An invitation to meditate…

Types of Meditation

Concentration MeditationFocuses of peace and stillness of the mind.

Mindfulness MeditationEmphasizes insight through awareness of the present moment.

The two go hand in hand

Empirical Support for Meditation Based Interventions

• Generalized anxiety disorders (Miller, Fisher, Kabat-Zinn, 1995)• -Panic disorder (Kabat-Zinn et al., 1992)• -Binge eating disorder (Kristeller & Hallett, 1999)• -Chronic pain (Kabat-Zinn, Lipworth, Burney & Sellers, 1996)• -Psoriasis (Kabat-Zinn et al., 1998)• -Mood disturbances & stress in cancer patients (Speca et al., 2000)• -Depressive symptoms in women with fibromaligia (Stephton et al., 2007)• -Residual depressive symptoms (Kingston et al., 2007)• -Major depressive disorder relapse prevention (>2episodes) (Teasdale et al.

2000)

Effects sizes have been on par with other empirically supported treatments (Baer, 2003)

CONCENTRATION MEDITATION

Breathing MeditationTrack how the breath moves in the body.When losing track return to the breath.Use it when you need to get centered, if stressed.

Listening MeditationEngage with all the sounds around you.Notice the energy of the sounds.Use it when in a noisy place or when your mind is buzzing with thoughts.

CONCENTRATION MEDITATION

Walking MeditationSlow down the process of walking.Use your breath to mark the steps the walking.Focus on body sensations.Use it when feeling agitated or anxious.

Mantra MeditationEmit the sound and vibration of a word with deep meaning that calms the body– Satnam; Om.Use it when in need of calm and clarity.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION

• Aims at seeing things as they truly are• By observing an object in the present moment,

non-judgmentally.• Can be used any time with external objects.• Leads to personal transformation.• Enhances the wholesome and helps let go of

the unwholesome.

TIPS

• Set aside time everyday to meditate. • Start meditation for only a few minutes

and move your way up to 20-30 minutes a day.

• Don’t expect immediate results.• Minimize the chances of falling asleep.

SUGGESTED READINGS• Full Catastrophe Living - John Kabat-Zinn.• Wherever You Go, There You Are – John Kabat- Zinn.• Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression -

Zindel Segal• Pubmed – Search engine for medical abstracts articles

Access John Kabat-Zinn and Zindel Segal• When Things Fall Apart - Pema Chodron • Turning the Mind into an Ally – Sakyong Mipham• Mindfulness in Plain English – Bhante Henepola Gunaratana• The Mindfulness Solution – Ronald Siegel

www.byui.edu/counselingcenterClick on What is New to access the handout.

An invitation to meditate…