Posted on 09/08/2020 10:30:07 AM PDT by fishtank
Object of Meditation Matters. People with depression who have been taught mindfulness and meditation do not always get better. Why not?
September 6, 2020 | David F. Coppedge
Depression is skyrocketing among young adults during the pandemic, Live Science reports. It is essential, therefore, to learn what kinds of therapy work, and which do not. Some commonly-prescribed cures may be worse than the disease.
Photos: Illustra Media, “In the Image of God”
Mindfulness is the art of paying close attention to your thoughts. Meditation, as taught by secular psychologists, often includes mindfulness. Clare Wilson at New Scientist announced, “Mindfulness and meditation can worsen depression and anxiety.”
About one in 12 people who try meditation experience an unwanted negative effect, usually a worsening in depression or anxiety, or even the onset of these conditions for the first time, according to the first systematic review of the evidence. “For most people it works fine but it has undoubtedly been overhyped and it’s not universally benevolent,” says Miguel Farias at Coventry University in the UK, one of the researchers behind the work.
(Excerpt) Read more at crev.info ...
"In fact, paying close attention to your own thoughts when depressed may pour fuel on the fire. The majority who did not report negative effects may not have been cured. A proper study should have measured how many were about the same as before the exercises, and should have considered factors that may have improved their condition, such as a change in diet, health, friendships, jobs, or other things unrelated to the meditation practices.
The key to successful meditation is having an object worth meditating on. If you meditate on your own troubles and bad circumstances, no wonder you will get depressed! Or if you empty your mind, like eastern religions teach, you open your mind to demonic oppression; no wonder you will have panic attacks, psychosis and suicidal thoughts!
In the Bible, peace comes to those who meditate on God’s word and His promises. The Creator of our minds and bodies knows our needs. He is loving and kind by nature. He wants us to have a full and abundant life. But He is also just and holy, and judges evil. We need first to have the right diagnosis: sin, and then have the right cure: being born again by repentance from our sin and faith in the Lord Jesus. Then we can have new, regenerated minds, with God’s law written on our hearts. We can read His word. We can talk to Him directly in prayer. Now that is effective!
Exercises: Meditate on these passages to try the effectiveness of Biblical meditation: Psalm 37, Psalm 119, Matthew 6, Philippians 4. Also, try “Thankfulness Therapy.” Meditate on the specific things you have been given by God that are marvelous and amazing: your body, the senses, family and friends, love, freedom, and much more."
Because mediation does not change anything.
They need God, not navel gazing.
Gee, social isolation, fear of ones neighbor, no God no peace, forced imprisonment. The docs are shoveling SSRI’s and SNRI’s prescriptions at people like it’s a cure all.
Meditating on God’s word is great but a person still needs to survive in His creation, not a box.
It’s actually a better relief for depression to just get up and do something, anything, to occupy yourself so you are NOT thinking about your problems. It’s only a temporary relief, but it does work.
mindfulness and meditation focus INWARD.
And it’s not very edifying, since ALL have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.
Serotonin , an enzyme in the brain that governs moods is out of balance or is ‘’retaken’’ too fast in brain itself needs to be maintained through medication.
I suffered from this condition some years ago. Thankfully through a good doctor and a medication treatment program I no longer do. My case was different than others but depression is a medical illness.
The Freudian nonsense of breast obsession, mother fixation/sibling rivalry or penis envy as cause of depression is on the order of witchcraft.
Yes, and it tends to build more forward motion, as completing something adds motivation to do something else. Eventually, some little successes spin off, and the person is actually improving.
It is not good for man to be alone.
Yep. Dale Carnegie’s book, “How to stop worrying and start living” was all about that. It’s a shame he’s no longer as well known as he once was.
There is much more to the practice of mindfulness than just
“paying close attention to your thoughts.” Apparently, many people are doing it wrong, perhaps at the hands of incompetent therapists.
St. Francis meditated with animals surrounding him. Thus he duplicated the first man’s encounter with God and His creation. Easy to meditate when surrounded by creation. No problema.
“Or if you empty your mind, like eastern religions teach, you open your mind to demonic oppression...”
Empty is not the same as open.
According to Kurt Koch, whose ministry was leading people out of the occult all over the world wrote several small books on his case studies and observations he made. It didn't matter whether is was voodoo, or shamanism, or whatever from whatever country, the main side effect of opening your mind to any occultic practice is depression. So, it is no surprise to me that their depression does not get better. And.. many occultic practices are obvious, but many are not at all. His books are an interesting yet easy reads.
Meditation, not medication.
Would you tell a diabetic that?
Do you know what meditation is? It's inward looking and musing on stuff. It's a substitute for prayer that unbelievers use.
It's not taking medicine. That's medication with a *c* not a *t*.
The article is not about taking medicine to help with depression. It's about meditating and doing mind things to try to help.
I know what meditation is Madame. I studied it and practiced it when I was studying martial arts many years ago.
I’m sorry but the subtext I got was depression is better treated meditation not with medication.
Then what does diabetes have to do with it?
Meditation is not going to help someone’s sugar.
Medication is.
Exactly my point. Depression is an illness, recognized by the AMA. It has to be treated with medication and therapy.
I know. At one time I suffered from it. Many long years ago I lost a friend to it. He killed himself because he refused treatment.
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