Talk:Portal:Meditation/Archive 1
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Meditation is a large and important field of psychonautics. The term itself refers to any practice in which an individual, without relying on the use of pharmacological substances, trains the mind to induce a mode of consciousness in order to realize some benefit[1] or as an end in itself.[2]
The various techniques behind many different specific meditation practices have been shown through peer reviewed scientific study to create powerful feelings of physical and mental relaxation, stress reduction, self control, emotional stability, and enhanced concentration alongside of an array of other complex subjective effect components.
This article intends to cover all facets of meditation, including a brief history of its usage, generalized techniques, culturally specific techniques, and the complex array of subjective effect components of which the practice of these techniques induce. All of this will be done in as understandable a format as possible, allowing anybody who reads this to reap the proven benefits of meditation, all whilst using legitimate scientific studies and independent reports as supporting evidence without descending into mysticism or pseudo-science.
Generalized Techniques
The term meditation refers to an extremely broad variety of activities (much like the term sports) and this makes it difficult for beginners to find a practice which is both appropriate for their needs and relevant to them outside of a specific religious, cultural or historical context. To counter act this, PsychonautWiki will define and categorize a generalized and culturally neutral meditative practice before going into more specific techniques.
Although the aims of meditative practices vary wildly, they generally exist to reduce or eliminate irrelevant thought processes through the training of internalized attention. This brings a multitude of mental processes under greater voluntary control, thereby fostering general psychological well-being and development.[3]
- Breath focus
- Mantra focus
Subjective effect breakdown
- physical relaxation
- focus induced ego loss
- mindfulness
- personal bias suppression
- conceptual thinking
- rejuvenation
- hallucinatory states
- emotional reset
- insight
- unity
- nirvana
- euphoria
Specific Techniques
History
In terms of its history, the practice of meditation is thought to be of prehistoric origin[4] and dates back to ancient religions which often involved repetitive, rhythmic chants which today are commonly called mantras.[5] The earliest written records of meditation come from a large body of Hindu texts originating in ancient India. They are known as the Vedas and are dated around 1500 BCE.[6] Beyond this, meditation has an extremely detailed past and is found all throughout history, especially within the context of eastern religions like Buddhism.
Studies
- http://phys.org/news/2011-01-mindfulness-meditation-brain-weeks.html
- http://pss.sagepub.com/content/early/2013/12/06/0956797613503853
- http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201306/how-does-meditation-reduce-anxiety-neural-level
- http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0058244
- https://www.bigquestionsonline.com/content/can-you-learn-control-your-mind
- http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2011/11/22/1112029108.abstract (default mode network and meditation)
- http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~dtg/KILLINGSWORTH%20&%20GILBERT%20(2010).pdf (wandering minds lead to unhappiness)
Analysis and conclusion
References
- ↑ Attention regulation and monitoring in meditation | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2693206/
- ↑ Watts, Alan. "11 _10-4-1 Meditation." Eastern Wisdom: Zen in the West & Meditations. The Alan Watts Foundation. 2009. MP3 CD. @4:45
- ↑ The neurobiology of Meditation and its clinical effectiveness in psychiatric disorders | http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19393712
- ↑ A clinical guide to the treatment of human stress response by George S. Everly, Jeffrey M. Lating 2002 ISBN 0-306-46620-1 page 199
- ↑ Joseph, M. 1998, The effect of strong religious beliefs on coping with stress Stress Medicine. Vol 14(4), Oct 1998, 219-224.
- ↑ A clinical guide to the treatment of human stress response by George S. Everly, Jeffrey M. Lating 2002 ISBN 0-306-46620-1 page 199