20. Meditation gaining acceptance by medical establishment

By Tom O'Connell

Meditation is steadily gaining acceptance by the medical establishment, which is good news. The medical community also took a long time to approve of chiropractic, hypnosis, massage therapy, and even vitamins.

Recently, the Einstein College of Medicine's Department of Psychiatry offered a workshop at the Cape Cod Institute called "Meditation as Medicine." It was presented by Dr. James Spira, who is head of the Division of Health Psychology at the Naval Medical Center in San Diego.

"Moving and sitting meditation can be of immense value in the treatment of patients with psychological and physical complaints," reported Spira. "Over the past five years, meditation has been increasingly employed in psychotherapy." Spira said meditation could enhance treatment of social phobia, impulsive behaviors, attention deficit, eating disorders, cancer, cardiac problems, diabetes, and the process of death and dying.

Sitting meditation, he said, seems to reveal and reduce "noise" in the system, permitting "a clearer signal," along with balancing the tone of the autonomic nervous system and enhancing neuro-endocrine output, plus levels of dopamine and serotonin. Also, movement meditation can improve muscle tone and efficiency, skeletal alignment, fluid circulation, balance, tone of the neuro-endocrine and autonomic systems,  as well as possibly having a positive effect on dopamine or serotonin levels, not to mention assisting with balance and self-comforting. 

Spira said, "People have a lot of fear of letting go. We cling to our old self-image and are reluctant to change and move on." But meditation can help people with medical problems to be more fully in the moment, to let go of self, and to "be where you are."

He explained that harmful habits such as compulsive eating have positive benefits including self-soothing, control, satisfaction, intimacy/bonding, pleasure, dissociation, and relaxation. These positive outcomes accompanying bad habits have usually been going on for a long time, and people need to find a way to replace the bad habits with good ones that bring similar positive benefits. Meditation is a good habit that can do this.

In addition to meditation, Spira suggested that binge eaters can learn to do "mindfulness and awareness" exercises while they eat. Taste each bite. Swallow each bite before taking another one. Set the utensil down in between bites. Alternate dishes, taking one bite of each. Leave a bite of each dish on the plate

Meditation can help with pain management too. Breathing exercises can direct attention so that pain, or at least the reaction to it, will be reduced. Do you recall forgetting a toothache? Acceptance of pain can lead to the dissolving of it.  

On the subject of chronic fatigue, Spira said people can benefit from meditation and Tai Chi practices. "You can't do too much Tai Chi or meditation." He said, "As with depression, you have to get up and exercise." Depressive thoughts are not at the core our beings, and are not who we are, he explained. We can learn to shift from a negative self-image, dissolve it, and be "reborn in each moment."

Sometimes in psychotherapy, people who are out of touch with their feelings are advised to sit with feelings and focus on them. But "going with feelings" can be harmful if a person is depressed or suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, he reported. We may not feel like talking a walk or a bike ride, but if we do we usually feel better. Therefore, many of us have to learn to go against our feelings by choosing the behavior that will change our feelings from negative to positive.

Dr. Spira outlined many methods of meditation. But initially, I suggest that you  choose the simplest form of meditation so the daily practice won't be a burden. Simply sit, watching the breath, reciting an internal prayer word or "mantra" such as "AUM" or "ABBA'" or "MARANATHA" or even A NUMBER, as you breathe in and breathe out, with hands lightly touching. Sit erectly in a chair with arms. Feet flat on the floor, directly under your knees which are separated by a few inches. Chest up. Chin in, with the back of the neck tall toward the ceiling. Hands in lap, palms up. Left hand resting inside right hand. Fingers overlapping, with thumbs touching each other very gently. Hands resting against navel. Eyes gazing down the bridge of the nose, then eyes lightly closed.

Think the mantra on the way in, and on the way out, while noticing the breath. Breathe slowly into the abdomen, letting it rise on the inhale and sink on the exhale. Notice your thoughts, then let them go as you focus on the exercise. Practice alert stillness. Embrace the quiet. Learn to love the emptiness. Relax. Just relax. Do this for 20 to 30 minutes each morning before breakfast and again in the early evening before eating. And realize that you are promoting your own health and well-being in a very special way. A way that combines the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual aspects of your being. .

"Meditation," according to Dr. Spira, "is the most effective way to more fully wake up so that we can participate completely with everything we do.

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