Meditation as a therapeutic activity is a holistic practice that bridges the mind and body, fostering calmness, physical relaxation, and enhancing overall health. It ranges from simple deep breathing exercises to reaching altered states of consciousness. Often, practitioners use a mantra or image to focus on, blocking out external distractions.
The Benefits of Meditation
Studies have shown that meditation can ease symptoms of mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Furthermore, the health benefits of meditation extend to alleviating physical conditions such as pain or allergies.
Meditation therapy is often used alongside other health and mindfulness techniques. Due to the mind-body connection it fosters, healthcare professionals frequently employ meditation to help patients deal with problems in both the brain and body.
Types of Meditation Practices
Meditation can be practiced in various ways. While it usually involves sitting comfortably in a quiet place and focusing one’s attention, different types of meditation may vary in length or position. Meditation therapy can involve several different types including mindfulness meditation and somatic meditation.
Mindfulness meditation, a popular practice among healthcare professionals, helps people focus on the present moment. During mindfulness meditation, one may find that both physical and mental pain lessen.
Somatic meditation, on the other hand, is centered in the body rather than the mind. It focuses on releasing negative tension throughout the body. Practitioners of somatic meditation believe that negative emotional experiences can impact the health of the brain and body, manifesting as physical pain and distressing emotions. Somatic meditation in a therapy setting often combines physical practices such as yoga or dance with meditation.
How Does Cognitive Therapy Work with Meditation?
American psychologist Richard Lazarus proposed a cognitive meditation theory that focuses on “appraisal”, where the mind makes automatic assumptions about a situation. These assumptions link emotional responses such as fear or anger with certain stimuli, repeating the response the next time the stimulus is experienced.
Cognitive mediators occur between the reception of the stimulus and the brain’s response to it. While these responses can occur immediately, they may also be delayed. Meditation helps patients of cognitive therapy to receive the stimulus and the associated emotional response in a way that improves their mental health.
Meditation works with cognitive therapy by using techniques such as mindfulness meditation to help people become aware of their thoughts and emotions without judging them. Meditation may be used with cognitive therapy to help relieve the mental pain that many people suffering from mental health issues such as depression may experience.
Are you ready to explore the healing power of stillness? At Empathic Practice, our meditation therapy sessions are designed to help you foster a deeper connection with your mind and body, enhancing your overall health. Learn mindfulness and somatic meditation techniques to help manage stress, anxiety, and physical pain. Book a session with our meditation therapists today. Begin your journey towards inner peace and improved mental health now!