Is mediation helpful or harmful?

[RaysOfScarletDreams]

lately I've been seeing people suggesting mediation to help or aid those or who having problems. I find that doing so can be more harmful than actual good, while mediation does have it's own benefits, such as helping one focus, and helping a person relax. However many people use mediation to cure all their problems and this can be more harmful than good. Mediation should never be use as a thearpy especially if the person is suffering from mental ailments, such as depression, anxiety, or whatever. Not only this but suprressed emotions or problems that have been bothering you, will come back up to the sufferance and if you're not ready it can really affect you mentally and emotionally. While I do believe mediation can help in some areas, one must ask if it's really helpful? Ask yourself if you should speak to a trained therapist. Of course that's your call.
Mediation should never be used as an escape from an existing or underlying issue.

In saying that I do think mediation can be very beneficial as it can help the mind relax and help a person think more clearly. However just note that if you're a beginner at this, take it easy and don't feel you need to be perfect. After all you're human and you're allowed to have emotion, bad days, and be angry.

Thoughts?

[Rah nam]

If balance and inner peace is harmful, yes then it is harmful.

If 1000 people meditating can stop a war from happening is harmful, again, yes then it is harmful

[RaysOfScarletDreams]

Originally Posted by Rah nam

If balance and inner peace is harmful, yes then it is harmful.

If 1000 people meditating can stop a war from happening is harmful, again, yes then it is harmful

But I wasn't speaking about balancing one inner peace or about war. I was referring to the war some people have in themselves. Like those suffering from PTSD or bi-polar, or those who been abused and so forth.

Yes I do think it can be helpful, it has it's benefits, such as helping some focus or it can help someone calm down. But, it's only a temporary relief for a temporary problem. When it comes to the mind are brain's, when someone is suffering from deep depression or any other mental disorder, then that's where I believe it is harmful as it gives most people the wrong impression that mediation will cure all ailments. It's the same as praying, (and nothing against praying or anything like that.) but unless the person gets actual treatment then the affects of meditation are pointless. I do believe and think mediation and seeing someone can be beneficial.

[Puggy]

Meditation does not suppress emotions or problems. It gives a clearer perception of things, it also releases emotions.

I believe meditation would help depression and anxiety. Most Docs would prescribe meds to numb the mind and slow thoughts/feelings down. I'm not a medical expert but from the hurdles I've had in life I can't see that meds would be more beneficial.

It seems you are viewing mediation as a form of burying your head in the sand and ignoring what going on around you. I feel it's the opposite. It's like seeing life through CCTV while sitting in a relaxed enviroment.

[Justme1981]

Originally Posted by RaysOfScarletDreams

lately I've been seeing people suggesting mediation to help or aid those or who having problems. I find that doing so can be more harmful than actual good, while mediation does have it's own benefits, such as helping one focus, and helping a person relax. However many people use mediation to cure all their problems and this can be more harmful than good. Mediation should never be use as a thearpy especially if the person is suffering from mental ailments, such as depression, anxiety, or whatever. Not only this but suprressed emotions or problems that have been bothering you, will come back up to the sufferance and if you're not ready it can really affect you mentally and emotionally. While I do believe mediation can help in some areas, one must ask if it's really helpful? Ask yourself if you should speak to a trained therapist. Of course that's your call.
Mediation should never be used as an escape from an existing or underlying issue.

In saying that I do think mediation can be very beneficial as it can help the mind relax and help a person think more clearly. However just note that if you're a beginner at this, take it easy and don't feel you need to be perfect. After all you're human and you're allowed to have emotion, bad days, and be angry.

Thoughts?

I sort of agree with you. I would say about seventy percent of me agrees with you. I suffer from depression and I know meditation can ever replace my medication. I also know for me to properly learn to meditate would take me potentially years. So I agree meditation is not a solution for most psychiatric disorders.

The part that disagrees with you is that part that knows there is psychological research going into the concept of meditation. However the meditation described are just relaxing techniques and are very basic. The call this modality Mindfulness therapy.

However, overall I agree with you.

[Mr Interesting]

Meditation covers many different practise could very well be like us saying all walking is walking... and it is but alike mediation walking covers a whole of potential not just described by the word walking.

Therefore I think what you might be saying, or my version of what I think you're saying, is that the person who is suffering from a psychological condition, or conditions, that would normally require a lot of well versed help from specialists would not be advised to expect a beginners form of meditation to be a panacea for their woes and in that respect it has really got nothing to do with meditation so much as it is about the persons expectations to find a cure all.

Given then that the conditions are harmful it stands to reason most decisions they might make of lifestyle cures, food cures or exercise and meditation cures isn't about what they choose so much that the choosing of it would to a degree be a continuation of the harm simply because of the set of mind in which they are making the decision given the expectation is for an almost instantaneous cure.

It's like people who stop drugs then gets addicted to shopping or exercise or whatever... the surface change makes no real difference because the addictive personality has simply changed their addiction without seeing to underlying causes.

So then if somehow who has a condition seeks to use meditation to delve into underlying causes with a view to bringing them to the surface and transforming oneself then I don't see how meditation could be harmful.

Different illnesses need different treatments. Meditation should be used with, not instead of what your Doctor has prescribed.

It really depends on what you're trying to achieve, why you need to meditate. It is always helpful in developing of self-discipline and control. But there are other related exercises for developing stillness of mind, concentration and contemplation. They're tools and one should always use the right tool for the job.

....

Originally Posted by Lorelyen

It really depends on what you're trying to achieve, why you need to meditate. It is always helpful in developing of self-discipline and control. But there are other related exercises for developing stillness of mind, concentration and contemplation. They're tools and one should always use the right tool for the job.

....

Why not just meditate, does there have to be a reason, just enjoy it for what it is

[Gem]

Originally Posted by RaysOfScarletDreams

lately I've been seeing people suggesting mediation to help or aid those or who having problems. I find that doing so can be more harmful than actual good, while mediation does have it's own benefits, such as helping one focus, and helping a person relax. However many people use mediation to cure all their problems and this can be more harmful than good. Mediation should never be use as a thearpy especially if the person is suffering from mental ailments, such as depression, anxiety, or whatever. Not only this but suprressed emotions or problems that have been bothering you, will come back up to the sufferance and if you're not ready it can really affect you mentally and emotionally. While I do believe mediation can help in some areas, one must ask if it's really helpful? Ask yourself if you should speak to a trained therapist. Of course that's your call.
Mediation should never be used as an escape from an existing or underlying issue.

In saying that I do think mediation can be very beneficial as it can help the mind relax and help a person think more clearly. However just note that if you're a beginner at this, take it easy and don't feel you need to be perfect. After all you're human and you're allowed to have emotion, bad days, and be angry.

Thoughts?

Good points.

They have found that mindfulness meditation is helpful to people who have depressive and anxious episodes and it's been incorporated into Cognitive Behaviour Therapies during the last decade or so. Still, it's no excape or a 'fix me up' and there can be difficult experiences arising from it, so I think what you say is well considered.