Meditation as a Healing Therapy for Clinical and Personal Use in the 21st Century

Meditation and Connecting to Our Healing Presence Within.

There is an interesting story which may help shed some light on the power of meditation as a tool for personal and Global Healing. This story may also help us to understand the deeper roots of meditation itself. There was once a pair of very disobedient and naughty young boys. It seems they were always getting into trouble and worse yet despite many reprimands and punishments nothing had any affect on changing their behavior. In fact, no matter what their parents did both boys continued to get into more and more trouble. Finally, exasperated and despairing of all hope the father decided to take the elder boy to see the minister of the Church whom he believed might knock some sense into him. The mother also agreed since nothing else had worked. So he took the elder of the two boys who was actually the naughtier of the two and brought him into the ministers’ office and then left.

The minister looked directly at the young boy and asked him why he was here. He replied “I don’t’ know.” He paused for a moment and then he looked at him a penetrating glance and stern face and asked him, “Where is God?”

The young boy did not say anything. But sat motionless as if hit by a lightening bolt.

Another few moments passed and again the minister asked the same question, “Where is God?” The boy was flabbergasted but sat completely motionless as a sense of fear gripped his face.

Finally, the minister repeated the same question a third time whereupon the boy broke out into a cold sweat. Then he suddenly jumped up from his seat and started running at full speed out the door and all the way home. When he got home he ran up the staircase into his room. He entered his room and then locked himself in the closet. Meanwhile his younger brother who had no idea what had come over him was completely surprised .He had never seen him afraid of anything in his whole life. What could possible have put the fear of the devil into him.

The younger brother knocked on the closet and asked his brother, “What could possible have happened? I all have never seen you so frighten in all your life.” The elder brother replied, “God is lost and they are blaming us.”

In this seemingly simple tale is a clue to our modern day dilemmas. Despite our vast material resources, scientific progress and technological advancement we are still spiritually lost. We have lost God in the chaos of materialism and sensual desires. We seem to have achieved material advancement at the cost of our inner happiness. The question we need to ask ourselves is how we can find our own inner peace when we don’t know who we are. If we are lost to our true Self how can we find God within? It is this state of spiritual disease which has lead to our current confusion and host of stress related illnesses. One of the areas which is symptomatic of this state of disease is in the area of communication.

Communication Has Deteriorated.

It seems odd that in an age when communication has gotten faster and faster, when we have almost instant means to connect to each other we find ourselves paradoxically further away from meaningful communication than ever before. There is a line of poetry from one of my spiritual Masters Sant Darshan Singh which encapsulates the way many of us may feel at times.

Coming and going passing each other this is not even an encounter

Heart to heart and soul to soul this is a true meeting.

There are many levels of interpretation to this beautiful verse. On the most basic level many of us feel a lack of heart to heart communication with others. Our interactions feel more like ships passing in the night. I think many of us have felt that that our communication suffers from what I have called the disease of “incompletionitis.” This is the pervasive and chronic problem of not really completing our conversations with others. There is the gnawing feeling that we have not said what we wanted to say or that we were not really “heard” when we speak to others. Our daily interactions are hurried, fleeting and superficial. I think we all desire better communication and greater intimacy but don’t know how to go about it. Mother Teresa spoke to this issue when she was asked why she had come to America to work as there seemed more than enough poverty in India. She replied “In India we have physical poverty but here in the America there is a poverty of spirit. It is easy to cure the first poverty but very hard to treat the second. To give a hungry man a piece of bread is one thing but how do we treat the poverty of isolation, loneliness and depression.” I would like to suggest that meaningful communication is a healing art in its own right. That it is based upon a relationship in which you are not the “object” of my mind but the “subject” of my heart.

Meditation as a Healing Technology

Entering into this new paradigm of communication requires we expand our sense of self to include the “other.” It means we must move beyond our dualistic notions of reality and self-imposed limitations whether they are intellectual, cultural, or religious. It is here that a simple practice of meditation can be a most effective “technology” in entering into this new paradigm. In fact, the recent research supports that meditation can not only help us cultivate this listening presence but also has significant healing properties in its own right. In fact, there is a whole range of areas where meditation has been found to be clinically effective as a complimentary and palliative form of therapy.

Defining Meditation

Before reviewing the ten most significant studies on the clinical uses of meditation for treating various chronic and acute diseases let’s first define the term. Meditation in its simplest definition is just another name for concentration. So the great news is we are already meditators. There is not a single task we can perform that does not require at least some form of concentration. If we go a little deeper we see that the practice of meditation consists of 4 basic steps or processes that occur.

