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Meditation
Meditation is an exercise offered by some therapists to help
people with agoraphobia to completely stop, let go of
thoughts about the past or the future, and focus on being in
the here and now.
Studies have shown meditation to have a relaxing effect on
the mind and body. In 1968, a study done at the Harvard
Medical School showed transcendental meditation to lower the
heart rate, the breathing rate, the body’s oxygen
consumption (which lowered by 20%), and blood lactate levels
(which rise with stress). In addition, the participants in
the study showed EEG brain wave patterns indicating
increased alpha activity (another indicator of relaxation)
while meditating.
The following are simple instructions for meditation:
1) Find a quiet environment
This should be a place where you will not be distracted by
anything, including noise. You may use a tape or CD to play
soft, soothing music or sounds from nature (like the waves
of the ocean) in the background.
2) Reduce muscle tension
You may use deep breathing and/or progressive muscle
relaxation techniques to achieve this. You might want to pay
special attention to relaxing your neck muscles since so
much tension accumulates in them. To do this, bend your head
slowly forward three times, touching your chin to your
chest. Then, bend your head slowly backward three times to
stretch the front of your neck. Then, bend your head to each
side three times. Finally, rotate your head clockwise three
times and counterclockwise three times to finish loosening
your neck muscles.
3) Sit with good posture
You may sit cross-legged on the floor with your back
straight and a cushion or pillow underneath your buttocks.
You may also sit in a comfortable chair with a straight
back, with your feet on the floor, your legs uncrossed, and
your hands on your thighs.
4) Select a focus for attention
You may choose to focus on your breathing pattern, a mantra,
or a physical object in the room.
If you decide to focus on your breathing pattern, practice
deep breathing similar to the deep breathing exercises used
to develop a relaxation response:
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Breathe in deeply through your nose.
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As you breathe in, put one hand on your stomach and the
other on
your chest. Make sure the hand on your stomach rises first. This
means you are breathing deeply and from the diaphragm.
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Hold your breath for a moment before breathing out.
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Breathe the air out very slowly. As you breathe out, make a
slight
sighing sound, as if you were trying to fog a mirror. Also, picture
the tension leaving your body as you exhale.
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Each time you exhale, count the breath. You may wish to
start at
“one” and count up, or start at a chosen number and count down.
If you decide to focus on a mantra, choose one word to focus
on. It can be any word that you like, such as “calm” or
“peace.” It could be a phrase with spiritual significance to
you like “I am at peace,” or “I am loved by God.” The key is
to focus on the word or phrase, repeating it with each
exhalation.
If you decide to focus on an object in the room, you might
choose something soothing like a candle, running fountain,
or picture on the wall.
5) Focus on the chosen object with a nonjudgmental, passive
attitude.
Concentrate on whatever you have chosen as your object of
focus the best that you can. Don’t be hard on yourself if
your attention drifts away or strain yourself trying to keep
your attention focused. If your mind starts to wander,
gently bring your attention back to your object of focus.
Don’t worry about whether or not you are meditating well
enough. Don’t judge your meditation experience at all. Just
let go and enjoy the experience, knowing that on some days
it will feel more relaxing and refreshing than on other
days.
6) Make meditation a daily practice.
No matter how long you practice meditation each session, do
it every day. You might start with meditating for five
minute sessions at first, and then slowly lengthen your
sessions as you feel more comfortable with meditation. If
you can, increase your meditation time by small increments
until you can meditate for a full hour. A background
recording of soft music or nature sounds that lasts for the
amount of time you want to meditate can be helpful in
keeping track of time. Some people simply use a timer. If
you do use a timer, make sure it is has a soft signal to
help you make a smooth transition out of the meditative
state. Don’t use a timer that gives you a jolt at the end of
the meditation session.
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