Term Paper on "Meditation Benefit ADHD Meditation Is Primarily"

Term Paper 9 pages (3644 words) Sources: 10

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Meditation Benefit ADHD

Meditation is primarily a human effort to take control over the mind's network; it can be designed through using mere breath control or the repetition of a word or mantra to calm the nerves and have the mind be one and at peace with everything around the individual. Meditation is effectively used as a treatment measure for patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (Kutz et al., 1985). ADHD is primarily a neurological disorder and results in attention deficits and hyperactivity in individuals (Kutz et al., 1985).

This paper will highlight how meditation helps in relieving the patients' cognition to perform at an enhanced level taking the support of most of the current studies (in particular a study conducted by Dr. Davidson and another study focusing on Transcendental Meditation conducted by Curiati and colleagues (2005) that support the use of meditation for an array of medical treatments provided for disordesr that range from mental (i.e. related to brain waves activities) to psychological (i.e.related to the behavioral patterns) and emotional (i.e. related to the motivational factors and values) (Curiati et al., 2005). It is important to note that Freud did not support the process of meditation arguing that it had a more pathological impact on the patient as opposed to productive. Of course, Freud did not practice meditation as a treatment for this reason hence his argument will not be given high priority in this paper (Epstein, 1984). The paper will focus on studies and how the researchers aforementioned have used meditation in the past to exploit positive outcomes for their patients. The study will then design a questionnaire, based on the findings of the studies and the discussion previously done on ADHD and meditation, with the purpose of distribution to gather authenticated data that either confirms or refutes the hypothesis of the study.

"When the attention wanders, the meditation continually refocuses on the meditative stimulus. When strong feelings arise, the mediator notices the feeling and allows himself or herself to be with the feeling as it occurs, observing it until it subsides, then returning to the object of attention" (Astin, 1997). Meditation helps the ADHD patients by "restricting the attention to single repetitive stimuli, such as a word, sound, prayer, phrase, and the sensation of breath or a visual object" (Kutz, Borysenko, et al., 1985, p. 2). This further allows the individual to analyze his/her own thoughts without passing judgment on them and transferring into the acceptance phase about their medical problem at hand (i.e. ADHD) (Castleman, 1996). Hence, in essence, meditation helps the ADHD patients not only confront the disorder that us hampering their performance but also counter it and take control over the deficiencies caused thereof. The entire process of meditation calms down the senses and slows the heart beat allowing the individual to think lucidly and then choose a topic to concentrate on; this when practiced regularly can help the individual use the method of meditation in practical situations to control his/her attention span.

Purpose of the study

The purpose of this study is to discover the perception and the impact of meditation on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. More specifically, this study examines the scientific evidence of meditation through the use of studies conducted on transcendental meditation and the study conducted by Dr. Davidson and colleagues.

Significance of the study

This study will carry significant value for clinicians since this research will thoroughly cover the concept of meditation's impact on ADHD and its impact on healing covered in regional, national, and international literature.

1)

The findings of this study will expand the knowledge about developmental influences of clinicians whilst interacting with their clients.

2)

It will provide valuable information for the policy makers both in the central government and local government to make effective decisions to support and fund ADHD and meditation programs.

3)

This study and its findings will become an addition to the existing literature as well as be an update of the international research of meditation and it benefits for ADHD.

Literature Review

"The capacity to stabilize the content of attention over time varies among individuals, and its impairment is a hallmark of several mental illnesses. Impairments in sustained attention in patients with attention disorders have been associated with increased trial-to-trial variability in reaction time and event-related potential deficits during attention tasks. At present, it is unclear whether the ability to sustain attention and its underlying brain circuitry are transformable through training. Here, we show, & #8230; that training attention, as cultivated by meditation, can improve the ability to sustain attention" (Davidson et al., 2009

One of the most influential medical experts in this category is Dr. Richard Davidson who in his study analyzed the impact of mediation practice on brain waves activity for ADHD patients. In his study, Dr. Davidson asserts that meditation surfaces in and influences not just the psychological structure alone but also impacts the immune response of an individual and hence can be used to help patients suffering from ADHD or depression and other similar disorders (Davidson et al., 2009). In his study, he hence analyzed how meditation helps ADHD particularly, as well as the psychological structure of ADHD patients in general

In his study, the results showed that the expert meditations that were used with the primary focus being on breath control were designed to have between 10,000 and 54,000 hours dedicated to "EM' and functional MRI with respect to the activation of attention-related networks screen them." The study shows that the design of this insight mediation activates the overall sensors in the brain that deal with the attention of an individual like the "frontal parietal" regions and/or the "lateral occipital" areas of the brain. To analyze and highlight the detailed features of activation of attention in an individual, the doctors subcategorized the mediators into two separate parts, one dedicated to the "MHEM (the most hours of practice, mean hours= 44,000 range 37,000-52,000 mean age 52.3 years)" while the other was dedicated to the "LHEM (the least hours of practice, mean hours=19,000, range 10,000-24,000, mean age 48.8 ears)" (Davidson et al., 2009). This helped the researchers analyze and compare the total hours that meditation was practiced by the sample chosen in order to control their brain waves and attention phases. It also helps us understand the average practice hours that need to be put in by patients in order to manage their attention deficit and hypersensitivity issues.

The limitation of this particular study conducted by Dr. Davidson was that the doctor himself chose the sample that he wanted to study as opposed to having a general criterion for selection. Furthermore, the techniques of meditation used were recorded to have been more useful for treatment of other medical troubles like heart disease as opposed to being restricted to only mental abilities for patients experiencing ADHD (Davidson et al., 2009).

When looking at complementary researches and methodologies used over the years that support the approach adopted by Dr. Davidson, the most popular approach that comes to mind in the concept of transcendental meditation. The pioneer and implementer of the concept, Maharishi is reported to have said:

"Transcendental Meditation opens the awareness to the infinite reservoir of energy, creativity, and intelligence that lies deep within everyone. By enlivening this most basic level of life, Transcendental Meditation is that one simple procedure which can raise the life of every individual and every society to its full dignity, in which problems are absent and perfect health, happiness, and a rapid pace of progress are the natural features of life."

Putting it simply, the Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a method whereby the simple and natural procedures of the mind and the body are combined to formulate and act on a single frame of thought or action. This technique results in the formation of calming mental condition that is referred to as the Transcendental Consciousness also asserted to be a state of pure consciousness or self-referral consciousness. The roots of transcendental meditation lie in Hinduism and its spiritual beliefs and structures. This is why the state of pure consciousness or Transcendental Consciousness is believed to be the foundation of any and all creative procedures and actions.

The procedure of transcendental meditation is that it is a state where an individual does not stay for more than 15 or 20 minutes twice within a 24-hour period. The individual its with his/her eyes closed in a relaxed position focusing completely on the neurological activities related to a particular aspect; this helps in formulating a strong sense of concentration and attention in the individual as he slips into a state of restful alertness. Here the consciousness then becomes open to its existence and the existence of any and all beings around it (Curiati et al., 2005).

"Research on Transcendental Meditation has been conducted at more than 200 universities, hospitals, and research institutions in 27 countries. As a result, more than 500 research and review papers have been written covering a wide variety of physiological,… READ MORE

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