what is the purposes of guided meditation

All mindfulness techniques are a form of meditation.īasic mindfulness meditation – Sit quietly and focus on your natural breathing or on a word or “mantra” that you repeat silently. This allows the mind to refocus on the present moment. There is more than one way to practice mindfulness, but the goal of any mindfulness technique is to achieve a state of alert, focused relaxation by deliberately paying attention to thoughts and sensations without judgment. This development makes good sense, since both meditation and cognitive behavioral therapy share the common goal of helping people gain perspective on irrational, maladaptive, and self-defeating thoughts. It’s become increasingly common for mindfulness meditation to be combined with psychotherapy, especially cognitive behavioral therapy.

Some experts believe that mindfulness works, in part, by helping people to accept their experiences-including painful emotions-rather than react to them with aversion and avoidance. In recent years, psychotherapists have turned to mindfulness meditation as an important element in the treatment of a number of problems, including: depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, couples’ conflicts, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Mindfulness can: help relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain,, improve sleep, and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties. If greater well-being isn’t enough of an incentive, scientists have discovered that mindfulness techniques help improve physical health in a number of ways. By focusing on the here and now, many people who practice mindfulness find that they are less likely to get caught up in worries about the future or regrets over the past, are less preoccupied with concerns about success and self-esteem, and are better able to form deep connections with others. Being mindful makes it easier to savor the pleasures in life as they occur, helps you become fully engaged in activities, and creates a greater capacity to deal with adverse events. Increasing your capacity for mindfulness supports many attitudes that contribute to a satisfied life.

Professor emeritus Jon Kabat-Zinn, founder and former director of the Stress Reduction Clinic at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, helped to bring the practice of mindfulness meditation into mainstream medicine and demonstrated that practicing mindfulness can bring improvements in both physical and psychological symptoms as well as positive changes in health, attitudes, and behaviors. The cultivation of mindfulness has roots in Buddhism, but most religions include some type of prayer or meditation technique that helps shift your thoughts away from your usual preoccupations toward an appreciation of the moment and a larger perspective on life.

What is the purposes of guided meditation