MEDITATION: Self-Regulation Strategy and Altered State of Consciousness

This is the paperback edition of a book first published in 1980, and in consequence the reader must bear in mind that the scientific study of meditation has moved on somewhat since it was written. However, this need not deter the potential purchaser as the author, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behaviour, University of California at Irvine, still has much to tell us. He confesses to having four objectives in writing the book, firstly to offer a comprehensive account of the scientific approach to meditation; secondly to show the potential health-care, medical and therapeutic uses of meditation; thirdly to identify the biases Western scientists may have in approaching meditation as an area of study; and fourthly to provide a scientific/personal account of meditation based on his own practical training in Zen Buddhism and Eastern thought. I applaud all four of these, but the first three objectives indicate that much of the book is based firmly within the orthodox scientific tradition. Indeed portions of the text have in fact appeared in prestigious mainstream scientific journals such as New England Journal of Medicine, Archives of General Psychiatry, American Psychologist and Behaviour Therapy, although this somewhat heavyweight list is leavened by the inclusion of the Journal of Humanistic Psychology and the Journal of Transpersonal Psychology. The reader must therefore be aware that the book does not deal at any length with the deeper esoteric levels of the meditative experience. Basically, it is designed to encourage psychiatrists, psychologists and related healthcare specialists to recognise the scientific evidence supporting the use of meditation, and to encourage them to consider incorporating the practice into their own clinical work. I must confess that important as I take scientific evidence on the efficacy of meditation to be, I am always wary that it may be set too firmly within the context of third person brain-based research rather than that of first person lived experience. There is a danger that by focusing on the brain-based third person the impression may be given that meditation is simply another weapon in the medical arsenal, akin to swallowing a few pills or undertaking a few sessions of cognitive-behavioural therapy. We see something of this danger in the MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) technique now coming into popular use and offering simple meditation techniques in a secular context. Meditation reduced in effect to a goal-orientated strategy for stressed-out executives. Valuable as this can sometimes be within its own limited context, it risks misleading participants about the true meaning and purpose of meditation practices. Fortunately the present author avoids such a risk. In fact he does not spend much time discussing the influence of meditation upon brain states and neurophysiological processes, placing his emphasis instead more upon scientific research into the practicalities of including meditation in the psycho-therapeutic encounter. The book is full of case studies, most of them illuminating, and of attempts to answer important questions such as the differences between those interested in learning meditation and those who are uninterested, and the difference between those who start to learn and subsequently drop out and those who stay with the practice. Also addressed are attempts to identify the qualities of those who achieve success in meditation, and the things we can learn about those who suffer adverse effects. In addition the book gives details of the ways in which clients' can usefully monitor their own progress and record the influence this progress has upon sleep patterns, relaxation/stress reduction and social interactions. Furthermore it also provides us with an interesting content analysis of the meditation experience itself. The samples on which all this material is based are small, but nevertheless there is much to learn from the many details it contains. One of the best of the remaining sections of the book deals with the instructions the author suggests therapists should give to clients when initiating them into meditation. These suggestions are simple, sensible, and in my view likely to prove effective for those willing to learn. There is in addition an interesting section reviewing the research on the use of meditation in the treatment of drug abuse and of hypertension, and another useful section reviewing research that seeks to draw comparisons between meditation and other clinical self-regulation strategies such as Benson's relaxation response, progressive relaxation biofeedback, and systematic desensitisation. Disappointingly perhaps, although meditation comes out as effective, these comparisons show it appears to be no more so than these other approaches. But of course this begs the question of how well the meditation was taught, and how conscientious clients actually were in its use. One of the very best chapters comes near the end of the book and looks at components of the meditation experience. Essentially these are divided into three, namely environment, person, and behaviour. These three include social variables such as social reinforcement; physical variables such as posture; antecedent psychological variables such as the subject's expectations, motivation and psychological profile and the therapist's training in meditation; and finally attentional variables such as active/receptive style and regulation of breathing. All of these are dealt with thoughtfully and effectively by the author, as are issues relating to methods of practice such as concentration versus opening-up meditation, mantra versus non-mantra meditation, active focusing versus passive focusing and so on. The book ends with a sensitive and non-egotistical (and all too short in view of its interest) chapter on the author's personal experiences. What can the reader make of this book? Firstly it will be of value to psychiatrists and psychologists and allied professionals who wish to incorporate meditation into their work. I wish there had been more on the need for personal meditation practice on the part of these practitioners, but perhaps that is something that emerges generally from the tone of the book. Secondly, it will be of interest to all those who, although not using meditation clinically, are experienced or interested in the practice. Thirdly it will be of value to those who wonder just how helpful meditation might be for them, and who question whether or not the practice has scientific credibility. That is quite a list of potential readers. I can guarantee that the book will leave them feeling positive about meditation, and better at conducting their own practice or at searching for a good teacher if they are beginners. Highly recommended.