Study highlights meditation benefits for mental health
Photo by Flickr user AlicePopkorn
Doesn’t it feel good to get validation? This month meditation has been getting some deserved attention. On CNN “The Chart” on Dec. 6, “Mindfulness as good as antidepressant drugs” reported on the meditation practice of training the mind to stay in the present moment. The results of the study showed that the meditators fared as well as those on medication in preventing a relapse of depression. Click on the above link to read more.
I’ve been blogging about the benefits of meditation since last January, and, although my experiences are anecdotal, I believe they are further evidence that meditation has a positive impact on our mental health. Check out the index of my blogs and select any of the posts on all the benefits of meditating.
In the study, one group of participants, all patients with a history of depression, meditated for 40 minutes a day. The length of time might be seen as an obstacle for some — But perhaps a minor one compared to the possible drawbacks, including side effects of medication. Having worked with depressed clients for more than 20 years and having seen the benefits of meditation, the study is very exciting news.
Another blog I wrote, “Sit for meditation when it fits,” addresses the length of time to meditate — for those of us who have normal ups and downs. I encourage you to find what works for you. It might be 20 minutes twice a day or two minutes a day. However much time you meditate, I’m more convinced than ever that it is time well spent.
Please tune in next week for a guided meditation to access your inner wisdom.
As a mental health professional, an owner of a fitness studio, a writer and a wife, mother and grandmother, I have found meditation to be helpful in every aspect of my life. To find out about “Be Who You Love” meditation classes or my newly published novel, “A Barroom View of Love”, contact me at susanmmorales@yahoo.com or check out my websites: susanscottmorales.com and bodiesinbalancefitness.com
Comments
Rork Kuick
Tue, Dec 21, 2010 : 9:04 a.m.
Thanks for pointing to the paper Ed. The placebo arm means fake drug, but there was no placebo version of the mindfulness, so garden club or book club may work just as well. The good news is that it did look like it might work, so asking what kinds of interventions work best is not crazy, and is worth doing further work on. That is, I suspect gardening might not work as well, even though I self-prescribe it. I would have liked a drug+mindfullness arm to the study.
eclipsicator
Tue, Dec 21, 2010 : 3:39 a.m.
yeah eddie, maybe i'll meditate to the blank, eclipseless sky you laid out for us tonight.
Susan Scott Morales, MSW
Mon, Dec 20, 2010 : 2:29 p.m.
Rork, thanks for the comment. The patients in the study also worked with therapists in conjunction with the meditation or medication. I hope you'll find the other links that Ed found provide you with the more detailed information you desire.
Susan Scott Morales, MSW
Mon, Dec 20, 2010 : 2:25 p.m.
Thanks to Ed for doing the digging to find the original links.
Rork Kuick
Mon, Dec 20, 2010 : 12:44 p.m.
Nothing here or at the Gupta blog linked to that points to the published study, so I don't know what the placebo used was. Perhaps I could get results just as good talking to the patients for that extra time. Maybe it's no better than playing chess, cello, table tennis or gardening. I'm not saying the finding is junk, but it would be good to think about what might be the cause before we conclude that it was some particular aspect of the treatment that was effective. For example, how does guided meditation compare.
Susan Scott Morales, MSW
Sun, Dec 19, 2010 : 10:45 a.m.
Thanks for reading, Linda, and sharing!
Linda Chapman
Sun, Dec 19, 2010 : 8:25 a.m.
It's true. There are things we know to be true, but when research provides support it is very affirming. So glad that scientific data now reinforces the benefits of meditating!