice.

PMID: 16272874 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Edited by Rags847, 03 August 2008 - 05:22 AM.


#18 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 05:37 AM

Are there any studies comparing meditation with just taking time to relax and think?


Here is one.

"However, mindfulness meditation may be specific in its ability to reduce distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and this ability may provide a unique mechanism by which mindfulness meditation reduces distress."


http://www.ncbi.nlm....ogdbfrom=pubmed


1: Ann Behav Med. 2007 Feb;33(1):11-21.Links
A randomized controlled trial of mindfulness meditation versus relaxation training: effects on distress, positive states of mind, rumination, and distraction.
Jain S, Shapiro SL, Swanick S, Roesch SC, Mills PJ, Bell I, Schwartz GE. SDSU/UCSD Joint Doctoral Program, Clinical Psychology, San Diego, CA 92103-0804, USA. sjain@ucsd.edu

BACKGROUND: Although mindfulness meditation interventions have recently shown benefits for reducing stress in various populations, little is known about their relative efficacy compared with relaxation interventions. PURPOSE: This randomized controlled trial examines the effects of a 1-month mindfulness meditation versus somatic relaxation training as compared to a control group in 83 students (M age = 25; 16 men and 67 women) reporting distress. Method: Psychological distress, positive states of mind, distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and spiritual experience were measured, while controlling for social desirability. RESULTS: Hierarchical linear modeling reveals that both meditation and relaxation groups experienced significant decreases in distress as well as increases in positive mood states over time, compared with the control group (p < .05 in all cases). There were no significant differences between meditation and relaxation on distress and positive mood states over time. Effect sizes for distress were large for both meditation and relaxation (Cohen's d = 1.36 and .91, respectively), whereas the meditation group showed a larger effect size for positive states of mind than relaxation (Cohen's d =.71 and .25, respectively). The meditation group also demonstrated significant pre-post decreases in both distractive and ruminative thoughts/behaviors compared with the control group (p < .04 in all cases; Cohen's d = .57 for rumination and .25 for distraction for the meditation group), with mediation models suggesting that mindfulness meditation's effects on reducing distress were partially mediated by reducing rumination. No significant effects were found for spiritual experience. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that compared with a no-treatment control, brief training in mindfulness meditation or somatic relaxation reduces distress and improves positive mood states. However, mindfulness meditation may be specific in its ability to reduce distractive and ruminative thoughts and behaviors, and this ability may provide a unique mechanism by which mindfulness meditation reduces distress.

PMID: 17291166 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
  • Informative x 1

#19 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 05:55 AM

Depends on which type of meditation is used and why.

The two that interest me are mindful meditation (attention-enhancing) and any that can awaken altered states of consciousness.


http://www.ncbi.nlm....ogdbfrom=pubmed



1: Am J Psychother. 1991 Jul;45(3):383-412.Links
The use of meditation in psychotherapy: a review of the literature.
Bogart G. Saybrook Institute, San Francisco, CA.

This article has explored research to date concerning the efficacy of introducing meditation into the therapeutic setting. I have presented the views of proponents and critics of the relaxation model of meditation and of theories describing the cognitive changes brought about by meditation--for example, Deikman's theory of the deautomatization of consciousness and Delmonte's view that meditation may be utilized to bring about "ascendence," "descendence," and "transcendence." After summarizing psychoanalytic and Jungian arguments against meditation, the writings of several transpersonal psychologists have been cited to demonstrate the differences in how psychotherapy and meditative disciplines conceptualize personal identity, work with unconscious material, and view the experience of emptiness. I conclude that the question of whether meditation should be used in therapy can be answered only by considering what therapeutic goals are being sought in a particular instance and whether or not meditation can reasonably be expected to facilitate achievement of those goals. Meditation may, in some cases, be compatible with, and effective in, promoting the aims of psychotherapy--for example, cognitive and behavioral change, or access to the deep regions of the personal unconscious. In other cases, it may be strongly contraindicated, especially when the therapeutic goal is to strengthen ego boundaries, release powerful emotions, or work through complex relational dynamics--ends which may be more effectively reached through standard psychotherapeutic methods than through meditation. Meditation may be of great value, however, through its capacity to awaken altered states of consciousness that may profoundly reorient an individual's identity, emotional attitude, and sense of wellbeing and purpose in life.

PMID: 1951788 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

#20 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 06:59 AM

Woa! An awesome, detailed talk here!

http://www.youtube.c...feature=related

Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation

Google Tech Talks
February, 28 2008

Speaker: Philippe Goldin
Philippe is a research scientist and heads the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience group in the Department of Psychology at Stanford University.

Edited by Rags847, 03 August 2008 - 07:08 AM.


