“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and science.”
-- Albert Einstein
Has science lost its mystery? We've strayed so far from wonder and gratitude. We think we can measure, calculate and predict everything. It is simply absurd. We define and categorize every aspect of our world, yet we are clearly missing some major pieces of the puzzle. We've barely scratched the surface of neuroscience; and the deeper into quantum physics we go, the more we realize we cannot explain that world using the theories of our larger world.
Is it really crazy to believe that we may have untapped mental or physical capabilities? Is it completely out-of-this-world to suspect the brain has unlimited potential?
I started off 2016 with a 30 day meditation/yoga challenge and ended up keeping the challenge going all year long! I started looking more into the science and studies behind meditation and honestly, I was blown away. I saw an abundance of parallel ideas connecting the ancient knowledge of meditation with today's theories in thermodynamics, metaphysics, neurology, physiology. Not to mention the commonalities between the religions.
My mind keeps circling through these same questions:
- Why are the proven health benefits of meditation not more widely advertised?
- What keeps doctors, teachers, and scientists from integrating this knowledge into common practices?
- Why is there still this irrational stigma against meditation
When you think of mediation do you envision some monk-like person in the woods or monastery? Do you associate it with disconnect and isolation? What kind of thoughts come up when you hear someone say the meditate? Are you convinced it's some 'new age', 'hippy' belief completely unfounded, without any scientific evidence?
A majority of people have some kind of preconceived belief about mediation; who does it, how it's done, what it's all about. Most people with whom I've mentioned mediation seem to carelessly dismiss it.
I get that look of sympathy and a “that's great” -- like they want to tell me it's a waste of time but are too polite. Or I get the eye roll/oh really combination, as if I'm just some yuppie hipster. And you know what, before I researched the benefits of mediation, most likely, I would have responded similarly.
For some reason western medicine chose to run with the pharmaceutical treatments versus all the other types out there.
Our medicine and medical practices have defined our lifestyles and in turn our social norms and beliefs. It is no surprise most people brush off other alternatives*.– *Words are important. Notice how doctors and scientists, hell even the media will refer to anything other than lab created drugs as alternative methods – by definition an alternative is not first choice. –
They brush off alternative resolutions because they do not fit their belief that medicine, in the form of pills, is the best or only remedy out there.That same kind of disregard is typically given to acupuncture, chiropractics and reiki. It has blown my mind a number of times, the quickness with which people dismiss meditation and the worth of introspection.
I've had people ask, “But what's the point?” And to that I have no response. I hope one day, I'll devise some short way to bridge that gigantic gap. A quick definition, in 5 words or less, (because you know the average attention span is shrinking) to explain the point. Until then I will attempt to go the long way round and share the overwhelming evidence I've not only read about but have personally experienced.
I was amazed by the sheer amount of studies out there linking meditation to healthy living. It didn't take much more than a few searches on JAMA, the US National Library of Medicine, and Mayo Clinic, (just to name a few valid sources), to create a firm foundation of evidence to prove meditation can be significantly beneficial. There is a huge pool of personal testimony out there as well. Any search will bring up thousands of blogs, Pinterest boards and Facebook groups celebrating meditation and mindfulness. I chose a few astonishing benefits to highlight in this article.
Meditation Vs. Insomnia/Sleep Disturbances
The JAMA Network has an intriguing article on a Randomized Clinical Trial titled, Mindfulness Meditation and Improvement in Sleep Quality and Daytime Impairment Among Older Adults With Sleep Disturbances. This study grabbed my attention because it compared two parallel groups – one group participating in mindfulness awareness practices (MAPs) and the other a sleep hygiene education (SHE) program.
Trial Design
Both groups received a weekly, 2hour, 6 session group. Both groups were also given “homework” and participated in an in-group discussion of the homework. The SHE group was considered the ' highly active' control group. Self assessments were completed at UCLA medical research center 10 days before and after the intervention. The primary results were measured using the PSQI, (a widely used and validated self-report questionnaire). A secondary group of results was calculated concurrently; focusing on daytime impairments commonly seen in insomniacs like depression, anxiety, stress and fatigue.
MAPs Group
This groups completed the MAPs for daily living program which is an educational system on different forms of mediation such as mindful sitting, kind-loving, and appreciation meditations. As well as mindfulness in regards to eating, walking and moving in daily life. It is not only a public program for residents in the Los Angeles area but also available online for anyone to take here !
Participants were also given reading material and a guided mediation CD. Homework began with 5 minutes a day and progressed to 20 minutes by the 6th session.
SHE Group
This group received program curriculum from an educator with a MPH in health education. Participants were informed on the scientific aspect of sleep through topics like sleep biology, characteristics of healthy and unhealthy sleep, stress biology and reduction, and relaxation techniques for before sleep. All the content was based from the National Institute of Health and Nation Sleep Foundation.
The Findings
I've chosen to include the table from the JAMA article which is relatively easy to read. I found it very interesting to see the change in scores from the baseline to the post-intervention. The fact that there was a significant difference between the SHE program and the MAPs group results seems promising.
