I have long been a fan of meditation and find the whole experience of shutting the body down for 15 to 20 minutes a day an extremly effective way of creating some kind of harmony within our selves.
I came across a meditation technique for the prevention of depression called ‘Compassion meditation.’The method was inspired by Tibetan Buddhists, specifically the Dalai Lama, who is an associate professor at Emory University in Atlanta where the meditation process is being studied.
The idea behind ‘Compassion meditation’ is that “our perceptions of other people are flawed” and that “we tend naturally to see some people as friends and other people as enemies and a whole bunch of people in the middle who are sort of non-entities”. The theory is that those people in the middle become important later on. ‘Dr. Charles Raison,’ of Emory University.
‘Dr. Raison’ also gives an example that “through the process of meditation it is hoped that people can become more equitable toward everyone, which will in turn reduce our chances of having depression.”
Apparently the results of studies are very promising.
Anyone can learn to meditate.
Inflammation and compassion meditation
A BBC radio health journal reporting the benefits of metta meditation on health (inflammation). (specifically towards the end of the broadcast) http://downloads.bbc.co.uk/podcasts/worldservice/healthc/healthc_20081228-2300a.mp3.
Re: Inflammation and compassion meditation
Thanks for posting this. Of interest. Sheranne.
Effect of compassion meditation on neuroendocrine, innate immune …
As stated by Charles Raison in New York Academy of Sciences Magazine: “…data from our group do suggest that when people learn through compassion meditation to see the world more realistically (ie, as a safer , more nurturing place) then …