  • First reversing the flow of awareness from inside to outside
  • Second, shutting down the outer senses of sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell.
  • Third, quieting or stilling the mind leading to one pointed concentration
  • Fourth connecting with and absorption into greater consciousness, awareness, spirit/presence.

These basic 4 steps or components are part of almost all meditative discipline.

10 Studies on Meditation Research

Let us take a quick look at the last 45 years of research on meditation. Although there was some early work done on meditative states by William James in the early part of this century it was not until the Harvard trained scientist Herbert Benson’s work entitled the Relaxation Response in the mid sixties that the study and practice of meditation really began to take off. Since then there have been over 620 studies on meditation which have been reported. Most of these studies have been using either Buddhist Vipassana meditation or TM meditation coined by MaharshiMaheshi Yogi. Some have also been with classic Hindu meditations techniques as well. Here is what the ten studies have shown and why they are so significant.

Overall Health benefits:

  • Strengthens immune system Psychosomatic Medicine (Davidson et al., 2003)
  • Reduces cholesterol levels.Journal of Human Stress (Cooper and Aygen 1979)
  • Lowers Blood pressure Lancet (Patel, 1973)
  • Reduces Cholesterol levels and decreases muscle tensionJournal of Human Stress (Cooper and Aygen 1979).
  • Increasing Empathy and well being; increases serotonin production (low serotonin levels are associated with depression and anxiety)Journal of Humanistic Psychology (Lesh, 1970)
  • Retards aging process, increase cognitive awareness Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (Alexander et al., 1989)
  • Helps with many stress related illnesses psoriasis, arthritis, asthma Psychosomatic Medicine, ( Kabat Zinn,1988)
  • Mood Enhancer and produces sense of happiness The Journal of Physiology and Behavior (Jevning et al., 1977)
  • Relieves chronic pain Journal of Behavioral Medicine (Kaba-Zinn et al., 1985)
  • Improves overall health Journal of Psychosomatic Medicine (Orme-Johnson 1987)[1]

Why Are these Studies Significant

When we look at the cumulative effect of these studies we see that meditation has a vast arena of application in clinical settings. Not only has it been effective in chronic and acute diseases but for emotional and cognitive disorders as well. As our society faces the reality of uncontrolled health care costs it will simply be impossible for allopathic and pharmaceuticals approaches to prevent the rising cost of health care. While no one is advocating the use of meditation as a replacement for traditional allopathic approaches it is clear that meditation will play a significant role in preventive and palliative care in the near future. The one area where health care costs are rising most substantially is in the area of stress related illnesses. Research has shown it is in precisely this area that meditation has the greatest potential to be most effective. Let’s review some of the data about its use in reducing stress.

Meditation as a Healing Tool in Clinical Settings

The powerful connection between stress and disease has already been well documented by a number of researchers. (Zinnet al.1985). Here is what we know now: Stress causes the immune system to secrete various hormones including adrenaline, cortisone and others to suppress certain functions of the body and heightens other functions. By doing so the body enters into what is now referred to as the flight and flight response. This is our body’s natural way of providing us with significant amounts of energy to be able to cope with the immediate threat. In a normal situation our body reacts quickly and the threat is removed and then we return to normal bodily functioning. The problem arises when due to excessive and continuous stress levels the body never returns to a state of normality. Instead it remains, suspended in a state of “fight and flight” response for long periods of time. The result is certain functions of the body that were suppressed now begin to be compromised because the immune system has stopped their normal functions for too long. The mechanism by which the body is notified to return to a state of normality stops functioning. The excessive levels of stress begin to deplete the immune system to such a degree that it cannot adequately bring the body back to normal functioning.

The second fact we know is that according the studies conducted by the National Health institute in Washington meditation is the single most effective technique to reducing stress. (site source). Since, so many chronic and acute illnesses can be improved by strengthening the immune system it makes sense to use meditation for this reason alone. Adding a daily practice of meditation not only improves a patient’s likely hood of recovering but also creates a positive mental and emotional perspective as well. However research has shown that meditation actually does much more than just rejuvenate the immune system. It also activates the parts of the brain which are responsible for the secretion of serotonin which is associated with positive mental and emotional states. These two facts together are enough to justify its use in clinical settings as a complimentary form of therapy.