Implications
The most interesting portion of this study, in my opinion, is the time length in comparison to the results . This was only a 6 week program dedicating 5-20 minutes daily to the MAPs. Imagine the results if the MAPs were incorporated over 6 months or 6 years. Another benefit plainly seen in the table is the decrease in the secondary daytime impairments within the MAPs group. This could mean that not only does mindful meditation improve sleep patterns but also provides a decrease in feelings of depression, anxiety and stress.
Meditation = Brain Growth
Another interesting article I'd like to draw some attention to was published on the PMC website by the US National Library of Medicine titled [Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1361002) , assessed 20 individuals with extensive Insight Mediation experience.
Selected Participants
20 of the individuals selected were people who've learned to blend mindfulness into there family life, friendships, career and extracurricular activities. Some participants were mediation teachers or yoga instructors but others held careers in healthcare and even law. Participants attested to a daily mediation routine which averaged to about 40 minutes each day. 15 control participants with absolutely no experience in mediation or yoga were also selected.
Method of StudyCortical thickness was measured using MPRAGE. Two structural images were collected on each participant and averaged together to form a single high-resolution image. The images were edited by a number of procedures; which I am purely assuming, must have been a means to gather the most accurate measurements. Please see the PMC website for a more in depth description of the procedures, if you are interested.
The Findings
Initial measurements revealed that the cortex is not specifically thicker in every area in those who meditate; that thickness generally varies person to person.
However, those who meditate share trends of thickness in the same certain areas:
Another surprising result out of the study: typical age-related decreases which were seen within the control group were not observed in the meditation group.
My Interpretations
I found this information inspiring. Not only does mindfulness raise your sensory awareness and memory function but it increases the neural reception in areas that strongly relate to day-to-day social life and relationships. It's no surprise that many who habitually meditate exhume a calm, positive air about themselves and seem to get along with everyone.
Reading between the lines I see a strong possibility that by activating these areas of the brain people could dive deeper into social understanding through better listening capabilities and interpretation without bias meshed in perhaps. I see an opportunity to evolve emotionally and intellectually through meditation practices. Many people today agree, the geniuses of technology have catapulted the world into the future, but emotionally, society is still a bit stunted. We are in need of a spiritual revolution.
My Own Experiences
I was around twelve years old when I was diagnosed with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. I remember one specialist telling my father that acupuncture could offer relief but my dad laughed it off. He said it was just another way for insurance companies and doctor's to make money - and my dad is a hippie, seriously. Yet, he still had this ingrained belief that pain could not be healed by anything other than pharmaceuticals. So, instead they put me on 800mg of ibuprofen twice a day. It's no wonder why a few years later I developed stomach ulcers. Hey, you have to deal with those side effects right? It's worth it, they say.
Doctors boggle my mind. I've seen a ton of them over the last 20 years. Along with the JRA, I suffer from chronic migraines with stroke-like symptoms where I experience tremors, seizures and visual disturbances. Looking back I question why more research wasn't done into the causes of my ailments. They never wanted to discover the cause, it was simply medication decisions. Every appointment was centered around which class of drugs to try, possible side effects, insurance coverage. The doctors I've seen love to throw out the triggered by stress line.
They address stress as if it's inevitable. Stress Management is another one of those terms society has coined. It implies stress is permanent and it's acceptable to live under constant stress.
In May 2016 I decided to get off my daily medication completely. I had seen a decrease in headaches since I began a meditation/yoga challenge in January and I was so tired of trying new classes of drug treatments and suffering the side effects. My neurologist wanted to try a new treatment: a series of Botox injections in my head and neck. This absolutely freaked me out. I wanted to try a more holistic, natural approach not an even more intense one. The neurologist had very little “alternative” material to offer me, and by very little I mean none, except the same recycled lines concerning stress management and adequate amounts of sleep. I attempted to bring up THC for pain management and she referred me to find another doctor if that was the treatment I was seeking. She attempted to deter me from dropping my meds, just as others had done before her, but this time I chose to take the plunge and decided to regain control of my health.
Much to my surprise, I easily discovered an abundance of studies linking meditation and yoga to migraine reflief and chronic pain management. Why hadn't the doctor known about these findings?
When I revisited her in 6 months to check in, I reported that my daily headaches had greatly reduced and I hadn't needed a single emergency shot of Sumatriptan since I'd seen her last. She seemed eager to congratulate me and kick me out of her office. It was a strange meeting. She cynically reminded me that “as soon as the migraines come back don't hesitate to call and of course, make a one year follow up appointment to reassess my condition.” I thought she'd be intrigued by my recovery. I imagined she would want to know exactly how I managed to cure myself, but I was wrong. What a disappointment.
Looking back over these last 2 years I can see stress really did cause 80% of my health issues.
( I've completely made up that figure, but as I'm judging my own pain levels, estimating a percentage seems fitting.) The reduction I've seen in body pain, migraines, stress and anxiety has got me preaching from the rooftops! I've had huge increases in feelings of motivation, energy, happiness, and creativity.