Because it HELPS! Meditation helped me tremendously when I was enduring the intense grief which resulted from the loss of my oldest son – Brent, age 21. I wish that I’d thought to try it after the loss of my other children, a stillbirth and a miscarriage.
As I describe in my book, I was searching for anything to help ease the stress and pain of grief; I found meditation. Once I got into a regular practice, I saw and felt the healing properties and eventually, it helped me also feel my son’s presence, understand him better and to build an ongoing relationship with him… all while it improved my outlook!
I felt motivated to do some research and pass on a summary of what I found, as well as some links to more detailed explanations. I hope this helps any of you that might use meditation for grief, stress or pain relief.
Research shows: MEDITATION
Increases: POSITIVE EMOTIONS Decreases: STRESS
Increases: LIFE SATISFACTION Decreases: PAIN
Increases: IMMUNE FUNCTION Decreases: INFLAMMATION
Meditation: A simple, fast way to reduce stress (per Mayo Clinic & others)
If grief has you anxious, tense and worried, consider trying meditation. Spending even a few minutes in meditation can restore your calm and inner peace. Anyone can do it; it is simple, inexpensive and does not require special equipment.
Understanding meditation
Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years. Meditation originally was meant to help deepen understanding of the sacred and mystical forces of life. These days, meditation is commonly used for relaxation and stress reduction.
Benefits of meditation
Meditation can give you a sense of calm, peace and balance that benefits both your emotional well-being and your overall health. And these benefits don’t end when your meditation session ends. Meditation can help carry you more calmly through your day and can even improve certain medical conditions.
When you meditate, you clear away the information overload that builds up every day and contributes to your stress.
The emotional benefits of meditation include:
- Gaining a new perspective
- Building skills to manage stress
- Increasing self-awareness
- Focusing on the present
- Reducing negative emotions
Meditation can improve health — research suggests it may help such conditions as:
- Allergies / Anxiety disorders / Asthma / Binge eating
- Cancer / Depression / Fatigue / Heart disease
- High blood pressure /Pain / Sleep problems / Substance abuse
Types of meditation
Meditation is an umbrella term for the many ways to a relaxed state of being. There are many types of meditation and relaxation techniques that have meditation components. All share the same goal of achieving inner peace, they include:
- Guided Meditation / Mantra Meditation
- Mindfulness meditation / Transcendental meditation
- Qi gong / Tai chi / Yoga
The Science Behind Meditation:
Using modern technology like fMRI scans, scientists have developed a more thorough understanding of what’s taking place in our brains when we meditate. The overall difference is that our brains stop processing information as actively as they normally would. We start to show decreased beta waves, indicating our brains are processing less information. In the image below you can see how the beta waves (bright colors) are dramatically reduced during meditation.
Helpful Links:
- Meditation applications:
- Headspace Meditation App – download & project to demystify meditation
- Meditation Oasis (iPhone, iPod, iPad apps)
- Meditation Apps for Inner Peace (on the Go) – Huffington Post
- Detailed Articles with Research Info
- Meditation, a Simple Fast Way to Reduce Stress – Mayo Clinic
- Meditation Effects on Alpha Brain Waves – Luminosity Blog
- Mindfulness Meditation Benefits – 20 Reasons – Huff Post
- What Happens to the Brain When You Meditate (& Benefits) – Lifehacker
- The Power of Meditation & How It Effects Our Brains – Buffer
- Benefits of Meditation – 10 Science-Based Reasons to Start – Emma Seppala, PhD
Wishing you peaceful healing and enjoyable meditations!
(… even just deep breathing helps!)
Love,
More info on my site: www.abutterflysjourney.com
Contact Barbara for a Complimentry 30-minute “Return-to-Life” Conversation to accelerate healing:
email: barbara@abutterflysjouney.com or call 617-410-6309