{"id":72361,"date":"2017-12-02T23:03:25","date_gmt":"2017-12-03T05:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=72361"},"modified":"2017-12-02T15:12:21","modified_gmt":"2017-12-02T22:12:21","slug":"psychology-of-meditation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2017\/12\/02\/psychology-of-meditation\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychology of Meditation"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge<\/strong>\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n

Meditation is a mental exercise and it enhances the state of awareness.\u00a0Awareness\u00a0is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events (Wikipedia). The meditative awareness\u00a0is often called blissful awareness which is a higher state of consciousness. Higher consciousness involves the ability to be conscious of being conscious.<\/p>\n

Meditative awareness is an awareness of perception; an intuitive awareness. It is a form of calm mental state that upgrades compassion, equanimity and wisdom.\u00a0\u00a0It provides a sense of tranquility and peace. Meditative awareness connected with the attention in the present moment self-regulating the mind. This awareness gives profound insight about the body\/mind experience with heightened alertness. Furthermore it gives clarity of mind.<\/p>\n

The meditative awareness helps to analyze the inner being and external environment in non judgmental manner. This process creates a profound mental harmony without any negative emotions. Then the life-stream becomes more focused achieving the wholeness. Then the meditator is living his originality.<\/p>\n

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In meditative awareness feelings and emotions are neutrally analyzed without any fixation. Thus the mediator finally achieves pure consciousness which is called Samadhi. Deshmukh (2006) describes Samadhi as a self-absorptive, adaptive state with realization of one’s being in harmony with reality.\u00a0 It is unitive, undifferentiated, reality-consciousness, an essential being, which can only be experienced by spontaneous intuition and self-understanding.<\/p>\n

Meditation and Consciousness<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Consciousness\u00a0has been one of the most important and tantalizing issues ever since the origin of philosophy and medicine (Facco et al., 2017). In general terms consciousness is defined as the state of awareness of self and the environment.\u00a0 In biological terms, human consciousness appears as a feature associated with the functioning of the human brain\u00a0(Gierer, 2008). The English philosopher John Locke\u00a0stated that consciousness is the\u00a0awareness\u00a0of all that occurs in the mind of a person.<\/p>\n

As described by van Gulick (2004) consciousness is the state or quality of awareness, or, of being aware of an external object or something within oneself.\u00a0<\/strong>In modern science it is defined as a continuous state of full\u00a0awareness\u00a0of the Self and one’s relationship to the external and internal environment, describing the degree of wakefulness in which an organism recognizes stimuli (Jellinger, 2009).<\/p>\n

According to the biological theories consciousness is some form of biological state of the brain depends on brain chemistry and electrical impulses.\u00a0Current research suggests that human\u00a0consciousness\u00a0is associated with complex, synchronous interactions between multiple cortical networks (Panda et al, 2016). According to Szirmai and Kamondi\u00a0 (2006) higher functions” of human mental ability have been ascribed to the prefrontal and parietal association cortices. The paleocerebrum, limbic system and their connections have been considered to be the center of emotions, feelings, attention, motivation and autonomic functions.<\/p>\n

Consciousness is a state or function of the brain.\u00a0It is individual awareness. There are four states of consciousness such as Waking: Sleeping: Dreaming: Meditation.<\/p>\n

Consciousness is strongly connected with awareness. However there is no conscious perception without attention (Mack & Rock, 1998).<\/p>\n

The American Psychologist William James postulated that our conscious mental life flows continuously like a stream in which the transition between the thought of one object and the thought of another is no more a break in the thought than a joint in a bamboo is a break in the wood. William James described consciousness as a stream \u2013 a continuous succession of experiences.\u00a0For William James consciousness is something flowing uninterruptedly.<\/p>\n

Meditation practice is geared to reach higher consciousness.\u00a0A.K Nair of the Department of Neurophysiology, National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences Bengaluru, India indicates that Meditation induces a modified state of consciousness that remains under voluntary control.<\/p>\n

