Integration Of Meditation Research Articles

Meditative pathways to emotional intelligence in athletes: narrative review study

Emotional intelligence, encompassing self-awareness, emotional regulation, empathy and social skills, holds pivotal importance in the pursuit of excellence for athletes. Meditation, represented by various forms such as mindfulness, loving-kindness, visualization, breath control and relaxation exercises, offers athletes a structured pathway to deepen self-awareness, enhance emotional regulation and foster empathy. In conclusion, meditation emerges not merely as a relaxation technique but as a transformative journey that empowers athletes to master their emotions, excel in sports, and enhance their overall well-being. This narrative literature review highlights the profound impact of meditation on athletes’ emotional intelligence, encouraging further exploration in this evolving intersection of sports and mindfulness. In the demanding world of sports, emotional intelligence (EI) is a critical factor for athletes’ success, encompassing self-regulation, empathy, communication and composure under pressure. Meditation, a transformative tool for deepening self-awareness, emotional regulation and mental resilience, has emerged as a promising avenue for cultivating EI in athletes. This narrative review synthesizes existing research and personal narratives to explore the interplay between meditation and EI in the context of sports. Evidence suggests that meditation can enhance EI through mindfulness, loving-kindness and visualization practices, promoting focus, stress management and emotional resilience. Integration of meditation into athletic training regimens offers athletes a competitive edge, sharpening their mental acuity and fostering supportive team dynamics. While the transformative potential of meditation for EI is substantiated by research, limitations such as the predominance of qualitative studies and case reports warrant further empirical investigations. Overall, this narrative review highlights the promising relationship between meditation, EI, and athletic performance, paving the way for future research and practical applications of mindfulness practices in the sports world.

The Integration of Meditation and Positive Psychology Practices to Relieve Stress in Women Workers (Flourish): Effects in Two Pilot Studies.

Meditation and positive psychology have been reported as promising approaches to deal with stress. This exploratory pilot study aims to evaluate the efficacy of meditation and positive psychology-based intervention on stress. Two experiments are reported; in the first one, 29 healthcare professionals were included (intervention = 14; control = 15), and the second one included 57 women managers (intervention = 27; control = 30). All participants were evaluated before and after eight weeks for levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and psychiatric symptoms. In Experiment 1, intervention group participants showed a reduction in stress levels and anxiety symptoms, and in Experiment 2, participants in the intervention group showed a decrease in stress, psychiatric symptoms, and sleep quality, when compared to the control group. A multi-component intervention based on positive psychology and meditation practices was effective at reducing stress as well as improving related stress parameters such as anxiety, psychiatric symptoms, and sleep quality.

The Mechanisms of Meditation in Psychotherapy

본 논문의 목적은 심리치료를 위해 널리 사용되고 있는 명상에 대해 정신분석학적 관점과 행동주의적 관점에서 살펴보고, 이를 통해 명상의 주요 유형인 마음챙김 명상과 자비 명상의 심리치료적 작용 기제에 대해 이론적으로 밝히는 것이다. 본 연구의 목적을 성취하기 위해 우선 명상과 심리학의 융합에 있어 시작점이라 할 수 있는 정신분석학적 관점에서 명상의 작용 기제에 대해 살펴보았으며, 치료 프로그램에서 가장 널리 사용되는 행동주의적 관점에서 명상의 작용 기제에 대해 탐구했다. 더 나아가 마음챙김 명상과 자비 명상의 치료적 작용 기제를 알아보기 위해 과학적 연구를 살펴보고 메커니즘을 분석했다. 결과적으로, 마음챙김 명상은 주의 집중과 자기 조절, 가치 명료화, 인지적, 정서적, 행동적 유연성, 노출효과 등을 통해 내적, 외적 경험에 대해 새로운 자각을 심어주고 일정한 공간을 제공해 관점 전환을 일으키는 것으로 밝혀졌으며, 자비 명상은 신경망의 변화와 더불어 정서조절, 신체와 정신의 안정, 긍정정서를 높여 만족감과 행복감을 증대해 심리치료적 효과를 보이는 것으로 나타났다. 본 연구를 통해 명상의 심리 치료적 작용 기제를 증명하는 과학적이고 실용적인 연구가 더욱 활발히 진행되어야 할 것으로 보인다.The purpose of this study is to view the meditation (mindfulness and compassion) generally used in psychological therapy from the perspectives of psychoanalytic and behavioral theories in order to explore the theoretical mechanism of meditation. To achieve this purpose, we first explored the theoretical mechanism of meditation from psychoanalytic theory, which is considered the first integration of meditation with psychological therapy. Then, we discussed the theoretical mechanism of meditation from behavioral theory, which has been integrated with meditation for cognitive and behavioral therapy programs. Finally, we reviewed scientific research to identify the scientific mechanism of mindfulness and compassion meditation. According to our results, mindfulness meditation effectively promotes one’s awareness of inner and outer experiences by cultivating focused attention; self-regulation; value clarification; exposure; and cognitive, emotional, and behavioral flexibility. Meanwhile, compassion meditation is effective for psychological therapy because it gives people time to regulate and stabilize their body and mind and develop positive emotions in order to cultivate well-being and happiness. Further scientific research on the mechanisms of mindfulness and compassion meditation should be conducted on the basis of these mechanisms of meditation.

