Global Meditation Practices: A Literature Review.
Holistic nursing practice
Source: PubMed
Summary
Meditation demonstrates significant therapeutic benefits for chronic pain and stress, with 100% of participants in 15 diverse studies (n = 768) reporting positive outcomes. This literature review highlights various meditation forms, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction from the US and Transcendental Meditation from Italy, showcasing their global applications. By examining practices from countries like Portugal, Brazil, and Pakistan, a comprehensive definition of meditation has been developed, enhancing its relevance in clinical settings and broadening its potential for health-related interventions.
Abstract
Research has shown that meditation is beneficial for chronic pain, stress, and many physical and mental conditions. The definition of meditation has many forms, is culturally influenced, and is practiced globally. This literature review seeks to report current literature on meditation related to therapeutic outcomes and create a globally informed definition of meditation for health-related purposes. From a western perspective, mindfulness-based stress relief (MBSR) is widely researched. Therefore, 15 studies from peer-reviewed research from 2015 and 2020 were used to examine various forms of meditation and describe a broader range of meditation practices other than MBSR. The different forms of meditation are: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (Portugal), Active Engagement (Portugal), Adapted Mindfulness Program (Brazil), Adapted Mindfulness Program (Brazil), Cognitively-based Compassionate Training, Loving-kindness (United States, US), Mantra Meditation (US), Mindfulness-based stress reduction (US), Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (South Korea), Osho (India), Psychoneuroendocrinoimmunology (Italy), Transcendental Meditation (Italy), Spiritual/Secular (US), Sufi (Pakistan), and Vipassana (Australia). The review was completed using a literature search method, and all meditation approaches report positive therapeutic outcomes for all participants (n = 768). This outcome enabled the creation of a broader therapeutic definition of meditation that can be applied in clinical practice.