#21 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 07:21 AM

How To Practice Focused Meditation

http://stress.about....focused_med.htm

By Elizabeth Scott, M.S., About.com

Created: May 17, 2006


About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by Steven Gans, MD


This type of meditation involves focusing on something intently as a way of staying in the present moment and turning off your internal dialogue. Many people find this type of meditation easier to practice than classic meditation where you focus on nothing to quiet your mind. With focused meditation, you can choose to focus on almost anything that involves the senses, including sounds, visual pieces, tactile sensations, tastes and smells, and even the your own breathing!
Here's how:

Difficulty: Easy

Time Required: 5 to 30 Minutes

Here's How:
  • Choose a target for your focus. The sound of a metronome, the smell of incense, or a pleasing picture are all popular choices. (If you need more ideas, here's a list of things you can turn your attention to.)
  • Get into a comfortable position, and relax your body.
  • Turn your attention to your chosen target, and take in the sensation it provides. Focus on the sound, smell, sight, etc. and simply experience what it has to offer. The idea is not to think about it, but simply to experience it, being fully present in the moment.
  • If your internal voice starts to analyze it, or begins to rehash stressful situations of the day, worry about the future, make a list for grocery shopping, or anything else, gently turn your attention back to your chosen target and the sensation it provides. Let your mind stay quiet and clear.
  • If you find your mind engaging you and realize that you're not being fully present with the sensations of your chosen target, don't let your inner perfectionist beat you up for 'doing it wrong'; simply congratulate yourself for noticing, and return back to the present moment and the sensations it has to offer.
  • That's it. It may sound a little strange or difficult to understand as you're reading this, but as you practice this type of meditation, it will become easier and make more sense. The more you practice, the more benefits you will experience. Enjoy!
Tips:
  • Give it time. Meditation often takes practice. If you're expecting to do it 'perfectly', you may actually create more stress for yourself than you relieve, and you won't want to stick with it.
  • Start with shorter sessions—like five minutes—and work your way up to longer sessions—like 30. With practice, this type of meditation becomes easier and more effective.
  • If the experience is frustrating for you and you don't really want to continue, you may find more success with other types of meditation like the Karate Breathing Meditation.
What You Need:
  • Some quiet, private time.
  • Comfortable clothes.
  • A willing attitude and an open mind.
Posted Image

A burning candle can be a great object for focused meditation. ©iStockphoto.com

Edited by Rags847, 03 August 2008 - 07:24 AM.


#22 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 03 August 2008 - 07:48 AM

Whole PDF of the article cited above here:

http://dericbownds.n..._Meditation.pdf





This is the abstract:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....Pubmed_RVDocSum

1:
Trends Cogn Sci. 2008 Apr;12(4):163-9. Epub 2008 Mar 10.Posted Image Links

Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation.

Lutz A, Slagter HA, Dunne JD, Davidson RJ. Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, Department of Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53705, USA. alutz@wisc.edu <alutz@wisc.edu>

Meditation can be conceptualized as a family of complex emotional and attentional regulatory training regimes developed for various ends, including the cultivation of well-being and emotional balance. Among these various practices, there are two styles that are commonly studied. One style, focused attention meditation, entails the voluntary focusing of attention on a chosen object. The other style, open monitoring meditation, involves nonreactive monitoring of the content of experience from moment to moment. The potential regulatory functions of these practices on attention and emotion processes could have a long-term impact on the brain and behavior.

Edited by Rags847, 03 August 2008 - 07:50 AM.


#23 yoyo

  • Guest
  • 582 posts
  • 21

Posted 04 August 2008 - 02:05 AM

Meditation is really boring.

#24 spaceistheplace

  • Guest
  • 397 posts
  • 4
  • Location:Sacramento

Posted 04 August 2008 - 03:10 AM

Meditation is really boring.


so spoke the Enlightened One.

#25 Connor MacLeod

  • Guest
  • 619 posts
  • 46

Posted 05 August 2008 - 02:13 AM

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze.

Well, people have been meditating for thousands of years so I wouldn't call it a craze.

I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year.

That's not really very serious. At one point in my life I was meditating 6-7 hours a day. I went on at that rate for at least a couple years until I had to scale things back a bit, but I still meditate at least 1.5-2 hours a day. The person I learned from meditated 12+ hours a day at some point. That's starting to get serious - maybe even a bit crazy.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back.

I'm certain my meditation practice has caused fairly permanent changes, though I don't really understand the mechanism. This may sound new-agey to most here but I can literally feel the "energy" moving through my body and brain all the time - sometimes very strong, sometimes weak - but the perception is always there. In general it is very pleasant and seems to give extra energy - both mental and physical. The only downside is that it seems to be somewhat addictive (at least in my case) in the sense that if I don't meditate regularly then the "energy" starts to take on a harsh and somewhat unpleasant edge (e.g. a feeling of pin pricks on the top of my head, etc. - can someone give a neurochemical explanation of what might be going on here?)

N.B. There are many different forms of meditation and so there is likely to be some variation in the effects. The sort of meditation I practice is not like the zen or mantra meditation. I learned from a friend who spent several years working in India. I guess it's more similar to the Chinese chi gong meditation styles (which I've also had some experience with), dealing with "energy", chakras, and that sort of thing.

#26 luv2increase

  • Guest
  • 2,529 posts
  • 37
  • Location:Ohio

Posted 05 August 2008 - 02:41 AM

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze.

Well, people have been meditating for thousands of years so I wouldn't call it a craze.

I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year.

