What are the Benefits of Meditation?
In our last post, we talked about the critical voice that can come up when you try to meditate and in previous posts we have looked at our reactions to meditation, and what to expect when trying to meditate. Now, we are going to look at why we would consider trying it at all!
If you’ve followed this short blog set on mediation, you might be thinking, why on earth would I try to meditate if it is going to feel hard, if my mind might not say nice things to me and it could feel unbearable?
I invite you to think about this uncomfortable state like the first stages of a new exercise program. You might anticipate muscles that have not been used in a long time to be sore when you f
irst start to use them again. In the same way, you are stretching your brain, and of course, this will come with some discomfort if it hasn’t been used in this way in a long time, or ever used this way.
Overall meditation has been associated with both “a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation” (Lazar, 2011) and these are likely both welcome states for many of us. But who’s to say whether peacefulness and relaxation simply came from taking some time each day to relax, as opposed to benefits of the the actual meditation?
A 2011 study provided clarity to the benefits of the meditation practice itself by doing MRI scans of participants’ brains before and after they added 27 minutes of guided meditation to their daily routines. For 8 weeks participants practiced bringing non-judgemental awareness to their sensations, feelings and their state of mind. They also participated in weekly meetings where they practiced meditation. As mentioned, at the end of the 8 weeks, the researchers did a second MRI and found that participants’ brains had physically changed.
Researchers observed an increase in grey matter density in the area of the brain known to facilitate learning and memory, as well as in areas associated with self-awareness, compassion, and in being able to turn inwards and notice your own internal voice speaking to you. Researchers also observed a decrease in grey matter density in the area of the brain associated with anxiety and stress.
To ensure results were not simply the result of time passing, a second equivalent group of participants, who did not change their routines and did not add any meditation also had MRI’s done before and after the 8 week time period. They did not change anything in their daily routines. These participants, who I will call the non-meditating group for clarity’s sake, did not have any of the changes in the brain that the meditation group did.
All participants, both meditating and non-meditating, filled out questionnaires before and after the 8 weeks answering questions about their levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. In addition to the changes observed through MRI’s in the meditation group’s brains, their survey results also showed that they felt much less anxiety, stress and depression. Many who had met the criteria to be considered anxious or depressed, no longer met the criteria for those mental health issues any longer. The non-meditating group did not report any changes in their levels of anxiety, stress, or depression.
So, if you are looking for a low-risk way to feel less anxiety, stress, and depression in your life, give meditation a try.