Meditative consciousness is\u00a0characterized by receptive attention to and awareness of present events and experiences.\u00a0 It constitutes the ability to become aware of mental activities such as sensations, images, feelings, and thoughts, and to disengage from judgment, conditioned emotions, and their cognitive processing or automatic inhibition\u00a0(Gartenschl\u00e4ger et al., 2017). In\u00a0meditative consciousness\u00a0there are no cognitive elaborations or emotional reactivity. This state is characterized by improved task performance and decreased stress-related symptomolog and without\u00a0maladaptive mental processes. Some experts state that in meditative consciousness\u00a0brain activation in the left prefrontal cortex\u00a0can be detected via Functional magnetic resonance imaging.<\/p>\n

Meditation and Metacognition<\/u><\/h2>\n

Metacognition is “cognition about cognition” or thinking about thinking”.\u00a0It is the\u00a0 ability to recognize one’s own successful cognitive processing.\u00a0It is the individual’s\u00a0ability to assess their own cognitive ability.\u00a0Meta-cognition is one of the distinctive characteristics of human mind that enables us to reflect on our own mental states\u00a0(\u00a0Hussain, 2015). Metacognition is important in mental health.\u00a0Metacognitive impairments are observed in chronic psychosis such as schizophrenia. In addition\u00a0metacognition\u00a0impairment are found among drug addicts.<\/p>\n

The involvement of metacognition in mindfulness is already acknowledged in recent mindfulness models (Norman, 2017). Meta-cognition and mindfulness share many commonalities and are conceptually related in many ways (\u00a0Hussain, 2015).<\/p>\n

Mindfulness involves a metacognitive level of mind that is aware of the cognitions or contents of the mind (Kabat-Zinn ,2003;\u00a0Hussain, 2015).Some experts believe that mindfulness is related to the highest level of metacognition.\u00a0Shapiro and colleagues (2006) linked mindfulness to metacognition, arguing that the process of mindfully attending with openness and nonjudgementalness leads to what is referred to as reperceiving.\u00a0(Norman, 2017). Reperceiving is a principal effect of mindfulness meditation.<\/p>\n

Meditation and Connecting with Inner Self<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Abraham Maslow once stated: What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself.\u00a0\u00a0Meditation helps to reveal the inner self.\u00a0Knowing inner self comes from self-awareness.\u00a0\u00a0While practicing meditation the meditator understands the nature of existence achieving a lot of aha moments while reconnecting with inner-self.\u00a0 This process leads to self realization.\u00a0Once the inner self has been experienced, the mediator gains more wisdom.\u00a0\u00a0As described by Swami Krishnananda the concept of Self-Realization can stir up highly balanced outlook of life, a sober approach to every event and factor in life, a policy of impersonality in regard to any kind of encounter in the world.<\/p>\n

Meditation and Mind-Body Connection<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ren\u00e9\u00a0Descartes\u00a0described the concept of mind-body\u00a0dualism\u00a0in the 16th century (Ventriglio & Bhugra , 2015).\u00a0For centuries he mind and body has been viewed as distinct entities.\u00a0This\u00a0dualism\u00a0has created boundaries between mind and body and\u00a0Descartes\u00a0dogma\u00a0has\u00a0caused tremendous amount of damage to Western psychiatry (Ventriglio & Bhugra , 2015).\u00a0The mind and the body are clearly intertwined\u00a0(Sullivan & Hudson, 2017).<\/p>\n

Mind-body\u00a0interventions\u00a0are based on the holistic principle that mind, body and behaviour are all interconnected and it\u00a0incorporates strategies that are thought to improve psychological and physical well-being (Theadom et al., 2015).\u00a0According to Bonilla (2010)\u00a0meditation is one of the mind-body\u00a0healing procedures.\u00a0Meditation is a method for synchronizing body and mind in the present moment.\u00a0Research on\u00a0mind-body\u00a0exercises such as meditation\u00a0has indicated significant mental and physical value (La Forge ,1997).\u00a0Meditation augments the mind-body connection. Meditation\u00a0develop a stronger\u00a0mind-body connection\u00a0through heightened somatic awareness and a focus on the present moment\u00a0(Myers\u00a0 et al.,2015).<\/p>\n

