Meditation and psychology research paper example

The mental position and status of an individual or group determines many issues in terms of the way individuals or the groups behaves and acts towards realizing certain objective and goals. The mental position is critical in the sense that it can lead one to succeed or fail in confronting various challenges, since it also determines and controls the body. Meditation is an act that everybody in the world undergoes either subconsciously or consciously in life on a daily basis. It is described as a practice of concentrated focus upon something in order to increase awareness of the current times, reduce stress, relax as well as promoting personal and spiritual growth. Research by scholars and experts in psychology has noted and emphasized that meditation is one element that plays a great part in transforming an individual from being dormant into an active individual. Meditation cuts across many sectors of life either in political, social or economical areas. However, my goal in this paper is to narrow down and show how meditation leads to better health, higher quality of life and reduces health care costs.
According to Rathus (2007), in his book Psychology: Concepts & connections, meditation has been practiced by many people, and it has become part and parcel of their cultures. In the middle and Far East, especially Asians nations, many cultures have practiced meditation for different reasons and meanings (Rathus, 2007). In most of the occasions, it has been attributed to religious beliefs and healings purposes. As a result of the practice being observed worldwide, it prompted and has attracted a lot of interest from researchers and scholars, to try and unearth real findings towards meditation and psychology. As an activity that increases relaxation, reduces stress as well as enhancing personal and spiritual growth, it is proved that it has reduced negative effects such as high blood pressure (hypertension) and cardiac arrests or heart attack that are common to old age people in many parts of the world, especially Europe and America. Stress related diseases it is asserted to be among leading causes of death in the world, but the ironical part of it is that it is the most preventable kind of illness that exist. It is reaffirmed that “ meditation can be used with other forms of medical treatment and is an important complementary therapy for both the treatment and prevention of many stress-related conditions”. People lifestyles have determined and played a bigger part in spread and continuous rise of suck kind of sickness.
It is scientifically proven that meditation has great impact to an individual health care, and people who meditate more often have visited heath care centers lesser times, than those who do not. Studies conducted by Institute of medical research in Australia, concerning the effects of meditation to general health of individuals found out that those who meditate frequently are better off, and have good health than those who do not or least do it (Koster & Oosterhoff, 2009). Out of a population of about one hundred people examined, it was found that four out of every five people who meditate have reported four times less to health practitioners than those who do not. The difference researchers found out and attributed it to meditation, since they state out that meditation is equivalent to preventive measures, whereby it releases energy and pressure that could have build and resulted into other complication that becomes difficult to control and prevent, after they have established, for instance high blood pressure.
A similar study was conducted to try and determine why in the Far East most of the adults in that region have recorded a lesser number of people having stress related health problems, unlike in the United States. One of the reasons attributed to such findings was that the practice and culture of meditation, that has been enrooted in their lifestyles has contributed a great deal to the observed results. Reasons stated were similar to those earlier mentioned touching on the benefits that result from reducing stress. In the recent past, it is observed that meditation which involves elongated periods of silent thought and reflection by the individual is used in most psychotherapy sessions (Kiran, 2012).
Lopez and Snyder (2011) in their piece Oxford handbook of positive psychology pointed out that depression and anxiety it is noted contribute to stress, that in turn result to negative health conditions. Meditation can result to a positive response in terms of calming down the mentioned conditions. Experts have noted that there are two types of meditation, which are concentration meditation and mindfulness meditation. Concentration meditation focuses on a single object, and its purpose is to help one focus and develop attention over something. On the other hand, mindfulness meditation is broad and concentrates on the entire field of attention. It is observed, however, that when people meditate they blend the two together, and this might happen consciously or subconsciously. It is also asserted that meditation in health care has focused on three important issues that touch on relaxation response, mindfulness meditation as well as transcendental (Rathus, 2007). Irrespective of the goal, the overall impact in terms of heath care has resulted to improved better health and improved quality of life.
Studies have also shown that quality of life has been improved to people that often meditate. In a study conducted among twenty one patients to determine effective treatment for coronary artery disease, results indicated that meditation decreased and reversed coronary artery disease by over seventy nine percent, to those people who practiced meditation. Findings also noted that besides improving and reversing the disease, it has a general impact of improved quality of life. From the quote, “ Meditative practices have been reported to improve function or reduce symptoms in patients with some neurological disorders as well”, it indicates that it has more benefits as far as health care services are concerned. For instance, a study was conducted about meditation as one of the several stress management techniques in a small group of HIV positive men. The results indicated improved count of the T-Cells for men who engaged in meditation in most instances. It also noted improved psychological measures of their well-being, and this led to a slightly better quality of life that they lived.
It is observed that people have spent huge amount of money trying to get and reach health care services. In some instances, people have paid a lot of money to acquire services such as physical body conditioning in fitness and health clubs, among other measures to keep their bodies and minds in shape. Stress related diseases that were earlier stated are among the most expensive diseases to treat and acquire health care services (Lopez, & Snyder, 2011). Research has indicated that the amount of money spent in such health clubs and in health facilities, are more times higher and expensive in comparison to the amount of resources that one would incur to acquire meditation services. Studies have also revealed that the amount of time spent in acquiring such services is longer that time spent in meditation and the two measures results in a more or less similar consequence. It is noted that benefits resulting from meditation alone, and the amount of energy used to relieve stress is equivalent to the one spent at health clubs and fitness center. National Institute of Health noted that “ preventive medication can only be achieved when people engage in fitness programs and meditation in their daily lives”.
Meditation is has been proved to be generally cheap, because it does not require any tool s or equipments to be done like it is in the case with fitness centers, has no side effects, can be done anytime, and anywhere making it affordable, and accessible to many people. As a result, it has reduced high costs incurred in acquiring health services, and it is a preventive measure as well. It is important to note that prevention is better than cure (Kiran, 2012).
Meditation to me has posted positive results in many things that I have been involved in. Meditation helps one to focus over an issue such as an exam or game, and this gives one the energy and confidence to tackle the challenge in a better way, that in most cases results to success. Peaceful and calm environment is the required condition for one to better meditate, because it eliminates possible destruction that make one shift focus while meditating (Lopez, & Snyder, 2011). It is a phenomenon and concept that need to be encouraged by all because it has both short term and long term benefits that are cost effective and affordable, not only to the individual but also the entire society as whole.
In conclusion, meditation and psychology have proved to be a key and critical part, which can transform the health sector in appositive way. It has led to a better and higher quality of life that is cost effective, and affordable to many people without discrimination of any kind. Meditation has been spread and used across many disciplines, and researched evidence indicates that it has transformed many in a positive way. Further research is also being conducted to elaborate additional relationship that exists between meditation and psychology, and findings will add to the knowledge that already exists to better understand the subject

References

Kiran, K. S. K. (2012). Psychology of meditation: A contextual approach. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co.
Koster, F., & Oosterhoff, M. (2009). Liberating insight: Introduction to Buddhist psychology and insight meditation. Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books.
Lopez, S. J., & Snyder, C. R. (2011). Oxford handbook of positive psychology. New York: Oxford University Press.
Rathus, S. A. (2007). Psychology: Concepts & connections. Australia: Thomson/Wadsworth.