Most meditation techniques are grouped into two major categories: concentrative meditation
and mindfulness meditation. Concentrative meditation focuses on the breath, an image, or a
sound in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness to emerge. In mindfulness
meditation, the meditator simply witnesses whatever goes through the mind without reacting or
becoming involved with thoughts, memories, or worries. In both forms of meditation, one
becomes keenly aware of reactions to stress, providing the individual with an increased
internal sense of control.
One form of meditation, transcendental meditation (TM), practiced in the West for the past
thirty years, can bring about a healthy state of relaxation in which the heart rate, pulse
rate, stress hormones, and respiration rate decrease while EEG alpha brain waves, associated
with relaxation, increase. Studies show that after TM, reactions are faster, creativity is
greater, and comprehension is broader. Aside from the management of stress and pain,
meditation offers numerous psychological and spiritual benefits.
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making any changes in prescribed medications. Information expires March 2007.