Meditation

Most of the cultures and religions in the world have incorporated meditation in their remedial practices for thousands of years. And even until today, research studies continue to discover the secret on how this mind-body therapy provides relief on disorders that are hard to cure with pharmacological interventions.

It is a self-directed exercise for soothing the body and calming the mind. It can be briefly described as “focusing on the moment”, but other people would view this therapy in the context of religion and culture, in such a way that it is linked with the use of the power of the mind to interact with the spirits of nature or with a supernatural being.

 There are four types of meditation, and each type is summarized below:

• Mental Repitition – is with the use of “mantra” to focus on certain thought. This is usually used on certain anxiety disorders. Specifically, it can be used for the gradual treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorders, and for systematic desensitization of those who are having phobias or fear of a certain object or phenomenon.
  
• Physical Repitition – this involves focusing of certain activities, such as breathing or walking. It is most effective if the person is suffering from mild anxiety, such as those who are about to take an examination or speak on public places.
  
• Problem Comtemplation – usually involves solving a riddle or mind problem. This is most of the time being used to persons who are have cognitive deficiencies, or in person who are suffering from impairments in judgment.
  
• Visual Concentration – this one is similar to guided imagery, in which a person is asked to focus on a certain object or places and think of the benefits and good ideas about it.

Walking meditation, which is a physical repetition type, utilizes both active and meditative aspects. While walking, the person is focusing on the pace of his steps, and he also concentrates on the sounds of his feet, the movements of his muscles, and on his feelings while doing the activity.  This simple intervention is usually done for 20 minutes and is indicated for those who have difficulty focusing while on sitting position.

The labyrinth is another popular type of meditation that involves the mental and physical aspects, as well as utilizes both the problem contemplation and visual concentration type. In this process, the person is asked to walk on the circles on the ground while praying, asking questions on their selves and look for answers independently, or just focus on how they feel at the moment. This is effective on persons who have experienced a trauma or a crisis, such as death in the family.

Meditation is not only indicated for those who are suffering from mental disorders, such as anxieties. There have been studies that showed that this type of mind-body therapy is also useful in alleviating symptoms and conditions like hypertension, pain, and even psoriasis, which is an autoimmune disorder.

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