Meditation for Mental Health & Dual Diagnosis

Meditation

Western medicine has adopted and used mindfulness treatments for decades, as early as the 1990s. We have seen a rise in popularity regarding meditation and mindfulness practices as people are beginning to embrace these practices. The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center has found ways to incorporate meditation into mental health treatment programs to promote healing, centeredness, and calmness.

During a meditation, you will find a position that allows you to remain still while you focus your attention on specific objects or goals, or sometimes trying to clear your mind entirely. Some are comfortable laying down, closing their eyes, or remaining in a seated position. It is important that you choose a position that feels natural and comfortable for you. With regular practice, meditation can help you learn to calm your mind, which can increase your happiness in everyday life.

Woman in yoga pose during meditation at our mental health facility

How Meditation Can Improve Your Mental Health Symptoms

While underlying factors for mental health disorders can vary, there is typically a combination of genetic, biological, and environmental factors. The development of mental health disorders is complex, and individualized. As an example, some are living with depression because of an imbalance of the neurotransmitters in their brain, while others depressive symptoms stem from early childhood experiences.

Meditation is a valuable coping skill for a range of mental health disorder. This incudes anxiety, depression, trauma-related, substance use disorders, and more. Meditation can help you regulate your emotions, and address physical symptoms associated with various conditions. As you work to shift your brain to a balanced state, you can find your focus improved and an increased resilience. You may not experience the same emotional reactions to triggers or stressors, which allows you to manage them more effectively.

At SBMHC, we combine unique holistic treatment modalities, like meditation, with traditional behavioral therapy approaches and medication management services. This provides you with well rounded care focused on helping you develop life-long skills for better managing your mental health symptoms.

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Study Spotlight

A study from Cambridge and Harvard University showed that the average person spends 46.9% of the time with their mind wandering about stressful information. This shows that most of us spend a significant amount of time overthinking and worrying about the future or the past. This can potentially be worse for someone who suffers from depression or anxiety, highlighting the key benefits that regular meditation can bring to everyday life.

How Does Meditation Affect the Body?

We have talked about how meditation can be helpful, but lets dive into why it is a practical coping skill. Meditation can help calm your mind and body by shifting out of “survival mode.” This is a common state for those living with mental health disorders and contributes to physical, emotional, and behavioral symptoms.

During a meditation, you will focus on your breathing, attempting to slow it down. This can help lower your heart rate, and send a message to your brain that you’re safe. When this occurs, an area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex becomes active. This area of the brain is responsible for emotion control, decision-making and planning. When your brain receives the message, you will find that you have better control over your emotions, can think clearer, and have less tension within your body.

With regular use of meditation practices, you will find that it is easier to bring into everyday life. If you are looking for guidance about how or where to start, we encourage you to contact The Sylvia Brafman Mental Health Center. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff can help you determine which type of meditation would be the most effective for you.

Using Meditation as an Emotional Regulation Skill

Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a commonly used therapeutic approach within our outpatient treatment programs at SBMHC. A key focus of this therapeutic approach is to build effective coping strategies, including emotion regulation skills. With meditation, you’ll be learning to increase your awareness of thoughts and emotions that lead to your behaviors.

With focused breathing or body scans, you’ll gain awareness of places in your body that your carrying tension. Tension commonly builds when we feel stressed and internalize challenging emotions. Meditations can help you release this tension without judging its existence.

Additionally, meditation can help calm your nervous system. Without being in fight-or-flight mode, your body can get out of an emotionally aroused state. This is why meditation is particularly beneficial for those who experiencing panic symptoms, trauma responses, and anger difficulties.

With regular use, it can become easier to use healthy coping skills when you’re distressed. It is important to remember that meditation benefits build over time with practice. That is why our clinical team at SBMHC will help you find real-life applications of this practice, like when you wake up in the morning or before bed. With regular use, you can master this coping skill and experience its range of benefits.

Meditation & Mental Health Related Research and Statistics

Meditation use keeps climbing. NIH’s 2022 National Health Interview Survey shows U.S. adult meditation use rose to 17.3%, up from 7.5% in 2002.
It helps with psychological distress. A large JAMA Internal Medicine review found mindfulness-based programs reduce anxiety and depression, with benefits for pain and overall stress as well.
There are immune-related benefits, too. A systematic review reports mindfulness meditation is linked to changes in inflammation and cell-mediated immunity markers.
Mindfulness can lower the chance of depression returning. The APA highlights research showing mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) helps prevent relapse for people with recurrent depression.
Many physical conditions may benefit. Mayo Clinic notes meditation can help people manage symptoms tied to asthma, cancer, chronic pain, heart disease, IBS, high blood pressure, and tension headaches.

Have questions about how meditation fits into treatment? Complete this short form and an admissions specialist will reach out with practical guidance, benefits information, and a plan that works for you here in Tamarac.

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