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 keep going back to this followyourbreathing meditation but it seems to be making my depression and anxiety worse!
What am I doing wrong, please?
It's hard to know without hearing a fuller description of what you're doing, and what your experience is like. Can you say more?
I also wanted to ask - as I really mean business with all this - the point of following 'breath' is presumably the same as the point of feeling or being aware of your 'body' - both are means for helping to focus away from relentless thinking. So, does it matter what the 'object' is - so long as it is something internally experienced?
Well, being aware of the breathing is being aware of the body :)
You're right, that in some ways it doesn't matter exactly what we're paying attention to if we simply want to quiet the mind. It wouldn't even strictly have to be something internal.
But the Buddha taught "four foundations" of mindfulness, with the body being the most accessible and concrete. It's harder to pay attention to feelings unless we've developed the ability to pay attention to the body first. And feelings, after all, are rooted in the body...
im not a buddhist but i meditate it help me with anger and depression im 14 i nearly did
suicide and i hate pills so i look to new things and ive been bullied for 7 years from 1st grade up till now(8th grade) and i really need help i dont have many friends(only 4 friends) and im been lonly what can i do with meditation also i may have forgot my email pass word so please contact me on facebook thank you for helpin me with this article
Hi, Jayden.
I can't contact you on Facebook, but hopefully you'll see this message. I'm sorry to hear that you're experiencing the pain of anger and depression, and that you've been bullied. It pains me to think of the cruelty people show each other.
Meditation is a very useful tool that can help you with both anger and depression, and I hope you'll dig around in the meditation guides here and start practicing. I also hope you're able to find help closer to home, from school counsellors or friends.
I wish you all the best,
Bodhipaksa
thank you bodhipaksa i been looking and finding it more helpfull
Good evening, I live in São Paulo - Brazil, and Buddhism that which you are part.
I would love to know if you have here in São Paulo, wanted to attend.
'm Nichiren Buddhist. But I wanted to know a deeper Buddhism. With meditations, Why am I adapt the Sakyamuni. And in my budsimo is talk little about it. I appreciate your generosity. Stay in peace. PS: Excuse me for bad English I am translating in goolge
If I understand your question, then I can put you in touch with my friend Manjupriya in São Paulo: https://www.budismosaopaulo.com.br/bsp/AOBO.html
Hi,
I have what could be described as mild to moderate anxiety and depression.(Especially public speaking is a problem for me, virtually impossible)
I'm currently not on any meds.
Got into meditation 2 years ago and started practising mindfulness of breathing. Did only that for more than a year, then found about vipassana and loving-kindness.
1. I really don't know how I should divide my time between samatha, vipassana and loving kindness. Do you have any thoughts on this?
Three weeks ago I decided to spend all formal practise on doing loving-kindness and I must say that the results are quite positive so far. Loving kindness seem to be really powerful.
2. So right now my meditation practise consists of 45 min formal practise loving kindness everyday AND being mindful all the time in everyday life(noting thoughts and feelings etc.). Do you think this "program" sounds good given my current situation? (I know eventually I'll have to do more formal vipassana practise)
3. Lastly, how would you recommend working with desire? (which is the one of the five hindrances that is most prevalent in my mind).
I would also like to thank you for your great and informative site!
Hi, EuropeanGuy. Apologies for the delayed reply, but at times I get very busy with teaching and with family stuff.
1. I generally suggest roughly alternating mindfulness of breathing (as a samatha practice) and lovingkindness meditation on a daily basis. The practices are complementary, and alternating them daily means that there's less opportunity to neglect the practice you find more difficult. And then once things are going smoothly, then from time to time replace one of the practices with some form of insight meditation. The vipassana you've been doing sounds good.
2. I think your program sounds wonderful. There have been times I've done nothing but lovingkindness practice months or even a year. As I suggested above, though, there is a complementarity between mindfulness of breathing and metta bhavana that makes the two practices together more powerful.
3. My main recommendation for desire is, in meditation, to allow yourself to relax more, get more deeply into the sensations in the body, and enjoy them. When you don't appreciate the pleasure that's already potentially there in your experience, the mind goes wandering off to seek it elsewhere. Outside of meditation I'd suggest slowing down and appreciating ordinary experiences more. And count your blessings. Reflect on what a blessing it is to have all the things you take for granted, like shelter, electricity, clean air, a relatively law-abiding society to live in, etc. And as you think of all these things, say "thank you." Again, when you feel that you're living surrounded by an abundance of blessings, you're less likely to need to crave anything. Craving is often an attempt to replace a sense of "lack," and really we don't lack much.
Hi,
I made a comment a while ago but it seems the moderator never put it on here.
Anyway, here are my questions.
I suffer from mild to moderate anxiety/depression. I meditated for about 2 years, and only recently have I begun doing metta meditation. It has really improved my mood.
1. My current practise consists of 45 min formal metta meditation every day and everyday mindfulness througout the day(i.e. labeling thoughts, feelings, sensations etc). Do you think this "program" sounds good given my current situation? (I know eventually I'll have to bring in formal insight meditation in my practise)
2. I read somewhere that a good way of cultivating metta before you begin your practise would be to think of someone who loves you, a family member, one's mother for example to create the feeling of loving-kindness before starting to send it out to oneself. Do you agree on this approach?
By the way thanks for a great site
Hi. Sorry your comment didn't make it through last time you posted it. Sometimes we get rather swamped and we prefer not to post comments when I don't have time to reply, and not to keep comments in moderation forever.
Your practice sounds good, and I'm glad to hear that your metta practice has improved your mood. Another thing that might help is what I call "power standing" (it was one of my students who came up with the term). It's basically the kind of posture that Amy Cuddy recommends in her famous TEDx talk. It's very good for boosting confidence and overcoming anxiety.
And I think your approach to the metta practice is fine. I've never done it that way myself, but it seems to work for many people.
Hi,
Several times now over several years I have started to meditate with the object of relaxing and relieving stress. But after a week or two I find I am experiencing bouts of depression. If I stop meditating I no longer get the bouts of depression. The depression is relatively short lived - I am depressed for about 12 hours or so and a tablet of St John's Wort and a couple of aspirin help to make me feel better, but the feeling is horrible while it lasts. I haven't ever met anyone who has experienced a similar side effect but I can't believe I am unique. When I tried Yoga the same thing happened and I had to give it up. Am I doing something wrong? Or have I the equivalent of a mental allergy? I find the meditation itself useful and relaxing, no strain at all and a pleasant experience, and I would like to continue. I practice a simple sort of meditation for about 15 minutes at a time, twice a day, just concentrating on my breathing with some visualisation or chanting. But after about two weeks or so, the depression starts to kick in and I have to give up. As soon as I stop meditating the depression disappears. Any help you can offer would be much appreciated. I am 67 years old.
I just don't know, Fennie. The answer is probably more in the psychological realm than anywhere else. Are you aware of any particular thought patterns accompanying the depression? Are there any fears or expectations accompanying your meditation practice?
It would be interesting to hear what happens when you try lovingkindness meditation.
Thanks you.
No particular thought patterns. No abnormal fears or expectations. It's the same as the switch that occurs with an overexcited and overtired child who one minute is exuberant and the next in tears. There is some chemical trigger, probably a build-up or a shortfall of some neuro-transmitter. I'll look at the loving kindness meditation.
I can recommend the work of Amy Weintraub on Yoga for Depression. It includes yoga, meditations, and breathing in various combinations. She works from personal experience and a deep knowledge base. I found the pranayama exercises particularly helpful for myself.