Depression may be treated with the age-old meditation technique, which has been practiced for centuries in China and India.
Naturally, this won’t occur immediately. It can require some time. According to E. Robert Schwartz, MD, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, “learning how to manage your thoughts takes time, energy, and dedication,” as presented to Health.
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How Depression Can Be Helped by Meditation
According to Dr. Schwartz, there are dozens of distinct forms of meditation that all aim to achieve heightened awareness, which may have profound advantages for those who suffer from anxiety and despair.
A large amount of research suggests that meditation therapy may be beneficial for patients with clinical depression disorders, especially those going through a major depressive episode.1. In one study, six weeks of meditation instruction decreased the symptoms of anxiety and sadness in students from Brazil.
One review’s authors claimed that meditation was so effective at treating depression that it might be employed as an adjuvant or first-line treatment for the condition in a therapeutic setting.
“There is a strong feeling in the neuroscience area and the psychology realm that meditation and meditative practices can change your brain physiology,” stated Dr. Schwartz.
Including meditation in a treatment plan
Remember that starting a meditation practice does not imply giving up on any medications or other treatments you may be receiving for depression.
Aditi Nerurkar, MD, medical director of the Cheng-Tsui Integrated Health Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, stated that “meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation, has been shown to be helpful in treating depression, but it should be used as a part of conventional medical care under the supervision of a physician and not as a substitute for conventional medical care.”
This is a guide to some of the more well-liked and researched forms of meditation that are beneficial for those suffering from depression.
Mindfulness Meditation
One could argue that mindfulness meditation is the origin of all meditation. Mindfulness is the root of many other forms of meditation, and it may have the most supporting scientific data.
“Mindfulness meditation is a moment-to-moment awareness of the present moment,” stated Dr. Nerurkar. “It uses your breath to create an anchor to keep bringing your attention back to the present moment and help with cognitive retraining.”
Research has indicated that practicing mindfulness meditation can help lower stress, anxiety, and sadness. Researchers observed that mindfulness-based interventions, compared to usual care, waitlist control, or no intervention, reduced the severity of anxiety in adults with cancer for up to six months following the delivery of mindfulness sessions. This finding came from a review of studies involving over 3000 participants.
Loving-kindness Meditation
Kindness and love The goal of meditation is to cultivate a loving and compassionate attitude toward both yourself and other people. Several research studies link this kind of meditation to decreased depression, a more upbeat attitude, fewer negative feelings, and increased compassion.
Kindness and love Additionally, while self-criticism is the root cause of many mental health conditions, meditation may help reduce it. One study found that reductions in self-criticism persisted for at least three months after the meditation sessions concluded.
Compassion meditation, which emphasizes unconditional compassion, boosts mood and reduces negative emotions.
Cognitive therapy based on mindfulness
CBT, or cognitive behavioral therapy, is combined with mindfulness meditation in this particular subcategory. Reversing negative thought and behavior patterns is the main goal of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which is one of the most popular types of treatment for depression and other mental health issues.
Initially designed to help individuals with recurrent depression avoid relapses, MBCT may also benefit those with active depression, according to newer research.
According to a 2018 study, behavioral activation with mindfulness (BAM), a treatment that combines mindfulness training and behavioral therapy, was effective in reducing depressive symptoms, including altered mood, appetite, and sleep patterns.
Lead author of the study Samuel Y.S. Wong, MD, professor and director of family medicine and primary health care at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, described BAM as a “innovative type of intervention.” “The two components are like ‘yin’ and ‘yang.'”
Breath Awareness Meditation
A basic element of many various types of meditation, especially mindfulness meditation, is awareness of your breath.
“Mindfulness meditation uses the object of your breath to focus on, to help with mind training,” stated Dr. Nerurkar. Another name for breath awareness meditation is mindful breathing.
Focusing on breathing exercises for as little as fifteen minutes a day can improve mood and reduce emotional reactivity. Furthermore, you don’t need to schedule a specific period of time to focus on your breathing: Many people discover methods to bring their awareness of their breath into their daily lives. You can perform it while lying down, sitting, or standing, and with or without your eyes open.
Transcendental Meditation
Transcendental meditation, or TM, has a sizable global following.
Dr. Nerurkar explains that transcendental meditation uses sound or a personal mantra, unlike focusing on the breath.
A four-month trial showed that transcendental meditation reduced stress, despair, and burnout in teachers and staff at a residential school for children with severe behavioral issues, or persons with high-stress occupations.
Strolling Meditation
Naturally, walking is beneficial to your physical and emotional well-being. Still, a strolling meditation could elevate you to a new plane.
In one study, aerobic walking combined with three times a week of Buddhist meditation over a 12-week period not only decreased depression but also enhanced flexibility and balance in a small group of older persons. Young people’s anxiety reduced by 10 minutes of meditation before or after walking in other studies.
“Meditation is [about] learning how to not just focus your mind but also to relax your mind,” stated Dr. Schwartz. Dr. Schwartz continued, “You’re learning how to bring [your mind] back to neutral,” and you can accomplish that with numerous types of exercise in addition to walking.
Meditation Using Your Body Scan
During a body scan meditation, you alternately focus on various body areas. Similar to breathing awareness, you can practice this while sitting, lying down, or in various positions, with or without your eyes open. You concentrate on taking deep breaths and letting them out as you move your attention to other body parts.
Body scanning appears to correlate with improved observation of thoughts, feelings, and sensations, as well as reduced dramatic reactions to stress.
People with bipolar disorder practicing mindfulness weekly had fewer depression relapses, per a study.
Yoga
Yoga incorporates breathing exercises, meditation, and physical postures; it appears to have an impact on anxiety and depression. According to studies, chanting is a part of Kundalini yoga, which is used to cure obsessive-compulsive disorder. Kundalini yoga teaches ways to control fear, release anger, and switch out bad thoughts for positive ones.
Another study indicated that yoga plus cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) reduced panic, anxiety, and sadness while enhancing sleep and quality of life in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder.
Consult your physician before to beginning yoga. As opposed to meditation, which is usually risk-free, yoga occasionally leads to injuries. Make sure the person teaching you yoga is qualified.
Repeated Exercise
Although cleaning up may not be a formal meditation practice, doing repetitive tasks thoughtfully, such as scouring pots and pans, can help you achieve a calmer frame of mind.
At least one study supports this theory, finding that ‘mindful dishwashers’ are more mindful and less anxious than non-mindful washers.
Dr. Schwartz explained, “It’s the repetitive action that doesn’t require any real thought.” It functions similarly to physical exercise. Exercise or manual labor helps focus, quiet the mind, and clear unnecessary thoughts.
Visualization
Many people discover that calm is stimulated when they concentrate on positive rather than negative images. You can do guided visual meditation alone or with online recordings.
You can also employ imagery to alter your memory of unpleasant experiences. One study suggests rescripting unpleasant memories with happy endings enhances self-esteem and quality of life. Researchers guided participants to replace negatives with positives, transform moods, and rethink past events.
Chanting
Many meditation traditions use chanting or regular gong chimes as a mental focus technique.
Dr. Schwartz stated that “chanting is a modality to arrive at the same type of meditative state.” “You use that … to gain your ability to focus.”
According to one study, “active-type meditative practices” such as yoga and chanting appear to engage brain regions related to mood regulation and emotional control.
A Quick Review
Though it has been used for millennia, Western medicine is only now beginning to recognize and comprehend the advantages of meditation as a therapeutic technique. The expanded consciousness that comes from meditation, in theory, may have profound effects for individuals suffering from anxiety and depression.
Starting meditation doesn’t mean stopping depression treatments or medications.