Mindfulness Meditation Research Paper

The Efficacy of Mindfulness Meditation

What physical exercise is to your body, meditation is mental exercise to your mind. Many Eastern cultures practice meditation and have done so for thousands of years. Only since the 1970’s did the West slowly begin to research and study the use of meditation as an intervention and treatment in patients. Mindfulness meditation technique involves the expansion of attention in a nonjudgemental and nonreactive way to become more aware of your current sensory, mental and emotional experiences (Ivanovski, 2007). To truly be awake and aware is to live a mindful life, basically, to pay attention and experience living in every moment. Anyone can practice mindfulness meditation after learning the basic concepts.

There are many symptoms of stress that affect a person physically such as; high blood pressure; fluid retention; muscles contracting; and an increase of serum stress hormones. Meditation can reduce the levels of stress hormones in the blood (Budilovsky, 1999). General stress can be treated more effectively with meditation rather than the use of medication in many cases. Have you ever noticed during stressful situations like your graduation or giving a speech often afterwards you can’t even recall the experience. Mindfulness can help change that. The Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center teaches its patients deep breathing exercises as a form of mindfulness meditation (Budilovsky,1999). A study documented by Kabat-Zinn and colleagues researched the efficacy of an intense mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) treatment program lasting 8-10 weeks. The goal was to change the individuals’ relationship to their thoughts. The result of the change would reduce stress and improve emotion regulation. The scientific community is becoming more willing to admit that the mind contributes to how a person heals. A positive attitude can lead to a longer life, decrease illness and accelerate