The future of meditation in the medical domain

This blog has emphasized the psychological benefits of meditation.  Diaphragmatic breathing, letting go of thoughts and focusing on one's body is very calming.  It helps people with anxiety disorders relax and replaces rumination on and avoidance of negative thoughts in people with depression, consequently minimizing the impact of distressing thoughts and preventing depressive episodes.

My research on mindfulness-based interventions shows that meditation can be incorporated in a clinical setting.  It really does help people who have psychiatric disorders deal with their problems.

Mindfulness-based interventions have been around for only the past two-ish decades, and already the literature on the topic is huge.  I would not be surprised if, within my lifetime, every therapist utilized mindfulness training.  I'm sure mindfulness training will soon become part of the curriculuum for all degree programs in clinical psychology.  Already, many therapists teach their patients breathing techniques to use when they become distressed or anxious.  The next step is to add the other aspects of meditation to this training.  I feel that therapists will embrace mindfulness because of its lasting usefulness.  Cognitive therapy or behavior therapy may work immediately, but relapses are common, especially for depression.  If therapists simply incorporate mindfulness training to the usual intervention, then they are imparting a skill onto their patients that the patient can use throughout their life to prevent relapse, so that they will never have to go back to therapy.  This is much safer and cheaper than medication, and it gives engenders an invaluable sense of strength and confidence by empowering the person to effect his or her own wellbeing instead of relying on a professional or chemicals.  This is extremely important especially for people who suffer from depression, who often feel helpless and out of control.

The positive psychological effects of meditation indirectly produces physical benefits.  The mind is connected to the immune system.  Being stressed or sad is associated with weakened immunity and poor health, while optimism and psychological wellbeing is associated with physical wellbeing and longer life.  As meditation has begun to permeate the psychological field, it may also become more prominent in general medicine.  Meditation can be used as preventitive medicine because of its positive effects on the immune system, and because it lowers blood pressure, thus obviating the risk of coronary heart disease and other related disorders.  It can also help people with HIV and other immune deficiency disorders to prevent infection, and for people with chronic pain and terminal illness to boost their mood, prolong lifespan, and reduce pain.  The increased use meditation for these conditions will lead to further research on the usefulness of meditation in the medical domain, which may show it to be applicable for the treatment or prevention of other disorders.

Meditation has recieved a lot of attention recently in the psychological and medical fields.  I think it will have a large positive impact on these fields in the future.  Soon, meditation will no longer be viewed as alternative medicine, but as a normal component of healthcare.