Anxiety and meditation

Anxiety and meditation

By Liz Lockhart

It is several years since I suffered from anxiety and panic disorder but it was such a traumatic part of my life that I will always remember every detail.  Fortunately the feelings of terror which overwhelm you with every panic attack fade from the memory. 

I remember all the different treatments and exercises which were offered to me in order to recover.  I am not an aging hippy and I do not wear open-toe sandals and eat lots of lentils and I do remember feeling rather silly when I practiced meditation but it worked.  Now some recent research results can show why.

One of Britain’s top medical centres has also found that meditation can halve the chance of a relapse for individuals who suffer from depression.  Professor Mark Williams from the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry is a co-developer of one of the variants of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT).

Williams says ‘Psychotherapy involves patients analysing thoughts and feelings, with the hope that by understanding them some kind of change can be made.  Mindfulness has some of this but it also involves meditation.’

It has now been possible to actually pinpoint the areas of the brain that change during meditation.  Professor Williams, along with colleagues in Canada and the United States have collaborated to enable this with astonishing results.

‘Meditation helps to reduce the activity of part of the brain called the amygdala, which governs feelings of stress.  Those who are more stressed and anxious have an amygdala that is overactive.  Meditating reduces this,’ said Williams.  ‘And there is an effect on the insula, the part of the brain involved in deep emotions, including love.’

Williams explains that other studies have shown that the insula allows us to feel emotions and adds that is possible to feel pain when we are heartbroken.  Activity in this part of the brain is linked to the area of the brain which is involved in analytical thinking. Therefore, if we have an argument with our partner we feel dreadful and we start to think about why this should be.  We wonder why this has happened, how it reflects on our relationship and the consequences of not putting it right.

Williams suggests that in those with mental illness, this cycle becomes overactive and that the thought process feeds the emotions until it feels overwhelming.   Taking time out to meditate breaks this loop and gives us time to recover. 

Conventional treatment should always be continued and you should always discuss alternative treatments with your healthcare provider.  Meditation does not have to involve spiritualism and can be learnt by anyone.  I still take time out to meditate by concentrating on my breathing at the exclusion of all other thoughts and this helps me to unwind and to avoid stress before it catches up on me.   

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