Motivation and emotion/Book/2023/Guided meditation and emotion regulation
How can guided meditation be used to regulate emotion?
Overview
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You have noticed lately at work you have been feeling irritable and easily emotionally triggered. From petty interactions with co-workers, to feeling over stimulated by clocks ticking and pens clicking, the range of inconveniences are impacting on your peace in the office. As a result, you've noticed your motivation and focus lacking, positive interactions at work seem to be dwindling, and your overall satisfaction is declining. Upon reflection of your cumulative irritation and the subsequent emotional dysregulation, you decide to try something different. Possibly instead of reacting to stressful stimuli, you learn to respond to your nervous system. You flip open your phone and click play on a guided meditation. The slowing of the breath, and focusing of your mind, your nervous system calms down. The guided meditation has had a calming effect on your thoughts and consequently your emotional state. The guided meditation has helped you to regulate your emotions, build awareness and reminded you to use your breath for emotional regulation when you notice your internal state starting to rise. |
What is guided meditation? Meditation can come in different forms, from sitting through a guided meditation that focuses on your specific goal or the mindset that you want to get to, or sitting somewhere quiet reflecting on your thoughts and feelings. However, for meditation to work it is important to be focused on the moment, the sounds around, and being able to suppress other thoughts and any noises that run though our brain during that time (Jenkins, 2015).
This chapter explores the idea of guided meditation, what meditation is, and the psychological science about meditation and how it assists with regulating emotions, as well as the benefits that come with regular practice of guided meditation. This chapter looks into the idea of medical professionals within the field of science and psychology adding or trying to use guided meditation, or a similar meditation type to assist those who are battling with clinical disorders. There will also be extra resources provided for extra learning.
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Focus questions
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What is meditation and emotion regulation?
[edit | edit source]Meditation originates from the Latin word meditari. When meditari is translated it becomes “to engage in contemplation or reflection” (Hussain et al, 2010) . Meditation is known to be where an individual is completely locked into their thoughts. The aim of meditation is to become focused on and only be in the moment of time, suppressing the other thoughts, sounds, and noises, running through our brain (Jenkins, 2015).
There is evidence suggesting that in Eastern spiritual tradition, meditation is not an activity, however it is a “tool” that assists with developing stronger spiritual connections, while also aiming to achieve inner peace, better concentration, improve positive emotions, while reducing stress, agitation, and also any negative emotions at the same time (Wallace, 2005; Walsh and Shapiro,2006).
Emotion regulation has been established to be a regulated change in a person, consciously or unconsciously (Rottenberg & Gross, 2003). Mennin et al. (2007) discovered that those individuals who are not able to efficiently manage their emotions for a long time, may be at risk to get diagnosed with depression or anxiety.
Key points
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- Guided meditation has been proven to improve clinical disorders such as anxiety and depression, as well as other disorders, addictions, and substance abuse (Ospina et al. 2007; Balaji et al, 2012; Khanna and Greeson, 2013; Lakhan and Scholfield, 2013).
- Blood and cholesterol levels became normal, stress was reduced, and improvement on cardiovascular diseases prevention (Cooper and Aygen, 1978; Barns et al., 2001; Grossman et al., 2004; Anderson et al., 2008).
- Meditation is reported to enhance the immune system and be an effective treatment in pain management (Kabat-Zinn, 1990).
Quiz
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Guided Meditation
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What is guided meditation and is it the same thing as mindfulness mediation?
[edit | edit source]Guided meditation is a style of meditation that is led by some sort of audio, such as a teacher, audio recording, or even a video (Headspace, 2023). The goal of this style of meditation is to achieve specific outcomes, such as improve self-improvement, strengthening relationships, fostering forgiveness, and cultivate a calm and relaxed mind. Since the brain often cannot distinguish between imagined experiences and real ones during meditation, this practice can help form new neural pathways, leading to fresh perspectives and personal growth (Moral, 2017).
