Carissa Mitchell

March 16, 2015

Semi-Final Draft

Using Meditation as Treatment for Depression

Depression is a common mental disorder. The disorder is one that is related to a lot of
sorrow and guilt. It also comes with a lot of anxiety and sometimes stress. There are constantly
new treatments being used for depression, and new treatments in medication and therapy are
continuously developed. People who struggle with depression often feel uncomfortable with
medication because of how it makes them feel. However, one of the newest treatments is the use
of meditation, which has proven to be very effective as a treatment for depression
Meditation is a practice that has been around for a long time, but it is just starting to gain
popularity in Western culture. The use of it as a treatment is called Mindfulness-Based
Interventions (MBIs). It is the use of traditional mindfulness practice with contemporary
psychological practice. These are used together to help improve psychological functioning and
wellbeing (Gu 2). There are two different types: Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT)
and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) (Edenfield and Saeed 131). Both of these are
eight-week group-based therapies that teach mindfulness skills with both formal and informal
mindfulness practices. These teachings include mindfulness of breath, thoughts, bodily

sensations, sounds, and everyday activities (Gu 2). These treatments come from the ancient
philosophy of Buddhism and Yoga. The definition of meditation is the intentional selfregulation of attention from moment to moment (Edenfield and Saeed 132). This can help to
relax ones body by focusing his/her attention on a certain point. The practice of meditation
originated in Asian cultures and was used as a spiritual practice (Edenfield and Saeed 132).
The most popular form of meditation is Transcendental meditation. This particular
meditation is the act of focusing on a stimulus. For Example, meditation can be something as
simple as saying something or making a sound, or even performing stretches or learning to clear
the mind of all thoughts. The focus is always brought back if the mind starts to wander or
become busy with thoughts (Edenfield and Saeed 132). Practicing this mediation can help to
calm and enlighten the person.
Additionally, there are many other forms of meditation. There is Heart-centered
meditation, which is when one quiets the mind and brings the awareness to the heart. This is
considered an energy center in the middle of the chest. Another form of meditation is
Mindfulness meditation. This form of meditation encourages one to focus on negative thoughts
as they move through your mind, so one can achieve a state of calm. There are also forms of
meditation that involve moving around. Tai chi and qigong are moving forms where one walks
around and focus on his or her breathing. Walking meditation turns ones focus to his or her
body and mind as he or she breathes in time with his or her footsteps (What Meditation Can Do
For Your Mind 6).

According to Teresa M. Edenfield and Sy Atezaz Saeed meditation is (1) self-regulation

of attention, and (2) orientation toward the present moment characterized by curiosity, openness,
and acceptance (133). It helps to relieve the stress or sadness that comes along with the current
problem in someones life. This will also help for the person to avoid the problem. Studies have
shown that, not only does it relieve stress, but it helps with suicidal patients. For example,
meditation helps with their reasoning, which leads to a decrease in suicidal thoughts. Meditation
has also been known to help chronic back pain and help build a health immune system (132).
In addition, meditation also does not take very much time. Meditation can be as simple
as quick breathing exercises, only adding ten minutes to ones morning routine. It is best to pick
a particular spot for meditation, which can help create a nice feeling when one goes to meditate.
One should also make sure he or she is comfortable, then just spend the ten minutes meditating
to start off his or her day relaxed (What Meditation Can Do For Your Mind 6). If there is
not enough time to add meditation to ones daily schedule, there are other ways to incorporate it
into ones day. For example, just being mindful and paying attention to what one does helps as
well. It is a form of meditation that makes it easier for someone with a very busy lifestyle. It can
be as easy as watching oneself and putting all of ones focus on what you are doing when you do
things like brushing your teeth (What Meditation Can Do For Your Mind 6). There are
many studies to show that this little change to ones day can really help with depression.
According to the article "Mindfulness Intervention For Child Abuse Survivors: A 2.5Year Follow-Up" describes a study on the use of meditation on child abuse survivors. This was a

