Meditation and Counseling
Have you ever noticed that when your mind races from thought to thought, you're usually thinking about either the past or the future? Or that your mind often jumps from subject to subject even if you're trying to concentrate on one thing? Some meditation articles refer to these thoughts as "monkey thoughts."
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Category: Breath and Meditations
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#ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ I feel stressed and anxious. How can yoga help?
By Dianne Fish, LPC Intern
Yoga is one important technique to reduce your stress and anxiety. It helps by triggering your body's natural relaxation response to decrease anxious symptoms and increase a sense of well being. More info »
The Mental Health Boost of Mindfulness
CNN.com recently featured a story on mindfulness and the role it plays in removing stress from the body. More info »
Parenting Issues: Returning to Work After Postpartum Depression
This week Wall Street Journal Editor Michelle Gerdes shared her experience of returning to the workplace after an unexpected bout with postpartum depression (PPD). More info »
12 Steps to Sanity & Mental Health
Beyond Blue blog author Therese Borchard volunteers her personal plan for beating depression and promoting well being in her daily activities. More info »
USA Today Investigates Fear of Flying
USA Today Guest Columnist and Hofstra University Professor Bill McGee recently reported on the fear of flying that troubles 15% of the U.S. population. More info »
Stress Guide: Improve your sleep habits 7 Tips to Reduce Insomnia
By Dianne Holliday Fish, LPC-Intern
When you get a good night’s sleep, you are better prepared to handle the challenges of the next day. Stress, anxiety, anger, and an over stimulated mind all work against your desire to have a good night’s sleep. These tips can help. More info »
Overcoming Concerns about Breathing
By Deanne Repich
People who are familiar with feeling anxiety often experience shallow breathing. Anxiety then breeds more worry about breath. Anxiety educator, Deanne Repich, shares myths and facts about breath and anxiety. More info »
How to Breathe
By Keesa Renee DuPre
Has anyone ever told you, “Just take a deep breath”? Do you know how to? Deep breath begins and ends in the belly. This author describes the basics of deep abdominal breathing and how to practice it.
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Forms of Meditation
Most neuroscientists would say that having monkey thoughts is quite normal, but they would quickly add that focusing on the present moment is even better. In fact, meditation articles state that mindfulness meditation, or developing the ability to have a receptive and nonjudgmental awareness of each moment, is one of the best things you can do for your health. According to studies in neuroscience, being mindful reduces stress, lowers blood pressure, lessens chronic pain, boosts immune system function, and perhaps even slows the progression of HIV.Meditation articles define meditation as a mental practice that allows the mind to move into a state of deep relaxation and awareness. During meditation, people enter a state of quiet calm; they acknowledge intruding thoughts without judgment and return to the meditative state. In addition to mindfulness meditation, which involves opening the mind to all thoughts, sensations, sounds, images, and emotions, there is concentrative meditation, which involves concentrating on a single image, thought, word, or the breath, and practices that require concentration on movement , including Tai Chi, walking meditation, Qi gong, and certain forms of yoga.Meditation Counseling
Many psychotherapists create treatment plans that include some form of meditation. These counseling techniques stress the benefits of meditation””better concentration, an ability to detach from frustrations, improved health, and a better understanding of oneself.
The latest neuroscience studies have zeroed in on mindfulness meditation. Counseling involving mindfulness helps people manage difficult emotions by tuning in to them. They learn to focus on the actual experience of their emotions””the pounding heart, rapid breathing, and racing thoughts””and observe the moment without judgment. If they think, "I'm an idiot," or "He's an idiot," they recognize the thought as ephemeral and draw comfort in knowing it will pass.