Whereas, mindfulness can be easily described as “moment-by-moment awareness” (Germer et al., 2005, p. 6, Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A.2011). Mindfulness is to be about monitoring attention, making sure the focus always reverts to the present. Mindfulness meditation can be experienced in a formal style of meditation, or alone individually (Gallant, S. N., 2016). Jon KabatZinn debuted mindfulness as a therapeutic discipline at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center in the year of 1979, this was through Jon’s own program known as ‘Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction’ (Bishop, S.R., 2002). The benefits of mindfulness meditation has been shown to considerably decrease stress, increase self-compassion, improve resiliency, compassion, and also emotion regulation (Green, A. A., & Kinchen, E. V., 2021)
Emotion Regulation
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How to efficiently regulate emotions
[edit | edit source]Emotion regulation can be explained as the process of how a person is able to regulate their emotions consciously or unconsciously (Rottenberg, J., & Gross, J. J., 2003). Improvements with health, relationships, and improved job performance has also been shown with successful emotion regulation (John, O.P., and Gross, J. J.,2004).
Alpha waves are steady and additionally high amplitude brain waves that have a frequency that can range from eight to thirteen phases per second. When Alpha activity is shown, it is normally an indication that the mind has reached a deep state of relaxation. (Jacobs & Luber, 1989; Delmonte, 1984a).
A case study on meditation and emotion regulation
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Case Study
[edit | edit source]| Louie works in the public service. Louie usually really enjoys his work and his work relationships are positive. However, due to the stress at work, Louie finds it harder to remain positive at work and is allowing the negative thoughts and feelings accumulate, which is making his work less productive. Louie understand that he needs to start to do something which will help and turns to guided meditation.
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Case study learnings: guided meditation
[edit | edit source]Due to his current work situation, Louie has realised he's struggling with his thoughts and feelings. He feels he shouldn't be experiencing these emotions and believes he should have more control over his mindset. To address this, Louie turns to guided meditation, which offers targeted support for specific goals or emotions and helps with managing thoughts and mindset at work. Through this experience, Louie comes to understand that guided meditation can be a helpful tool for regulating his emotions.
How does guided meditation affect emotion regulation?
[edit | edit source]Guided meditation is increasingly recognised for its effectiveness in managing emotions. Fostering mindfulness encourages people to notice their feelings without judgement, supporting more measured reactions to difficult situations (Hölzel et al., 2011). Studies show that regular practice reduces rumination and negative thoughts, which can contribute to emotional dysregulation (Chambers et al., 2009). Guided meditation also enhances emotional flexibility, allowing individuals to respond adaptively to a variety of emotions and fostering acceptance rather than suppression (Brown & Ryan, 2003). Physiologically, these practices activate the parasympathetic nervous system, lowering stress and anxiety while promoting emotional stability (Goyal et al., 2014). Therefore, incorporating guided meditation into daily routines can lead to significant improvements in emotional health and resilience.
Benefits, risks, and emotional regulation
[edit | edit source]According to Davidson et al. (2003), recent studies on monks in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh, have demonstrated that even when they are not meditating, their prefrontal lobes stay active.
Schwatz (1975) indicated that meditation practices can lead to an increased cortical arousability, while decreasing limbic arousability. This decrease can lead to perception levels to increase and emotional activity to decline.
Furthermore, there have been studies that have been undertaken that have seen results where there was an increase in visual imagery abilities (Heil, 1973), the reaction time of an individual has been shown to be increased (Robertson, 1983), and (Jedrczak, Toomey, & Clements, 1986) discovered an enhancement with perceptual motor speed.
There are no real risks with the completion of this style of meditation, besides the normal feeling of anxiety when learning a new skill or experiencing something new. This occurs as the letting go of distractions and getting in touch with feelings and thoughts begins (Barton and Bauer-Wu, 2010).
Conclusion
[edit | edit source]Overall, guided meditation comes in various different forms and styles, this allows for individuals to tailor their own needs and goals to what style of guided meditation fits best. Each individual will go through difficult stages, through their work life and even their personal life, introducing guided meditation into everyday life will help create an overall healthier mindset for the individual, while also allowing a clear mindset when it comes to high stress or pressure situations. Furthermore, when an individual becomes more aware and are able to regulate their emotions, it has been proven that they will improve their relationships, overall mental health, and even improve their job performance. Individuals who continue to practice meditation, their Alpha wave activity can be active and the mind can be in a deep state of relaxation, even when not in a meditating state.
Overall, this chapter described when meditation was first recorded to be used, how it is now used and what the benefits that individuals who practice this activity can gain, while also show that there are no major effects or risks and proves that there are major health benefits.
