Antidepressants have become the most commonly prescribed drugs in the United States. It's time to take a more serious look at natural alternatives, like meditation. A recent report on the Huffington Post lists mindfullness meditation as a natural treatment for depression. Interestingly, the research referred to from a BBC article on mindfulness and depression, states that mindfulness is "recommended for people who are not currently depressed, but who have had three or more bouts of depression in their lives." The researcher also emphasized that this particular study is not conclusive.People who are suffering from real depression may be interested to know that there is a body of comprehensive, controlled research on another well-known practice, Transcendental Meditation, demonstrating its positive effects on anxiety, depression and mental health.
Mindfulness has been found to produce some good benefits, even though it engages awareness on the surface level of the mind, actively watching and sustaining conscious attention. The TM technique is another approach all together. It allows the mind to transcend mental activity, including depressing thoughts, worry and anxiety. Experiencing the field of transcendental bliss, expansion and peace--the state of pure awareness beyond the field of thought--is the opposite of depression. This state has a unique style of physiology, characterized by very deep rest and more integrated and harmonious brain functioning.
The peer-reviewed research on TM's effects for alleviating depression can be found at Pub Med or at http://www.tm.org/benefits-depression-adult#q02
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost
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