How meditation affects spirituality?
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Meditation plays a significant role in enhancing spirituality by promoting self-control, mental stability, and emotional regulation . Through practices like Holy Name Meditation, individuals experience increased spiritual well-being, reduced anxiety and depression, and a sense of connection to a Higher Power . The use of devotional objects and images in meditation aids in creating a mental reality that fosters empathy with divine figures, leading to a deeper spiritual experience . Studies have also linked meditation to improved emotional control, attention, stress reduction, and cognitive function, all of which contribute to a heightened sense of spirituality and overall well-being . Overall, meditation acts as a powerful tool in nurturing spirituality, fostering a deeper connection to oneself, others, and the divine.
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43 Citations | Intranasal oxytocin administration during meditation increases spirituality and positive emotions. Oxytocin may enhance spiritual beliefs and emotional responses to meditation. |
1 Citations | Meditation enhances spirituality by promoting emotional control, attention improvement, stress reduction, and ethical practices, leading to increased quality of life and coping with adverse situations. |
8 Citations | Holy Name Meditation enhances spiritual well-being in cancer patients by increasing it (F = 4.80, P = .034). It is recommended for clinical use to reduce anxiety and depression. |
| Meditation in medieval spirituality utilized images to evoke empathy, memory, and varied emotions, enhancing piety by imitating divine figures' qualities and experiences, influencing ethical and public behavior. | |
| Meditation enhances spirituality by promoting self-control, mental stability, harmony, happiness, and peace. It facilitates reaching higher consciousness levels and spiritual progress, essential for a divine life. |
Related Questions
What are the negative effects of meditation?10 answersThe exploration of meditation's negative effects reveals a spectrum of adverse experiences (AEs) that vary widely across individuals and practices. A comprehensive review of the literature indicates that common AEs include affective difficulties, distorted senses of self, derealization, hallucinations, delusions, interpersonal challenges, and susceptibility to false memory, with trends showing a substantial variation in the type and severity of these effects. The prevalence of adverse events (AEs) during or after meditation practices is notable, with anxiety, depression, and cognitive anomalies being the most common, alongside less frequent issues like gastrointestinal problems and suicidal behaviors.
In specific meditation practices such as Transcendental Meditation (TM), participants have reported depression, frustration, impulsiveness, and increased physical and mental tension, which are attributed to "unstressing," a phenomenon considered a natural consequence of the initial stages of TM. Despite the positive psychological outcomes associated with meditation, few studies have investigated the potential for harm in brief interventions, highlighting the need for a balanced perspective on meditation as a practice that may lead to both positive and negative outcomes.
Moreover, long-term meditation practice has been shown to alter the processing of negative emotional stimuli, indicating a change in behavioral reactions and emotional state control that could potentially mask or mitigate the perception of negative effects. An online survey evaluating the occurrence of unwanted effects (UEs) among meditation practitioners found that 25.4% reported UEs, which were mostly transitory and did not lead to discontinuing meditation practice or the need for medical assistance, suggesting that while prevalent, these effects are often not severe enough to warrant cessation of practice.
This body of evidence underscores the complexity of meditation's impact, suggesting that while it offers numerous benefits, practitioners and clinicians should be aware of its potential to induce a range of negative psychological effects.
How spirituality influences health?5 answersSpirituality plays a crucial role in influencing various aspects of health. It is a complex construct that encompasses beliefs in a higher power, inner peace, and connectedness with self and others. Studies suggest that spirituality is associated with positive mental health outcomes, such as lower risks of substance abuse and depression, and higher reports of thriving. Moreover, spirituality has been linked to beneficial physical health outcomes, including reduced cardiovascular disease risk and mortality rates. The relationship between spirituality and mental health is also emphasized, with spirituality being recognized as a promoter of mental well-being and a mitigator of mental illness. Overall, integrating spirituality into healthcare practices is increasingly seen as a valuable approach to improving overall health outcomes, both physically and mentally.
What the influence of meditation pracitses on the body and mind revoew?5 answersMeditation practices have been shown to have a positive influence on both the body and mind. They can help in handling undesired thoughts and negative emotions during exercise-related situations, thereby increasing exercise adherence and countering the detrimental consequences of sedentariness. Regular practice of meditation can relieve mental stress, promote mental harmony, and improve physical, mental, and spiritual health. Intense meditation practices can lead to deep relaxation, emotional stability, resilience to stress, enhanced self-awareness, and self-regulation, as well as the development of higher mental attributes such as compassion and personal growth. Meditation is a mind-body practice that affects psychological, behavioral, neural, and autonomic functions, leading to changes in physiological states and improved regulation of vital functions such as heart rate and respiration. Long-term meditation has been associated with longer telomere length, higher expression of telomerase genes, and lower methylation levels, suggesting potential benefits for healthy aging.
What does meditation on the brain?5 answersMeditation has been found to have various effects on the brain. It influences brain systems involved in attention, awareness, memory, sensory integration, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functions. Meditation has been shown to increase grey matter volume, particularly in right hemispheric cortical and subcortical brain regions associated with sustained attention, self-control, compassion, and interoceptive perception. Functional neuroimaging studies have consistently shown the recruitment of specific brain regions during meditation, including the insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and frontopolar cortex. Mindfulness meditation, in particular, has been shown to have positive effects on psychological problems such as depression, pain, and anxiety disorders. Meditation also affects brain dynamics and structural connectivity, with changes observed in functional connectivity, effective connectivity, and anatomical pathways. Overall, meditation has been found to have a significant impact on the brain, influencing various cognitive and emotional processes.
What is the impact of meditation on the human brain?5 answersMeditation has been found to have a significant impact on the human brain. It influences brain systems involved in attention, awareness, memory, sensory integration, emotion regulation, and higher-order cognitive functions. Meditation has been shown to increase grey matter volume in meditators, particularly in right hemispheric cortical and subcortical brain regions associated with sustained attention, self-control, compassion, and interoceptive perception. Functional neuroimaging studies have consistently shown the recruitment of specific brain regions during meditation, including the insula, pre/supplementary motor cortices, dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, and frontopolar cortex. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has also revealed positive brain changes and improved brain functions as a result of meditation. Furthermore, meditation has been found to have benefits for physical health, such as improving the immune system, decreasing inflammation, and helping with multi-factorial diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Overall, meditation has a significant impact on the human brain and can contribute to improved mental and physical health.
How does breathing affect meditation?5 answersBreathing plays a significant role in meditation. Slow breathing techniques, such as those used in yoga and mindfulness practices, have been found to have various psychophysiological effects. These techniques promote autonomic changes, increase heart rate variability, and modify central nervous system activity, leading to increased comfort, relaxation, and psychological well-being. Breathing-based meditation has been shown to improve mood scales and psychological states, including anger, confusion, depression, fatigue, strain, and vigor. Additionally, meditation can induce stress resilience and reduce symptoms of arousal, anxiety, depression, and confusion. Transcendental meditation has been found to alter breathing patterns, decreasing minute ventilation and hypercapnic response, suggesting that changes in wakefulness can affect the regulation of breathing. Mindfulness breathing meditation has been effective in reducing stress and anxiety in university students, highlighting its potential to improve psychological well-being.