For many people that are like me, when I get stressed, I do not use meditation to relieve that stress. Why? Simply because meditation does not work for me. I have tried time and again to put myself in a quiet space and only focus on the end goal, which is to let all my fears and worries in that moment disappear. That may change now that I have read this article about a guy named “Jon Kabat-Zinn” who opened a facility “at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center” to help people cope with their stress by utilizing meditation. “Bill Moyers” questions him about the progress that the facility has made regarding meditation and the stigma that surrounds it. He also gives steps on how to meditate using “Jon Kabat-Zinn’s” methods.
This article starts out with Bill asking Jon about people’s immediate responses to meditation and its abilities in relieving stress. Jon tells him that most people are skeptic about meditation, and they have a right to be. He was not sure if people would take his project seriously, but “doctors refer patients to” his facility almost all the time. He also stated that meditation can work in helping take away a person’s stress because it “just has to do with paying attention in a particular way and it’s “something we’re all capable of doing.” Up to this point, I was still doubtful that what he was saying was true, but he did make a good point. It can work if you allow yourself to let it work. I do believe it’s about having control over your mind and being able to focus on one thing.
Jon goes on talking about how people are beginning to succumb to the fact that meditation might be helpful in relieving their stress and “because we’re trying to penetrate to the core of what it means to work with the agitated mind by going into deep states of relaxation.” He also talks about ‘the placebo effect’ which I find interesting considering I learned about this in my Intro to Psychology class. I think meditation can be a form of a placebo because if a person has an optimistic outlook on the results of meditation, it might feel like it has made a difference in their life, when it has not. That is most likely why I have not felt any different when I try to meditate because I have a pessimistic point of view on meditation. If I had an optimistic outlook on it, I probably would become a frequent meditator and make it a hobby. I would finally have a method for relieving my stress. Jon also says, “if people have very strong expectations that something might happen, that expectation itself might be useful.” I have never thought of meditation that way. He is right when he says that because if someone is already anticipating that meditation is going to help with their stress, it may not just help, but it may make them feel like they now have control over their own body, and they can manage their stress no matter how bad it gets.
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The article continues with Jon talking about how the hospital is very acceptant of his facility and even the doctors come into the center often. He says that the doctors believe that meditation should continue to be researched. I agree with that because I believe the more humans know about it and how exactly it can help, they may be more open to giving it a try and it may also cure someone of an illness one day. I believe that would be a breakthrough in research because to find out that meditation can heal someone rather than a pill or surgery doing the job would be astonishing.
Jon’s introduction to meditation is truly fascinating. He gives people a raisin. I know that may be sound odd and someone reading this paper may think, “a raisin? What does meditation have to do with a raisin?” I will explain. As I said, it’s fascinating. So, he gives them a raisin and tells them to “eat it mindfully, with awareness.” Take the raisin and become aware of the body’s senses when observing it. One may take in the texture of the raisin or the scent that comes off it. After examining it, one can finally put it up to their mouth and notice “that saliva starts to get secreted just as you bring it up.” I never knew that someone talking about a raisin could be so entertaining.
What he is trying to get at by doing this experiment is that by eating a raisin the way most of us do, we may not be enjoying it or really taking in our surroundings because we are in a hurry to get things done and be somewhere. Meditation can be done in the same way as eating the raisin. One must stop, focus, and put all their attention into relaxing. When that has been accomplished, they may feel different in that they are no longer stressed. Jon says that with the raisin test, “we transfer mindfulness from eating to breathing and say,” ‘Now, taste your breath in the same way.’ Jon says that some people do not understand why breathing in meditation is so important. He then proceeds to tell them to clinch their nose and close their mouth at the same time. They then realize how important breathing is. I, too, have now realized why breathing is vital not only in meditation, but in life after having tried that.
Jon then clarifies to Billy that meditation is not about having the mind become so focused on one thing that is does not occasionally get sidetracked and start thinking about other things. He clarifies that our mind is supposed to roam because that is its instinct. However, in meditation, the mind is “more asleep than awake.” He says that if our mind is constantly roaming, we can miss out on some of best things that life has to offer. I agree with this because sometimes I become too worried about something in my life that I end up not being in the moment and I end up forgetting what it was that I was supposed to be celebrating or paying attention to. I never realized this about my mind until I read this article. I also agree with him about saying how, in meditation, our mind is not really worried about what is going on in life. It is focused on being in the present and unwinding. Therefore, I think meditation can be beneficial because when someone is meditating, they are not worried about that test they have in the morning or that they have to turn in a paper to their boss in a week.
Next, the article talks about how Jon’s meditation methods are not about putting all our “attention on one thing” that we eventually become stress free. It is about being in tune with our body and understanding the strain that we feel. So much so that we ultimately are relieved of it in that moment. Jon explains that “physiologically”, that method does work. He explains to Billy that one can have the wrong idea about meditation and its results. What he is trying to say is that meditation is not about never having stress again, “but we actually move into the stress or pain and begin to look at it, and to notice the mind’s reactions, and to let go of that reactivity.”
After that, we begin to see that one can have joy and calmness in their life no matter what they are going through. In the end, that is what meditation is and I could not agree more. As much as I try to make meditation apart of my life, it does not seem to work. However, this article makes some good points in that there is a huge misconception about meditation. I see celebrities and people on television talking about how meditation changed their life and they cannot imagine going through their life without it. They make it seem as though they are never worried about anything and life is beautiful. I believe this is where people get the wrong information about meditation. I understand now that it is not about never having that strain in life, but to recognize it and control it through meditation.
