Meditation

What is Meditation Therapy?
Meditation is an activity that calms the mind and keeps it focused on the present. In the meditative state, the mind is not cluttered with thoughts or memories of the past, nor is it concerned with future events.
Meditation Therapy is an effective healing tool. It relies on the body's ability to switch to an alpha (resting) or theta (relaxing) brain-wave state, inducing a trance or a dream-like state in order to treat disorders of mainly psychological or emotional origin. In this state, the brain's rhythm slows appreciably, and endorphins, the body's natural painkillers, are released. Studies have shown that during meditation the metabolism is lowered, resulting in a slower heart rate, decreased blood pressure, and slower breathing.
The meditative state, by itself, is useful for the relaxation it produces. Your mind is open and receptive to suggestions. Positive and healing suggestions are able to sink deeply into your mind much more quickly and strongly than when you are in a normal, awake state of mind. I say positive suggestions because you cannot be made to do anything against your moral values. Suggestions tend to be taken to heart, but only if those suggestions are acceptable to the person. You can never be forced into doing things against your will. You also can’t be forced into a meditative state either. Instead, you allow yourself to be. It is a voluntary altering of your own consciousness, and you are always in control.
All of our habitual and behavior controlling thoughts reside in what is called our subconscious mind. It's called that because it is deeper than our conscious mind, and is below our level of consciousness. We are normally unaware of the thoughts and feelings that reside there. Did you ever forget you had a doctor appointment or some other appointment that you really didn't want to keep? Your subconscious mind is where that thought or memory that you had to go to the dentist at 4 PM went when you forgot about it. Once it was too late to go, your conscious mind relaxed and the memory came back.
Meditation Therapy use is simply a way to focus your attention and concentration so you will go into that natural, relaxed state, where the trap door opens and suggestions to help you can be given.
To really work well, suggestions must be reinforced by repetition. Most of the habits, feelings, and emotions that we want to change are deeply implanted in our subconscious mind and will not just "go away" with one set of suggestions. Most of the time, suggestions need to be repeated on a regular basis until you notice a change. This is one reason that clients will receive cassette tapes of their sessions so they can listen to them every day. You get to listen to them every day or often enough that the suggestions become permanently a part of you. There is no way to predict how long it will take to see change. It will depend partly on your motivation and commitment.
A range of disordersMeditation Therapy is effective in treating a range of disorders, including:
Anxiety
Asthma
Chronic pain
Fears and phobias
Giving up smoking
High blood pressure
Insomnia
Panic attacks
Stress
How does it work?
Typically, relaxing the mind involves the use of imagery. For instance, you might be asked to imagine a peaceful scene. Being in a meditative state feels similar to the dreamy state of mind that exists just before falling asleep, except you are alert and aware of your surroundings. There are many ways to deliberately induce this altered state of consciousness
A meditative state can occur naturally and spontaneously, such as when you are absorbed in a pleasant task, or when day-dreaming. Meditation Therapy is the deliberate induction of an altered state of awareness. The brain has different levels of consciousness, or awareness, ranging from fully alert to drowsy to fully asleep, with variations in between. These different levels of consciousness can be mapped by brain wave activity, using a device called an electroencephalograph (EEG). When the brain is calm, it produces a distinctive EEG pattern called alpha waves. According to current theory, the subconscious mind is more accessible when the brain is producing alpha waves, because the conscious mind is relaxed. Therapeutic suggestions can then be given, usually to great effect.
In summary, there are four brainwave states that range from the high amplitude, low frequency delta to the low amplitude, high frequency beta. These brainwave states range from deep dreamless sleep to high arousal. The same four brainwave states are common to the human species. Men, women and children of all ages experience the same characteristic brainwaves.
There are four categories of these brainwaves, ranging from the most activity to the least activity. When the brain is aroused and actively engaged in mental activities, it generates beta waves. These beta waves are of relatively low amplitude, and are the fastest of the four different brainwaves. The frequency of beta waves ranges from 15 to 40 cycles a second. Beta waves are characteristics of a strongly engaged mind. A person in active conversation would be in beta. A debater would be in high beta. A person making a speech, or a teacher, or a talk show host would all be in beta when they are engaged in their work.
The next brainwave category in order of frequency is alpha. Where beta represented arousal, alpha represents non-arousal. Alpha brainwaves are slower and higher in amplitude. Their frequency ranges from 9 to 14 cycles per second. A person who has completed a task and sits down to rest is often in an alpha state. A person who takes time out to reflect or meditate is usually in an alpha state. A person who takes a break from a conference and walks in the garden is often in an alpha state.
The next state, theta brainwaves, is typically of even greater amplitude and slower frequency. This frequency range is normally between 5 and 8 cycles a second. A person who has taken time off from a task and begins to daydream is often in a theta brainwave state. A person who is driving on a freeway, and discovers that they can't recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state--induced by the process of freeway driving. The repetitious nature of that form of driving compared to a country road would differentiate a theta state and a beta state in order to perform the driving task safely.
Individuals who do a lot of freeway driving often get good ideas during those periods when they are in theta. Individuals who run outdoors often are in the state of mental relaxation that is slower than alpha and when in theta, they are prone to a flow of ideas. This can also occur in the shower or tub or even while shaving or brushing your hair. It is a state where tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage from them. The mental activity that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state.
The final brainwave state is delta. Here the brainwaves are of the greatest amplitude and slowest frequency. They typically center on a range of 1.5 to 4 cycles per second. They never go down to zero because that would mean that you were brain dead. But, deep dreamless sleep would take you down to the lowest frequency. Typically, 2 to 3 cycles a second.
When we go to bed and read for a few minutes before attempting sleep, we are likely to be in low beta. When we put the book down, turn off the lights and close our eyes, our brainwaves will descend from beta, to alpha, to theta and finally, when we fall asleep, to delta.
Keys to successful use of Meditation Therapy
Use of mediation therapy for self improvement and personal growth are self motivation, repetition, and believable suggestions.
1. The motivation to change must come from within you. If you are trying to change because someone else wants you to "lose weight" or "stop smoking", the chances are greatly reduced that the therapy will work. These people do not respond as well to the therapy as those who really want to change. Those who want to quit smoking or lose weight will respond more quickly and easily. Before you start therapy for your self improvement, you should get it clear in your own mind why you want to change. This clear intention to change will help the positive suggestions to take hold and manifest themselves in your everyday life. 2. The next key to the successful use of meditation for personal change is believable suggestions. If you are to accept a suggestion, your mind must first accept it as a real possibility. Telling a chocoholic that chocolate will be disgusting to them and will make them sick is too big a stretch for the imagination. If a suggestion like this even took hold, it would only last a short time because it would be so unbelievable to a real chocolate lover. In cases like this, one of the successful weight loss suggestions I use is that the next time the individual eats chocolate it will not taste quite as good as the time before. This is far more acceptable and believable to most people. Then, with enough repetition over a period of time, chocolate loses much of its positive taste and control over that person.