Meditation Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Meditation - Assignment Example 1). Meditation has been studied by various practitioners and has been determined to contribute to the well-being of an individual and in the relief of medical illness or stress. As Baime averred, â€Å"meditation cultivates an emotional stability that allows the meditator to experience intense emotions fully while simultaneously maintaining perspective on them" (Medical Dictionary, par. 2). Further, there have been specific illnesses and disorders that were validated to be cured, relieved or prevented by regular meditation, to wit: â€Å"meditation is considered to be one of the better therapies for panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, substance dependence and abuse, ulcers, colitis, chronic pain, psoriasis, and dysthymic disorder. It is considered to be a valuable adjunctive therapy for moderate hypertension (high blood pressure), prevention of cardiac arrest (heart attack), prevention of atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), arthritis (including fibromyalgia), cancer, insomnia, migraine, and prevention of stroke. Meditation may also be a valuable complementary therapy for allergies and asthma because of the role stress plays in these conditions. Meditative practices have been reported to improve function or reduce symptoms in patients with some neurological disorders as well. These include people with Parkinson's disease, people who experience fatigue with multiple sclerosis, and people with epilepsy who are resistant to standard treatment† (Medical Dictionary, par. 2). Categories of Meditation According to Scott (2009), the two categories of meditation are concentrative and non-concentrative. For the concentrative category, the meditator focuses on an object outside the body, such as a flickering flame of the candle or a musical background. On the other hand, the non-concentrative category was indicated to have a wider or broader focus from the individual’s external environment (sounds), or one’s own breathing and inner stat e of the physical body (Scott, par. 6). McNeely, presented two meditation techniqu