*could discuss meditation styles that do not work as effectively*
See also
[edit | edit source]- Motivation and emotion/Book/2022/Mindful self-care (Book chapter, 2022)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati (Wikipedia)
References
[edit | edit source]Bishop, S. R. (2002). What do we really know about mindfulness-based stress reduction?. Psychosomatic medicine, 64(1), 71-83.
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.84.4.822
Chambers, R., Lo, B. C. Y., & Allen, N. B. (2008). The impact of intensive mindfulness training on attentional control, cognitive style, and affect. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 32(3), 303-322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-007-9119-0
Davis, D. M., & Hayes, J. A. (2011). What are the benefits of mindfulness? A practice review of psychotherapy-related research. Psychotherapy, 48(2), 198. Gallant, S. N. (2016). Mindfulness meditation practice and executive functioning: Breaking down the benefit. Consciousness and cognition, 40, 116-130.
Goyal, M., Singh, S., Sibinga, E. M., Gould, N. F., Rowland-Seymour, A., Sharma, R., Berger, Z., Sleicher, D., Maron, D. D., Shihab, H. M., Ranasinghe, P. D., Linn, S., Saha, S., Bass, E. B., & Haythornthwaite, J. A. (2014). Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA internal medicine, 174(3), 357–368. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018
Headspace, Guided Meditation, 2023.
Hölzel, B. K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C., Yerramsetti, S. M., Gard, T., & Lazar, S. W. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density. Psychiatry research, 191(1), 36–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pscychresns.2010.08.006
John, O. P., & Gross, J. J. (2004). Healthy and unhealthy emotion regulation: Personality processes, individual differences, and life span development. Journal of personality, 72(6), 1301-1334. Fingelkurts, A. A., Fingelkurts, A. A., & Kallio-Tamminen, T. (2015). EEG-guided meditation: a personalized approach. Journal of Physiology-Paris, 109(4-6), 180-190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jphysparis.2015.03.001
Hussain, D., & Bhushan, B. (2010). Psychology of meditation and health: Present status and future directions. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 10(3), 439-451. https://www.redalyc.org/pdf/560/56017068007.pdf retrieved from International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, vol 10, number 3. October, 2010, pp. 439-451
Jenkins, A. (2015). Guided meditation in the English language classroom. In English teaching forum (Vol. 53, No. 1, pp. 35-38). https://repo.iainbatusangkar.ac.id/xmlui/bitstream/handle/123456789/8400/1509096959459_Untitled.pdf?sequence=1 retrieved from Teaching Techniques
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1990). Mindfulness-based stress reduction. Using the wisdom of your body and mind to face stress, pain, and illness, 467. https://doi.org/10.1002/shi.88
Mennin, D. S., Holaway, R. M., Fresco, D. M., Moore, M. T., & Heimberg, R. G. (2007). Delineating components of emotion and its dysregulation in anxiety and mood psychopathology. Behavior therapy, 38(3), 284-302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.beth.2006.09.001
Moral, A. (2017). Guided meditation: A regimen for mental health. Indian Journal of Health and Wellbeing, 8(2), 180. Rottenberg, J., & Gross, J. J. (2003). When emotion goes wrong: Realizing the promise of affective science. https://doi.org/10.1093/clipsy.bpg012
Wallace, B. A., & Shapiro, S. L. (2006). Mental balance and well-being: building bridges between Buddhism and Western psychology. American Psychologist, 61(7), 690. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.61.7.690
Anapanasati. Wikimedia Foundation. 13/07/2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anapanasati
Mysticism. Wikimedia Foundation. 15/08/2023. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mysticism
Zhang, Q., Wang, Z., Wang, X., Liu, L., Zhang, J., & Zhou, R. (2019). The effects of different stages of mindfulness meditation training on emotion regulation. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 13, 208. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00208
External links
[edit | edit source]This podcast by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D., is a professor in neurobiology and also a neuroscientist at the Stanford School of medicine, dives into explaining what meditation is, how meditation practices can lead to changed neuroplasticity, how baseline anxiety and depression is reduced, and much more.
https://hubermanlab.com/how-meditation-works-and-science-based-effective-meditations/
InsightTimer is a website that offers free guided meditations and other key talks, sounds, and music to assist with meditation, better sleep, and to help with anxiety and stress.