‘Your mind has a life of its own.’ When Jon says this (referring to earlier), he means that our mind is always thinking about something. It does not matter what it is, it is always on the move, like a New Yorker. So, when one tries to meditate, it can be a difficult task because our mind naturally wants to think about things all at once. It wants to be here, there, everywhere. I know that my mind is especially like this when I am trying to sleep. When I am lying in bed I start to think about the day’s events and what is on my to do list for the next day. It is also like this when I try to meditate. I cannot fault my mind for not wanting to relax because that is not its instinct.
There is something else that I find fascinating about this article and I like the way Jon explains it. First, he tells Billy what meditation is essentially: “cultivating and developing the capacity to attend from moment to moment.” Then, he explains that when we humans speak negatively to our self, it can be an issue. He relates this to “the ‘I’ function.” Once we say the word ‘I’ and something negative comes after it, worry can follow. This is especially true for patients that suffer from severe nervousness. Jon says that these patients say things like, ‘I’m afraid.’ This can be challenging for them because these words can interfere with daily activities and cause them to not be able to function normally. The key here, according to Jon, is to “notice that it usually takes the form of thoughts and feelings in the mind” and then they can start to be “the observer” of their nervousness. I believe that this can not only become useful in meditation, but in everyday life, too. All one must do, according to Jon, is recognize their distress and not become overwhelmed with it. Once one does that, they can start to overcome it and live a happier, healthier life.
To continue with the previous paragraph, Jon further explains what it means to monitor one’s distress. He says that one can know their body so well that they can change their environment so that they do not become as stressed. What that means is when one is in a certain situation and they are stressed in that situation, they know to avoid it because it can have a harmful effect on them. Jon calls it “becoming the scientist of your own mind and body.” I agree because once one knows what makes them feel worried or anxious, they can try to stay away from it as much as possible so that they do not become ill. For me, I know that stressor is math. When I become frustrated with it, I take a break and regain my calmness. When I come back to it, I am more relaxed, and I understand the problems.
There is a legitimate amount of results that prove why Jon’s methods of meditation are working. This is an “eight-week course” and during that time, Jon has found that meditation is helping, especially with people who have a severe amount of “anxiety.” He said that they have improved significantly. The reason they have is because instead of exposing them to it right when they join the course, they are taught “mindfulness.” It has helped them to the point where their suffering has decreased “for at least three years.” Jon explains to Billy that these results could have happened the way they did because they are instructed “to observe, to be mindful, to stay in the body, and to watch what’s going on in the mind, learning neither to reject things nor to pursue things.” Even if it is something scary that they are thinking about, they will eventually become content with it to the point where it may not be as scary to them as it once was. This is incredible and I am impressed by these results and delighted that they have aided these helpless people who suffer from these terrible ailments.
Jon goes on in the article talking about how one cannot rid their selves of stress just by sitting and watching television. The reason why, according to Jon, is because the brain is still in motion with thoughts, even though that person is unwinding and watching television. He says that the reason meditation is more affective is because it allows one to concentrate more on those thoughts and figure out how to manage them. That will in turn temporarily rid them of stress. This is true because even when I try to do an activity that will not stress me out, my brain still wants to think about today’s events, tomorrow’s goals, what is on my to do list for next week, etc. I believe Jon has an excellent point when he says this.
I love the goal that was in mind when Jon decided to open this facility. He wanted to take the individuals who were not being treated fairly in the “health care system” and put them in an environment where they could choose to participate in a program that could give them personal satisfaction instead of medication to resolve them of their illness. The result of this would be that they would make better decisions and take advantage of what life has to offer them. Fortunately, they have. This program has worked wonders for them. I am sure I am not the only one is satisfied with this outcome.
What I believe is brilliant about this article is the research that has taken place while this facility is up and running. The basis of this program and its research is something called “mind/body medicine.” Jon describes to Billy what that really means. It means that instead of believing that “chronic illnesses” are just produced by the body, they can occur if someone’s lifestyle is not healthy. For example, if someone continues to drink 3 or more caffeinated beverages a day, they could end up having an issue with their heart and the result could be death. In today’s medicine, we know that for a fact because obese people tend to have not only heart problems, but liver problems, etc. What I am trying to get at is the fact that this facility continued to research this information instead of putting all their attention into meditation. That is wonderful and inspiring. Jon could have simply put all his time and money into helping people with their issues by using meditation and not doing all the research that they have done. That, to me, is admirable.
This article concludes with Jon discussing that meditation is an easier and seems to be more effective way to improve people’s health. The physicians that work where that facility is located agree with this because people appear to know their selves more and are better able to manage their ailments. Not only that, but it also saves time and money because instead of putting them on medication and then seeing if that medication is effective, they now know what makes them feel nervous and they can use Jon’s meditation methods to regulate it. Also, people seem to be enjoying it and I believe that is a huge factor into why this facility is successful.
At the end of this article is steps on how to meditate using Jon’s methods. I decided to give it a try. I “tried” to meditate for 10 minutes. I followed the steps exactly. I can honestly say that I relate this experience similar to taking a short nap. I would rather take a nap than meditate because, to me, they both make me feel the same after having done it. I did feel somewhat different after meditating and I almost was in a trance-like state of mind. The big question here is: Do I feel less stressed now that I have meditated? I do not, unfortunately. However, it did help clear my mind and I might try it again when I become overwhelmed with something. Overall, I do not believe meditation works for me and I will most likely not become a person who uses meditation to solely make me feel better.
In conclusion, I found that this article and its findings were interesting and accurate. I now know more about meditation and its effects on people having thoroughly read it. I appreciate all the work that has gone into the facility and how much is has made a difference in people’s lives. Even though meditation does not work for me, I believe that it can help others and possibly make them healthier.
References
- Moyers, B. (1993, July 1). For Stress Reduction, Meditate! Retrieved January 23, 2019, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/199307/stress-reduction-meditate
