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Meditation is a Great Tool

Discussion in 'Low Cost and Free Treatment' started by johnny, May 6, 2015.

  1. johnny

    johnny Member

    Meditation can be an absolutely phenomenal tool to deal substance abuse. As some of us know depression can hit hard and quick once withdrawal sets in. More and more research is showing that meditation can counteract its effects and may even reverse it. You can check out this link that shows more information if you're interested: http://hub.jhu.edu/2014/01/08/meditate-to-reduce-depression
  2. CallipygianGamine

    CallipygianGamine Community Champion

    I do this on and off but I keep meaning to get into a more regular habit. Now is a good time for me because I’m falling in and out of a depressive phase, so I think this could help. Thank you for sharing this link!
  3. Charli

    Charli Community Champion

    I agree. I think the mere act of having some sort of routine in your life, especially when that routine activity is meditation then that activity can prove to be very helpful. Meditation allows you to clear your mind and even if it doesn't end up working long term a person can at least depend on a couple of hours a day for self improvement and self reflection.
  4. JonnyMacdonald

    JonnyMacdonald Community Champion

    To add to this also Prayer is a great tool. If you have not prayed recently, perhaps it is the right time for you to reconnect with God, as He will listen and send the guidance you need.
    When I reflect on my life, the darkest times are often those that are also absent of Prayer. I think this is not at all a coincidence.
  5. rightct

    rightct Community Champion

    It helps detaching yourself from those thoughts of taking drugs, and I must also say it's quite benefical. I've personally never tried this method since I managed to quit all by myself, but I would definitely recommend it to others who can't take it anymore.

    @JonnyMacdonald I thoroughly agree, it definitely helps to have a moral support.
  6. bluedressed

    bluedressed Community Champion

    I think that the great thing about meditation is, the same way that drugs can numb your body or feel like it "separates" you from it, meditation is about reconnecting with it, about feeling the most basic sensations like breath -- and being mindful of your thoughts, non-judging and recognizing your bad impulses as they pass, and let them pass instead of hooking yourself on them.
  7. amethyst

    amethyst Community Champion

    I've always had a natural inclination towards meditation. I discovered it early in life. It was during the time when I thought that I would never be able to escape the hell of my parental home. I needed to flee into a different world in order to stay sane, and also to survive the constant physical abuse. Meditation has taken me to where I am now. Initially it provided me a way of dealing with the difficulties in my life, but over the years it became an even more powerful tool that acts like a universal key that forever opens new doors. And it keeps getting ever more interesting...
  8. Tremmie

    Tremmie Community Champion

    I'd love to try this, but I don't know much about it. Maybe if I could see someone do it live, and then explain the steps carefully I might really get into it. I really need to relax more :( I think I will exercising soon :) I've recently started doing breathing exercises and feel great.
  9. bluedressed

    bluedressed Community Champion

    You should look into guided meditation! Apparently, there's a app called 'Headspace' , very popular. Also, Sam Harris on Youtube -- or any other 'guided meditation' tracks you can find.

    And at the cross of breathing, meditation and exercise, there's always yoga :) Finding videos for that is also pretty easy! I like the '30 days yoga challenge'!
  10. KingEeyore

    KingEeyore Member

    Meditation is probably one of the most overlooked tools for recovery and overall improvement of life. By having that type of discipline and concentration aligned with specific breathing techniques, meditation will literally alter your brain chemistry. Your neurotransmitters will start going crazy and you'll feel great afterwards. A lot of people struggle with getting started, but if you take the time, discipline yourself and give meditation your best effort.... it might just change your life.
  11. Apollo545

    Apollo545 Active Contributor

    Excellent thread, I couldn't agree more. You can learn to alter your state of mind with sheer willpower alone. With this powerful tool in your arsenal, you can overcome your addiction no sweat! You just have to believe in yourself and remember to never give up! When the going gets tough, the tough get going!
  12. Joyner

    Joyner Member

    I was just reading how some of the world's most successful investors have one thing in common - they all took up transcendental meditation for at least five years. It was a guided study in order to follow people who have been able to align their thoughts into productive practice. I found that interesting. I am also interested in looking into transcendental meditation as long as I figure out where to start. It's seems like one of the most productive uses of time if you are using meditation to heal. I've also been looking into yoga and posted a thread on it. As soon as I can figure out the most effective way to perform transcendental meditation, I feel that it will turn out to be extremely useful in the long run.
  13. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    I don't know. Meditation seems like a complete waste of time to me. Sleeping enough and eating right will do more good than meditation and they are easier. It doesn't help with anxiety contrary to popular belief. Especially when anxiety is a mental health issue requiring treatment. Just what a person suffering from anxiety needs, more time alone with their fears. Same goes for depression. Clearing your head isn't the answer to complicated mental health issues so why would it be good for addiction? Meditation doesn't change how you think, it isn't a miracle health cure, and it doesn't do anything to make you a better person. When it comes to dealing with stress there a whole myriad of better methods to do so.
  14. Apollo545

    Apollo545 Active Contributor

    Meditation is an extremely broad term, granted the most popular form of meditation is a form where you clear your mind of all thought. This is the first process someone who wants to be skilled in meditation masters. From being able to suppress unwanted thought from coming to the surface, you are then able to give you undivided attention to any one aspect of life that you are meditating about. It definitely does seem like a waste of time when you first start. It's uncomfortable, unnatural, and you quite frankly feel like you could be doing better things with your time.

    Once you have that foundation of mental clarity on command, you can use this to rid yourself of the "mental chatter" that often coerces people to relapse back into their old habits. The same goes for mental illness, in my eyes. When you begin feeling the anxiety or depression overtaking you, clearing your mind will allow you to look at these emotions objectively and get rid of these negative thoughts by sheer will.

    Although, you are correct about diet and sleep.

    "A sound mind in a sound body"

    We mustn't neglect one at the expense of the other.
  15. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    I'm sorry, but you just aren't going to convince me that it is worth the time. Especially when there is so much evidence that it doesn't really do what people claim. There is even credible research done recently indicating that meditation doesn't actually help with stress or psychological issues. I suppose there is always the placebo effect but there are much more effective paths to well being.
  16. jeremy2

    jeremy2 Community Champion

    Am not at all surprised since i believe in meditation. The mind is a powerful tool that can do wonders for us. Many people have been cured of their disease by simply meditating and techniques such as hypnosis have proved that nothing is impossible when the brain is harnessed to its full potential.
  17. 111kg

    111kg Community Champion

    Meditation isn't just for rehab, you know, but does wonders for every aspect of your life. I don't like to meditate in the traditional way, but rather with a pen and a piece of paper in my hands, mainly because it's easier for me to release all the negative energy and to create mind maps of what I am supposed to do next.
  18. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion

    It's the placebo effect though. If it is working for you it is only because you want to believe it is. The reality is that results are probably coming from changes in your life completely unrelated to meditating. There is no scientific evidence that supports the claim that meditation can cure disease, in fact there is plenty of evidence to the contrary.
  19. bluedressed

    bluedressed Community Champion

    I call bullshit. The research done with neuroplasticity shows that training your brain to become mindful through meditation has visible results. I would not personally vouch for its efficacity with physical diseases, but it has been shown to bring on mental improvements, both reported and observable.
  20. JohnBeaulieu

    JohnBeaulieu Community Champion