Critical Analysis of Meditation Intervention for Mind Body Wellness

Mind Body Wellness
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Introduction:
In recent years, it has been observed that there is increase in the literature related to
meditation therapy. In comparison to the other relaxation techniques, meditation proved to be
more beneficial in different conditions like anxiety, depression, blood pressure,
cardiovascular heart disease, cognition and other psychological issues. Origin of meditation
was found in the Buddhist teaching. Though, origin of meditation was found in the spiritual
context, recently clinicians and researchers exhibited interest in the topic. Hence, numerous
clinical studies were initiated to establish worldwide acceptance of meditation therapy. In this
essay meditation intervention is being discussed with focus on the critical analysis of it.
Body :
Mindfulness or mind body wellness is a common term used for different practices, processes
and characteristics improving attention, memory, awareness and acceptance. Though this
terminology has historical base, in recent past it got attention from various discipline like
psychology, psychiatry, medicine and neuroscience. Scientists, clinicians, and scholars
studied it through modern techniques. Meditation got considerable attention from all the
classes of people in the society; however, there is lack of methodological research for it. It
has been considered as one of the most prominent practice in schools and corporate world.
However, it is not accurately studied to whom it helps the most and whether it affects the
mind and brain. Accurate methodology need to be implemented in actual practice because it
can potentially lead to, people being harmed, cheated, disappointed, and/or disaffected. This
misunderstanding about the research can lead negative implication about the meditation;
hence it can affect potential utility of it. Its research in the potential area might be halted
because people tired of hearing valid scientifically proved outcome of the research on
meditation (Orme-Johnson et al., 2008).
Currently, it is a major subject of study for subdisciplines of psychology like social,
personality, industrial/organisational, experimental, clinical, cognitive, health and
educational. It has got tremendous popularity because most of the scientific literature and
media got saturated by writing about meditation. However, most of the top media also failed
to report accurate scientific research about it. Hence, it resulted in the exaggerated
representation of the outcome of it. Meditation proved be useful in improving in both
physical and psychological well-being of the person. However, it has been considered as the
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universal solution for most of the human deficiencies and ailments (Godfrin and van
Heeringen. 2010).
Empirical results need to be properly validated based on the type of meditation. Meditation
for five minutes and meditation for 3 months are both being considered as mindfulness.
Hence, there should be clear distinction between these two types of meditation practices. It
can be resolved by establishing significant relationship between the clinical and practical
outcome. It can be helpful in communicating accurate scientific aspects to the general public.
Proper definition need to be established for meditation (Barker, 2014).
There are numerous studies are available for the effects of meditation on the concentrative
and mindfulness-based techniques. Physical relaxation can be achieved through stress
management effects of meditation. However, it has been found that there is robust correlation
between meditation and cognitive-attentional processes. Understanding of these processes
like physical relaxation and cognitive-attentional processes can be helpful in understanding
different stages at the time of actual practice of meditation (Manicavasgar et al., 2012).
Mindfulness meditation can be helpful in the moment-to-moment and non-judgemental
awareness of self’s existing experience. It has not been proved whether this awareness is
narrow or broad. Mindfulness meditation can be helpful in firm awareness of self’s internal
and external experience. Internal experience includes cognitive-affective-sensory awareness
and external experience include social-environmental awareness. Hence, it can be argued that
meditation can be helpful in creating stable attention and unbiased awareness. It can produce
different effects like physical relaxation, emotional balance and behavioural regulation.
However, meditation is not being used widely for social and environmental awareness. All
the changes in occurring during meditation can lead to stress management. There is less
evidence available for the effects of meditation on physical and physiological processes
(Ratanasiripong, 2015).
There are varied meditation techniques are available like Mindfulness Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)), or broad categories
of meditation or mindfulness techniques, such as focused attention and open monitoring, or
with and without movement (MacCoon et al., 2012). All these techniques provide small to
moderate improvement in the depression and anxiety including in patients with other
comorbid conditions. It is difficult to identify efficacious component of the meditation
therapy because most of the studies demonstrated confounding results due to following
reasons : there is no detailed comparison is available for the praxis elements of each
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