Meditation; Self Awareness and Self Growth<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

Developing self awareness is a part of mental training. In general terms self-awareness is the capacity for introspection and the ability to recognize oneself as an individual separate from the environment and other individuals.\u00a0Self-Awareness occurs through reflection. Developing self awareness is a healing process. It is\u00a0 is a dynamic process of recovery.<\/p>\n

The power of self awareness is connected with know thyself.\u00a0Know thyself is a huge part in meditation.\u00a0 Many centuries ago Aristotle wrote: knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. Lao Tzu states that he who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.\u00a0 According to Erich Fromm\u00a0\u00a0 know thyself is one of the fundamental commands that aim at human strength and happiness.<\/p>\n

Meditation can be viewed as an introspection tool. Introspection is the examination or observation of one’s own mental and emotional processes. Self-analysis is one of the key factors in introspection. The meditation Guru Paramahansa Yogananda concluded; Introspection, or ‘sitting in the silence,’ is an unscientific way of trying to force apart the mind and senses, tied together by the life force. The contemplative mind, attempting its return to divinity, is constantly dragged back toward the senses by the life currents.<\/p>\n

Meditation is a transformative experience. It can bring true personal transformation. Meditation is a means to (positive) transformations in consciousness (Sedlmeier et al., 2012).\u00a0\u00a0Meditation is appreciation of life. Meditation builds internal energy. It is an internal effort that could be used to self regulate. Some call it intention cultivation. This is a process which is called healing from within.\u00a0Meditation augments growth promotion.\u00a0Personal and spiritual growth can be achieved via meditation. It is a conglomerate of mental,\u00a0\u00a0 social, emotional, and spiritual growth.<\/p>\n

Meditation and Optimal Healing Environment\u00a0<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

As described by Craven (1989) meditation has five basic components: relaxation, concentration, altered state of consciousness, logic relaxation and self-observation attitude.\u00a0Subjectively, meditative experience is said to be fundamentally different from “normal” mental state\u00a0(Neumann & Frasch, 2006). It is a\u00a0self-transcending experience. It is an active state that causes positive changes in self-esteem. Meditation is a dominant form of mental training. It is a practice of concentrated focus or to engage in contemplation or reflection.\u00a0 It is also called mind cultivation, a form of act of extended thought (a focused exercise).\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mediation maintains a moment-by-moment awareness of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment. Meditation stabilizes the mind through focus.\u00a0Meditation improves\u00a0attention, self awareness and emotional self-regulation by calming the body and mind. It improves ability to process information quickly and accurately. Mediation helps to achieve inner balance and stability by transforming the mind recognizing natural wisdom.\u00a0 This practice helps to heighten sense of well-being.<\/p>\n

Meditation sharpens the mind. It is about improving one\u2019s attention, attitude and cognitive skills positively managing emotions. Meditation could boost cognitive flexibility\u00a0and responsible decision-making. It is a method to maintain stillness and inner calm above all enhance mental development. According to Ott (2004) meditation allows individuals to become compassionate witnesses to their own experiences, to avoid making premature decisions, and to be open to new possibilities, transformation, and healing. Meditation may change brain and immune function in positive ways (Davidson et al., 2003).<\/p>\n

The meditative mind is an awaken mind. It is calm and serene; it leads to spiritual awaking. Dr Deepak Chopra states that the purpose of meditation is to stop thinking for a time, wait for the fog of thought to thin, and glimpse the spirit within. Therefore meditation opens an optimal healing environment (OHE).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dr. Ruwan M Jayatunge\u00a0 Meditation is a mental exercise and it enhances the state of awareness.\u00a0Awareness\u00a0is the ability to directly know and perceive, to feel, or to be cognizant of events (Wikipedia). The meditative awareness\u00a0is often called blissful awareness which is a higher state of consciousness. Higher consciousness involves the ability to be conscious of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72361","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-buddhism","category-dr-ruwan-m-jayatunge-m-d"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72361","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72361"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72361\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72361"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72361"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72361"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}