The third element is it’spower to reconnect us with the inner dimension of our being. As present there is little clinical evidence that can validate this. However, it is without a doubt one of the most powerful inner tools used both individually and collectively for personal transformation. Let us explore briefly the basic premise of this new “personal healing technology.”

Meditation as a Personal Tool for Inner Healing.

Right now we are in the midst of a global shift in consciousness which is recognizable by two distinct signs. First there is a tacit recognition of the healing power of consciousness itself. And second this new paradigm puts consciousness as the determining factor in our over all health. More simply stated “the health of the body and mind both is dependant upon the health of our consciousness or spirit.” If this is true then the “technology of meditation” will have a vast role to play in reconnecting us to our own healing source which is consciousness. What is the bottom line: in order to achieve maximum health and happiness we need to reconnect to the source of our being. This source which I call consciousness is responsible for the health of the body, mind and spirit. So long as we remain disconnected from this source we can not enjoy full health and true and lasting happiness. Instead of feeling connected and sustained by this source we more often than not feel spiritually adrift and bankrupt. My own spiritual teacher used to say we are spiritual amputees. The result of this disconnection is a plethora of spiritual ailments including depression, anxiety, fear, doubt, hurry and worry, agitation and restlessness which are symptomatic of our real dis-ease “spiritual emptiness.” The fundamental illness we are all suffering from is a severe case of mistaken identity. We have forgotten who we are. We have become completely identified with our bodies and mind as who we are. Meditation then is the process of reconnecting our inner spirit or Self to the greater consciousness which is our true identity. This process of reconnection is characterized by three distinct healing properties.

3 Healing Properties of Meditation:

a):Liberates the mind from habituated, reactive and conditioned thinking.

b) Brings us fully and completely into the living present: Moment to Moment Awareness.

c) Moves us from selfishness to selflessness and from me and mine to Thee and Thine

d) It reconnects us with higher vibratory energies and expanded consciousness, sometimes called Unity Consciousness.

Near Death Research

Many of you may be aware of the research conducted in the areas of Near Death Studies. Kenneth Ring, Raymond Moody, Melvin Morse, Stephen Levine and Elizabeth Kubler Ross to name a few have conducted extensive research into the actual nature of the NDE. During their research they collected literally thousands of testimonies from a vast cross selection of society. The results of these powerful personal testimonies point to a paradigm shift in consciousness which occurs for those who get a glimpse of the “beyond or after life.”

3 Distinct Stages 3 Distinct Changes.

These researchers divided up the near death experience into 3 distinct stages or phases. The first being declared clinically dead and of being disconnected from one’s body. The second the experience of entering into and then passing through a dark tunnel. Third, the NDE sees a brilliant light at the end of the tunnel. This light is unconditionally loving and all absorbing and embracing. Sometimes the light manifests as a being of light as well. Lastly, but not in all cases a life review takes place and soon after the NDS return back to his or her body. Upon return from this experience the NDS often experiences a dramatic departure from his previous way of living.

This departure starts with a radical shift away from one’s previous life style choices. First from being agnostic or even atheist there is now a clear certainty and unshakable faith in a higher power which profoundly loves each human being. Second the NDS feels he or she has been reborn in the deepest meaning of that word and is no longer consumed and tormented by worldly desires. He or she begins to move out of a self-centered and ego driven life to one of selflessness and self-sacrificing love for others. This is often accompanied by a change in careers, becoming involved in charity organization or in volunteering of one’s time. Lastly, there is a deep seated awareness that life is given for a higher purpose and every moment is precious and important. From this arises a heighten sense of gratitude and clarity about what is really important in life and what is not. These experiences arise from a single experience of entering into these higher worlds.

As we begin a meditation practice we begin to re wire the entire circuitry of the brain. Because of this radical shift in our understanding of life we begin to decipher the internal tape loops of our own minds. Gradually as our mind begins to slow down and our thinking process becomes less and automatic we are able to disentangle ourselves from the reactive and conditioned ways of living in the world.

Inner Purification and Increasing Control over Our Thoughts

As we continue the spiritual journey, we are increasingly able to subdue and eventually control our desires. What then arises is an increasing ability to consciously control our thoughts. At present, we have little idea what is going on in the thought processes of our mind. In fact, brain researchers say that we have over 60,000 thoughts per day. Most of these thoughts are largely unconscious, below the level of our awareness. Our minds are like an overgrown jungle with wild animals prowling all around.