Chapter 8 - Meditation and Self-Regulatory Techniques

Abstract

This chapter focuses on self-regulatory and meditative techniques, and their effect on mental health. Relaxation and concentration exercises are self-regulatory techniques that induce the physiological states that are the foundation of meditation. There are a wide variety of relaxation and self-regulatory techniques that, in general, induce a physiologic relaxation within the person practicing them. The effect is largely mediated through the nervous system but has profound effects on all the organ systems of the body. The field of psychoneuroimmunology has demonstrated the beneficial physiology of self-regulatory techniques. Self-regulatory techniques can be used to benefit many psychological and physical disorders, including cardiovascular disease, respiratory dysfunction, immune dysregulation, pain, irritable bowel, depression, anxiety, and many others. Some examples of self-regulatory techniques include the relaxation response, autogenic training, guided imagery, abdominal breathing, chanting, and mindfulness. Self-regulatory techniques have been shown to be effective in the treatment of psychosomatic illness, pain disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder, substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.