MEDITATIVE PSYCHOANALYSIS.

Psychoanalysis and meditation not only compensate for the other's blind spots, but also, when practiced together, can provide a richer experience than either discipline pursued alone. After considering the way meditation cultivates heightened attentiveness, refines sensory clarity, lessens self-criticism, and increases affect tolerance, thereby deepening psychoanalytic listening, I'll examine how psychoanalytic perspectives on unconscious communication and meaning illuminate and transform the nearsightedness of meditation, aiding therapists and clients in understanding troubling thoughts, feelings, and behavior. This helps therapists deepen their capacity to help those people with whom they work. The paper also attempts to illuminate how the therapeutic relationship, conceived of in a freer and more empathic way--as the vehicle for both validating a person's experience and providing opportunities for new forms of relatedness and self-transformation--provides a crucible in which old and dysfunctional ways of caring for oneself and relating to other people emerge and new patterns of self-care and intimacy can be established. In the concluding section, I will delineate meditative psychoanalysis, my own integration of meditation and psychoanalysis. Clinical material will illustrate my theoretical reflections.

The Mirror: Advice on Presence and Awareness (dran pa dang shes bzhin gyi gdams pa me long ma)

“The Mirror: Advice on the Presence of Awareness” (dran pa dang shes bzhin gyi gdams pa me long ma) is a short text that describes the essence of the Dzogchen teaching (rdzogs chen, total perfection). Concerning the way to establish this point of view (lta ba), the main point is to have a direct understanding through the experience of our primordial state of pure presence, beyond any mental or intellectual construction. With regard to meditation (sgom pa), this involves practicing in order to be sure to understand our own true nature, the non-dual condition of the calm state (the essence of the mind) and movement (its natural energy). Behavior (spyod pa) is the integration of meditation in all our daily activities, continuing in the state of pure presence in every circumstance of life. This is the total realization.

Toward the Integration of Meditation into Higher Education: A Review of Research Evidence

ContextThere is growing interest in the integration of meditation in higher education.PurposeHere, we review evidence bearing on the utility of meditation to facilitate the achievement of traditional educational goals and to enhance education of the “whole person.”Research DesignWe examine how meditation practices may help foster important cognitive skills of attention and information processing, as well build stress resilience and adaptive interpersonal capacities through a review of the published research literature.Conclusions/RecommendationsWe offer directions for future research, highlighting the importance of theory-based investigations, increased methodological rigor, expansion of the scope of education-related outcomes studied, and the study of best practices for teaching meditation in educational settings.

Emerging Paradigms in Mind–Body Medicine

The emerging paradigms in medicine can be seen through mind-body interactions. Observations in many meditative traditions suggest a series of objective indicators of health beyond absence of disease. Several of the physical signs have been confirmed by research or are consistent with modern science. Further correlation with long term health outcome is needed. Integration of meditation with conventional therapy has enriched psychotherapy with parallels drawn between the Nine Step Qigong and Freudian developmental psychology. A unified theory of the chakra system and the meridian system widely used in traditional mind-body interventions and acupuncture is presented in terms of modern science based on the morphogenetic singularity theory. Acupuncture points originate from the organizing centers in morphogenesis. Meridians and chakras are related to the underdifferentiated, interconnected cellular network that regulates growth and physiology. This theory explains the distribution and nonspecific activation of organizing centers and acupuncture points; the high electric conductance of the meridian system; the polarity effect of electroacupuncture; the side-effect profile of acupuncture; and the ontogeny, phylogeny, and physiologic function of the meridian system and chakra system. It also successfully predicted several findings in conventional biomedical science. These advances have implications in many disciplines of medicine.

Meditation and psychotherapy.

Meditation has been increasingly recommended as a practice with potential psychotherapeutic benefit. This paper provides a description of meditative practice and discusses selected issues related to the conceptual and technical integration of meditation with modern psychotherapeutic interventions. Evidence suggests that meditation may contribute to psychotherapeutic change and that the disciplines from which meditation arises are in some respects similar to modern psychological formulations, and in other respects are complimentary. It is hoped that improved understanding of meditation will contribute to an increased acceptance and use of these practices as aids to psychotherapeutic change and will facilitate meaningful research regarding meditation.

An Integration of Meditation and TA

(1976). An Integration of Meditation and TA. Transactional Analysis Journal: Vol. 6, No. 3, pp. 293-295.