That's not really very serious. At one point in my life I was meditating 6-7 hours a day. I went on at that rate for at least a couple years until I had to scale things back a bit, but I still meditate at least 1.5-2 hours a day. The person I learned from meditated 12+ hours a day at some point. That's starting to get serious - maybe even a bit crazy.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back.

I'm certain my meditation practice has caused fairly permanent changes, though I don't really understand the mechanism. This may sound new-agey to most here but I can literally feel the "energy" moving through my body and brain all the time - sometimes very strong, sometimes weak - but the perception is always there. In general it is very pleasant and seems to give extra energy - both mental and physical. The only downside is that it seems to be somewhat addictive (at least in my case) in the sense that if I don't meditate regularly then the "energy" starts to take on a harsh and somewhat unpleasant edge (e.g. a feeling of pin pricks on the top of my head, etc. - can someone give a neurochemical explanation of what might be going on here?)

N.B. There are many different forms of meditation and so there is likely to be some variation in the effects. The sort of meditation I practice is not like the zen or mantra meditation. I learned from a friend who spent several years working in India. I guess it's more similar to the Chinese chi gong meditation styles (which I've also had some experience with), dealing with "energy", chakras, and that sort of thing.


It sounds as though you may have an anxiety problem. When you get this 'edgy' energy, what is the culprit which brings it into fruition?

#27 Connor MacLeod

  • Guest
  • 619 posts
  • 46

Posted 05 August 2008 - 03:08 AM

Let me start by saying that i was myself part of this buddhist/eastern craze.

Well, people have been meditating for thousands of years so I wouldn't call it a craze.

I became very siriouse about buddhism and meditated for about half an hour on avg every day for a whole year.

That's not really very serious. At one point in my life I was meditating 6-7 hours a day. I went on at that rate for at least a couple years until I had to scale things back a bit, but I still meditate at least 1.5-2 hours a day. The person I learned from meditated 12+ hours a day at some point. That's starting to get serious - maybe even a bit crazy.

From my expirience, meditation DOES make on calm/happy and release stress during the meditation itself, HOWEVER the effect wears of very quick and doesn't come back.

I'm certain my meditation practice has caused fairly permanent changes, though I don't really understand the mechanism. This may sound new-agey to most here but I can literally feel the "energy" moving through my body and brain all the time - sometimes very strong, sometimes weak - but the perception is always there. In general it is very pleasant and seems to give extra energy - both mental and physical. The only downside is that it seems to be somewhat addictive (at least in my case) in the sense that if I don't meditate regularly then the "energy" starts to take on a harsh and somewhat unpleasant edge (e.g. a feeling of pin pricks on the top of my head, etc. - can someone give a neurochemical explanation of what might be going on here?)

N.B. There are many different forms of meditation and so there is likely to be some variation in the effects. The sort of meditation I practice is not like the zen or mantra meditation. I learned from a friend who spent several years working in India. I guess it's more similar to the Chinese chi gong meditation styles (which I've also had some experience with), dealing with "energy", chakras, and that sort of thing.


It sounds as though you may have an anxiety problem. When you get this 'edgy' energy, what is the culprit which brings it into fruition?


It happens when I don't meditate enough - I seem to require a minimum of an hour or so a meditation a day for maintainence purposes - other than that there is nothing in particular. If I meditate 3+ hours a day then all is good - flower petals raining from heaven, lotus leaves springing up to cushion my step as I walk, the Earth and sky signing in joyous praise of the One, etc. ;o)

The feeling of energy is always there while meditating or not - if I'm doing my maintainence level of meditation then its typically like a very pleasant pressure or drawing sensation at various places on my head (top of head, back of head near swirl of hair, forehead, and back of upper neck in particular), but when I don't meditate regularly then the feeling becomes a little harsh. Its difficult to explain but there is a feeling of pin pricks, and also a sort of feeling of rawness - but still in the exact same locations as described before.

#28 Rags847

  • Guest
  • 362 posts
  • 25

Posted 05 August 2008 - 10:57 PM

If you enjoy meditating and are interested in the recent brain research regarding it, you'll love this video:

Dan Rather Reports: Mind Science [Apr 8, 2008]


Interesting report on brain plasticity and the effect of meditation on the brain and emotions (in 6 parts on YouTube). Dali Lama interviewed.

http://video.google....6...vt=lf&hl=en

#29 kurdishfella

  • Guest
  • 2,397 posts
  • -71
  • Location:russia
  • NO

Posted 07 September 2020 - 07:48 PM

so many mental problems can be fixed with just meditating .



sponsored ad

  • Advert
Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).

#30 kurdishfella

  • Guest
  • 2,397 posts
  • -71
  • Location:russia
  • NO

Posted 09 February 2021 - 11:05 PM

Try drinking water then meditation, water molecule is very sensitive and can pick up everything (bad) you feel and your thoughts and wash it out hopefully in your pee. It can also pick up good and react in a positive way then help your body better.


  • Needs references x 1
  • Dangerous, Irresponsible x 1

sponsored ad

  • Advert
Click HERE to rent this advertising spot for BRAIN HEALTH to support LongeCity (this will replace the google ad above).



0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users