follow-up to an experiment that had been done over two years ago. About 83% of the original
participants came back for the follow-up in the study, all of the levels of stress, anxiety, and
depression were much lower than the original study for the participants who continued the use of
meditation. They were also retaught the meditation skills in case they werent as familiar to
them. Most of the participants were taught by the original instructor. The conclusion of the
experiment was that the present study provides evidence to support the hypothesis that MBSR
may have substantial benets that can be maintained for at least 2.5 years (Earley et al. 939).
This shows that meditation has a lasting effect when the subject continued to meditation after the
study.
Another experiment, by Istvan Schreiner and James P. Malcolm, used volunteers who
took a 10-week meditation course. Each class was taught once a week for about 30 minutes.
The participants were also asked to meditate at home. They amount of stress, anxiety, and
depression they had was documented before the classes. They all suffered from different
amounts of stress, anxiety, and depression. They ranged from low stress, anxiety, and depression
to much more severe amounts. They tested the levels of the participants again at the end of the
10-week meditation course. The conclusion was that all levels were significantly lower after the
classes. Participants who had more severe depression seemed to make the most progress
(Schriner and Malcolm 165). This study shows that the more stressed and depressed someone is,
the more meditation can help them.

Moreover, not only does meditation help to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress, but it
can also help with brain health. Studies have shown that meditation also helps the thickening of
the cerebral cortex in areas associated with attention and emotional integration. These are the
troubled areas for someone who suffers from depression. Specifically, Sue McGreevey wrote
about a study where people were tested on how meditation helped strengthen the brain. This was
a study that was done at Harvard. The study found that people who started meditation had a
thicker cerebral cortex after a few weeks of participating in meditation (Eight weeks to a better
brain).
Sue McGreevey also wrote about another experiment that was done with meditation.
This study took 16 participants who engaged in an eight week study on the effect meditation had
on the brain. They had the participants keep track of the amount of meditation they did every
day and the experimenters also took magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain. They also
did the same thing for a group who did not do the meditation. The MR images showed that
participants who engaged in at least 27 minutes of meditation showed significant improvements
over those who did not. It showed increased gray-matter density in the hippocampus. The
hippocampus is important in learning and memory. They have seen in other studies that with
long term use there would be also be a decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala which has
to do with stress and anxiety (Eight weeks to a better brain).
In conclusion, meditation is a practice that is not new but is newly studied. Meditation
can help a persons health in many ways, and it not only helps mentally, but it also helps
physically. Anyone who struggles with depression understands that it is a difficult mental illness

to have. Depression cannot always be cured but it can always be treated. Many studies, just like
the ones I have discussed, show that meditation has a long lasting effect. People who continue to
engage in meditation show signs in scientific and physical way. Meditation can help to people
diagnosed with depression to improve their life in a very cheap and easy way.

Works Cited
Earley, Michael D.Chesney, Margaret A.Frye, JoyceGreene, Preston A.Berman,
BrianKimbrough, Elizabeth. "Mindfulness Intervention For Child Abuse Survivors: A 2.5-Year
Follow-Up." Journal Of Clinical Psychology 70.10 (2014): 933-941. Psychology and Behavioral
Sciences Collection. Web. 4 Feb. 2015.
Edenfield, Teresa M., and Sy Atezaz Saeed. "An Update On Mindfulness Meditation As
A Self-Help Treatment For Anxiety And Depression." Psychology Research & Behavior
Management 5. (2012): 131-141. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
Gu, Jenny, et al. "How Do Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy And MindfulnessBased Stress Reduction Improve Mental Health And Wellbeing? A Systematic Review And
Meta-Analysis Of Mediation Studies." Clinical Psychology Review (2015): ScienceDirect. Web.
17 Mar. 2015.
Harvard: MRI study proves meditation rebuilds brains gray matter in 2 months
Australian Nation News. Lifestyle. 3 Dec 2014. Web. 23 February 2015.
McGreevey, Sue. Eight weeks to a better brain. Harvard.edu. Harvard Gazette. 21
January 2011. Web. 23 February 2015.

Schreiner, Istvan, and James P. Malcolm. "The Benefits Of Mindfulness Meditation:

Changes In Emotional States Of Depression, Anxiety, And Stress." Behaviour Change 25.3
(2008): 156-168. Academic Search Complete. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.
"What Meditation Can Do For Your Mind, Mood, And Health. Taking A Few Minutes To
Focus Your Mind Each Day Can Reduce Stress, Pain, Depression, And More." Harvard Women's
Health Watch 21.12 (2014): 6. MEDLINE with Full Text. Web. 11 Feb. 2015.