{"id":5735,"date":"2021-02-19T22:54:52","date_gmt":"2021-02-19T22:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/?post_type=article&p=5735"},"modified":"2025-01-06T17:17:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-06T22:17:45","slug":"can-meditation-improve-my-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"article","link":"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/can-meditation-improve-my-mental-health\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfPuede la meditaci\u00f3n mejorar mi salud mental?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Meditation\u00a0is skyrocketing in popularity [1]. Given the number of uses of meditation, this trend makes sense.\u00a0People meditate for\u00a0personal development, stress management, and relaxation [2]. And more than ever, people are also meditating for their mental health.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to note that the Federal Drug Administration has not reviewed meditation as a psychiatric treatment. It\u2019s better to view meditation\u00a0as a\u00a0complement<\/em>\u00a0to your mental healthcare,\u00a0not a replacement<\/em>.<\/p>\n

That said, there is\u00a0an emerging body of clinical evidence\u00a0that shows that meditation is effective [3]. For this article, we\u2019ll talk about what meditation is and why we should consider meditating.<\/p>\n

What is meditation?<\/h2>\n

Meditation generally refers to a mental exercise that involves focus. However, there are many different types of meditation. We\u2019ll be focusing on mindfulness meditation<\/strong>, which is backed by\u00a0the best clinical evidence\u00a0relative to other types [4]. (The clinical studies referenced in this article all refer to mindfulness meditation.)<\/p>\n

Mindfulness is characterized by paying attention to the present. For example, one way to be mindful is by focusing on how you currently feel, instead of lingering on how you felt in the past.<\/p>\n

The goal of mindfulness meditation is to build this attention. To practice a basic exercise, you can read\u00a0this article\u00a0published by Mindful<\/a>, a non-profit organization. (Mindful is advised in part by\u00a0Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., who was one of the first to incorporate mindfulness meditation into clinical practice.)<\/p>\n

Why should I meditate?<\/h2>\n

A number of different studies have explored the benefits of meditation. Some potential benefits include improvements in\u00a0memory [5],\u00a0focus [6], and\u00a0pain relief [7]. Several clinical analyses have also shown that meditation is effective in improving mental health outcomes.\u00a0Two\u00a0separate\u00a0analyses have validated meditation\u2019s ability to reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety [4][8]. Another\u00a0analysis\u00a0validated its ability to reduce stress [9].<\/p>\n

Meditation also has been shown to prevent relapses in depression [10], especially for people that have experienced multiple episodes. For some people, it can be as effective as medication in preventing relapses.<\/p>\n

These benefits are moderate\u2014meditation is not the be-all end-all for mental health care. However, it could be a viable alternative for patients who do not want to see a therapist or take medications. And it\u2019s not either-or; meditating can be a great addition to your mental health care routine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Meditation has already influenced clinical practice. For example,\u00a0dialectical behavior therapy\u00a0(DBT)<\/a>, a type of talk therapy, incorporates practices related to meditation.<\/p>\n

All that being said, just like other treatments<\/a>, meditation may not be for everyone.\u00a0One study\u00a0reported that some meditators had at least one unpleasant experience while meditating, such as increased anxiety [11].<\/p>\n

How can I start meditating?<\/h2>\n

Ultimately,\u00a0there is no single \u201cright\u201d way to meditate<\/a>. However, one easy way to start is by using apps<\/a>, which frequently offer guided meditations. Another option is to incorporate small meditation practices into your daily life. To learn more, see some suggestions by\u00a0the Mayo Clinic<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Stanford Medicine<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whatever you choose, we hope that you find a meditation practice that works for you.<\/p>\n

Show References<\/a><\/p>\n

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    \n
  1. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2018). National Health Interview Survey 2017.<\/em> Retrieved from https:\/\/www.nccih.nih.gov\/research\/statistics\/nhis\/2017<\/a><\/li>\n
  2. Sedlmeier & Theumer. (2020). Why Do People Begin to Meditate and Why Do They Continue?. Mindfulness 11<\/em>, pp. 1527\u20131545. Retrieved from https:\/\/link.springer.com\/article\/10.1007\/s12671-020-01367-w#Sec9<\/a><\/li>\n
  3. Smith et al. (2018). 10 Things We Know About the Science of Meditation. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.mindful.org\/10-things-we-know-about-the-science-of-meditation\/<\/a><\/li>\n
  4. Goyal et al. (2013). Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine 174<\/em>(3), pp. 357-368. Retrieved from https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/fullarticle\/1809754<\/a><\/li>\n
  5. Jha et al. (2010). Examining the protective effects of mindfulness training on working memory capacity and affective experience. Emotion 10<\/em>(1), pp. 54-64. Retrieved from https:\/\/psycnet.apa.org\/buy\/2010-01983-011<\/a><\/li>\n
  6. Moore & Malinowski. (2008). Meditation, mindfulness and cognitive flexibility. Consciousness and Cognition 18<\/em>(1), pp. 176-186. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S1053810008001967<\/a><\/li>\n
  7. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. (2016). Meditation: In Depth.<\/em> Retrieved from https:\/\/www.nccih.nih.gov\/health\/meditation-in-depth<\/a><\/li>\n
  8. Hofmann et al. (2010). The effect of mindfulness-based therapy on anxiety and depression: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology 78<\/em>(2), pp. 169\u2013183. Retrieved from https:\/\/psycnet.apa.org\/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fa0018555<\/a><\/li>\n
  9. Chiesa & Serretti. (2009). Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine 15<\/em>(5). Retrieved from https:\/\/www.liebertpub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1089\/acm.2008.0495<\/a><\/li>\n
  10. Piet & Hougaard. (2011). The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for prevention of relapse in recurrent major depressive disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Clinical Psychology Review 31<\/em>(6), pp. 1032-1040. Retrieved from https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/abs\/pii\/S0272735811000973<\/a><\/li>\n
  11. Schlosser et al. (2019). Unpleasant meditation-related experiences in regular meditators: Prevalence, predictors, and conceptual considerations. PLoS ONE 14<\/em>(5). Retrieved from https:\/\/journals.plos.org\/plosone\/article?id=10.1371\/journal.pone.0216643<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Meditation\u00a0is skyrocketing in popularity [1]. Given the number of uses of meditation, this trend makes sense.\u00a0People meditate for\u00a0personal development, stress management, and relaxation [2]. And more than ever, people are also meditating for their mental health. It\u2019s important to note that the Federal Drug Administration has not reviewed meditation as a psychiatric treatment. It\u2019s better … <\/p>\n

    Continue reading “Can meditation improve my mental health?”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"template":"","age_group":[23,100,19],"condition":[90,82,83,86,87,42,119],"class_list":["post-5735","article","type-article","status-publish","hentry","age_group-11-17","age_group-over-18","age_group-under-11","condition-addiction","condition-adhd","condition-anxiety","condition-depression","condition-eating-disorder","condition-sleep","condition-trauma-ptsd"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"Can meditation improve my mental health?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/screening.mhanational.org\/es\/content\/can-meditation-improve-my-mental-health\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"es_MX\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Can meditation improve my mental health?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Meditation\u00a0is skyrocketing in popularity [1]. 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