In the simplest sense, mindfulness meditation is paying attention to present moment experiences without judgement.
Meditation can be conceptualized as practice for your brain. A kind of practice that has long term benefits.
Usually, mindfulness meditation will involve paying attention to any sensory experiences that come your way, Focusing on the present moment, and non-judgmental acceptance of any thoughts and feelings.
When negative thoughts come in, you are often encouraged to start focusing on breathing, or to return your attention to your senses.
There are more specific exercises, such as body scan meditation. In which you focus systematically on each part of your body and notice the sensations there.
There is sitting meditation when more emphasis is placed on focusing on breathing. Sensations and thoughts are noted and focus returns on breathing.
There is also walking meditation. This one is easily incorporated into your daily life. Simply walk and notice the sensations of your body moving.[1]
Effects of Mindfulness Meditation
Why would we want to meditate? To some it may sound like new age nonsense. However, it has been proven to have many health benefits.
In a 2012 Meta-Analysis, Mindfulness treatments (MBSR and mindfulness meditation) were shown to have a modest effect on Negative Personality Traits, Stress, Mindfulness, Intelligence, Wellbeing, Attention, and less so (but still significant) for Anxiety, Negative Emotions, Positive Emotions, Cognition, Self-Realization, Self-Concept, and emotional Regulation. [2]
When only focusing on the mindfulness meditation. Mindfulness, attention, and anxiety are the most impacted.
MBSR had a larger effect on well-being, and most things overall. MBSR has two components, mindfulness meditation and yoga. It could be that the yoga component is responsible for this difference.
Mindfulness Meditation is often used as part of other treatments for anxiety and depression.
In the 2012 meta-analysis, mindfulness, attention, and anxiety were shown to be the most effected with mindfulness meditation alone. However, the study did not review mindfulness meditation on emotional regulation alone.
A later analysis showed that indeed mindfulness meditation alone does increase emotional regulation which can aid in reducing drug abuse. [3]
How does it work?
According to a 2016 meta-analysis, there are 8 brain regions that had been shown consistently to have structural alterations. The frontopolar cortex, the sensory cortices and insula, the hippocampus, the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), mid-cingulate cortex and orbitofrontal cortex, and the superior longitudinal fasciculus and corpus callosum.
It is thought that alterations caused by repeated stimulation from mindfulness meditation within these and other regions are responsible for the many long-lasting benefits of mindfulness meditation. [4]
Attentional control is required for sustaining meditation. In essence you are practicing directing and controlling attention.
It may relieve stress, and negative personality traits by supporting a detachment from self.
Most importantly, mindfulness meditation is thought to effect emotional regulation by practicing attentional deployment, cognitive change and response modulation, which are areas in which emotional regulation can occur according to Gross’s process model of emotion regulation.
- Mindfulness meditation practices attentional deployment by controlling the focus of attention (say on breathing or sensation) to modify the impact of an emotional response.
- Mindfulness meditation practices cognitive change by practicing acceptance towards emotions, sensations and thoughts that come our way.
- Mindfulness meditation practices response modulation by engaging a behavior (dethatched “noticing” or focusing on breathing) in response to an emotion.
It’s my opinion that these 3 benefits to emotional regulation extend to support many of the other observed benefits, such as anxiety or depression.
References