Can meditation be useful for those who have a tendency to feel depressed? And can those whose depression is caused by chemical imbalances (e.g. those who live with bipolar disorder or manic-depression) usefully meditate?
I am convinced that meditation can be very helpful for depression, whether the depression is situational (caused by external events) or organic (caused by chemical imbalances in the brain). Research has also shown that learning to meditate can dramatically reduce the chances of relapse into depression for those who have suffered repeated bouts.
I am not a mental health professional, and make no claims for any expertise in the field of mental health in general, or with depression in particular. However, I know meditators who have struggled with depression, and they have found their practice to be a great support. I’ve also experienced periods of depression myself, and mindfulness has been an invaluable tool for emerging from that state.
There may be some kinds of meditation which are not of benefit to those who have a tendency to experience depression, and I will mention those in this section. The Mindfulness of Breathing and Metta Bhavana practices however, are certainly useful for anyone to practice.
In fact the Metta Bhavana (development of lovingkindness) practice is highly recommended for those who experience depression.
However there may also be times when it’s best for those who are depressed not to meditate — for example when experiencing an extreme bout of depression it is probably not a good idea to try to meditate. One reason for this are that learning to meditate is a challenging experience, and because when one is very depressed one has few inner resources to fall back on, any difficulties experienced while learning meditation are likely to be taken too seriously and interpreted as a sign of personal failure. Another reason is that when we’re depressed we tend to over-indulge in what’s called “rumination,” or the endless turning over in the mind of thoughts about what’s wrong with our lives. Because meditation is an inward-turned activity it may actually give people who are experiencing depression yet another opportunity to ruminate.
In cases of milder depression it’s quite possible to meditate effectively, building on whatever inner resources one has in order to lift oneself into a more positive frame of mind.
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I guess I don't know where to draw the line when it comes too letting my spouse know what I'm feeling. If there are things that are bothering me and I just "acknowledge" the frustration or anger or whatever in my mind but don't say anything, then there isn't a chance of it changing. I don't find that "observing" my feelings -- sort of saying to myself "I am feeling depression" -- is mitigating them. Isn't it healthy to release feelings of sorrow or anger rather than hope they dissipate by observing them? Isn't it better for the relationship to communicate feelings rather than think to oneself? I suppose I am doubting the ability of meditating to lessen the emotion. Also, there is still the problem of dealing with the action that resulted in the emotional reaction...
Thanks, that's helpful, Jennifer. What you're describing is one of the big misconceptions about the place of mindfulness in spiritual practice -- a misconception that's encouraged by some teaching styles. Sometimes the role of mindfulness is over-emphasized, to the extent that it's seen as the be-all and end-all of what we do in our lives. There's a nice story about this, where one monk is visiting another, only to find him sitting meditating under a leak in his hut -- the rain is dripping directly on the meditator's head. When he's finished meditating the visitor asks him what he was doing, and he says he was just being mindful of the sensations of the water hitting his head and running down his body. "Ah!" says the visitor. "Lots of mindfulness -- not so much wisdom."
So mindfulness isn't the only spiritual faculty. Wisdom (which includes knowing when to act and when not to) and "virya" (energy -- or actually acting) are also faculties that have to be exercised. As you're correctly intuiting, if you experience frustration with the way someone is acting, then it's going to create more suffering for you if you don't express this in some way. Otherwise you're just sitting under a dripping roof. Wisdom suggests that you fix the leak, and virya impels you to do something. So I'd suggest you do something, which is what your instincts (your natural wisdom) is telling you to do.
Of course it's important that we communicate as mindfully as we can, with honesty but also with as much kindness and respect towards the other person as we can muster. This becomes more tricky to do when we've bottled up our resentments, unfortunately, because there's a lot of energy waiting to get out! But you'll just have to work with that as best as possible. Better out than in!
I think mindfulness meditation is wonderful for people who suffer from depression. I teach the 8 week mindfulness course in south west London, and it can be very effective for those suffering from depression as it helps to disengage with the constant rumination in the mind. See http://www.learnmindfulness.co.uk for videos and articles about the benefits of mindfulness meditation and the 8 week MBCT course, which is used now by the NHS in the United Kingdom to treat some patient who suffer repeated from depression.
Best wishes,
Shamash
I was wandering if meditation could help me in dealing with my suffering for being extremely shy. It has been a real problem
for me my whole life. The feelings of being inferior or the comparisons with other people are really painful. excuse me for my english, I am not a native speaker. Thank you for the comments.
Rose
Hi Rose,
I would say yes, but it's not the only way. Have you tried counselling, psychotherapy or cognitive behaviour therapy? These can all be helpful. Meditation would be a good compliment to all of these approaches and it would make you feel calmer. If you've never tried meditation before, you could try some of the meditations on this website. In the end, it's best to find a teacher in your area.
Best wishes,
Shamash
learnmindfulness.co.uk
Hi Rose. I agree with Shamash that meditation could be helpful, and also that it would be worth exploring the other options he mentioned. Cognitive therapy seems to work particularly well with meditation -- both involve becoming aware of how we think, help us to become aware that we have choices, and (with some forms of meditation) help us to channel our thoughts in more productive directions.
Both mindfulness meditation and lovingkindness meditation would likley be beneficial. Mindfulness meditation, as I mentioned, helps us to let go of unhelpful patterns of thinking. And lovingkindness meditation not only helps us feel better about ourselves (more appreciative and confident) it also helps us take our attention away from ourselves and onto other people (in a helpful way). We become more interested in other people as people rather than as potential judges who may like or dislike us.
Your English is excellent, by the way: better than many native speakers in fact.
Good luck!
Bodhipaksa, first, I want to thank you for your guided meditation CD, which has been so helpful to me as I battle my own depressions. I was on Paxil for 11 years, and developed alcohol dependency during the last 5 years. I went for therapy and have managed to quit both the alcohol and the Paxil, but I am separated from my wife and family and unemployed, and so suffering the symptoms of depression again. My sister is a Buddhist (and a professor of eastern religion) and she has been a great help in pointing the way for me to develop a practice.
I am entering therapy again, and with luck I will have a therapist objective enough to refrain from giving advice that will lead me to rash decisions while I am dealing with so many difficult issues (I left my wife thinking I was coming back, given the advice of my therapist, only to find the door not open on my return. I am still hoping to reconcile with her, but that may not happen). The path of Buddhism continues to be a way for me to deal with the vicissitudes of life. Again, thank you.
Hi Matthew,
Good luck with working through your current bout. May it pass quickly.
I have been wondering, after my experience with Paxil, if the effects of the drug over time diminished my capacity for empathy, and therefore my compassion. I am certainly struggling with more sadness now; but wonder if that doesn't make me keener to understand and appreciate the sadness, grief and loss of others.
... I only wanted to say thanks to you and to Shamash for you answers and support. I am attending to a course in a Brahmna Kumaris centre, is about Raja Yoga, I think is very helpful. Mindfulness meditation and lovingkindness meditation seems good for shyness, I've never tried them before.
Thanks for your comment about my English, it is very encouraging for me.
Best wishes.