Meditation

meditation

Meditation is the act of focusing on a single target (such as the breath or a repeated sound) to increase awareness of the moment.

Practicing Meditation

Unlike hypnosis, which typically involves a therapist guiding a participant, meditation can be practiced independently. Many people, however, benefit from some initial instruction to learn how to reach a meditative state.

Although there are many different styles, most forms of meditation involve quieting the mind and redirecting attention to achieve a state of relaxed awareness and focused concentration on a specific sensation, emotion, or thought (Chen et al., 2013; Lang et al., 2012).

Mindfulness Meditation

One of the most well-known approaches is mindfulness meditation, which has grown in popularity in recent years. Mindfulness is a deliberate, non-judgmental awareness of one’s thoughts, feelings, or surroundings in the present moment—often with the goal of fostering self-understanding or insight (Kabat-Zinn, 1994).

Applications and Benefits

Buddhist-derived meditation practices, including “mindfulness-based interventions” (MBIs) have been applied to a wide range of medical and psychological conditions including stress, chronic pain, addiction, and mood disorders.^[1]

MBIs have been widely implemented, including in prisons, the military, and educational settings. Research indicates that meditation may help reduce blood pressure, and the American Heart Association suggests that meditation might be used in conjunction with more traditional treatments as a way to manage hypertension (Brook et al., 2013). Like hypnosis, meditation also shows promise in stress management, sleep quality (Caldwell, Harrison, Adams, Quin, & Greeson, 2010), treatment of mood and anxiety disorders (Chen et al., 2013; Freeman et al., 2010; Vøllestad, Nielsen, & Nielsen, 2012), and pain management (Reiner, Tibi, & Lipsitz, 2013).

Cultural and Spiritual Roots

While Western science often highlights the health-related outcomes of mindfulness, these represent only one dimension of meditation’s broader significance. In many religious and spiritual traditions, contemplative practices such as chanting, prayer, and meditation are intended to cultivate spiritual growth and inner peace.

This intersection—using religiously derived meditation techniques in secular, medical, or therapeutic contexts—remains an important area for ongoing discussion and research.

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