Depression and meditation

• Prevalence of Meditation by James Spira, 3/30/98
  • Depression and meditation. by Avery W. M., 5/16/98
    
    

Thank you for your post. I have also struggled with depression thoughout my life. Weightlifting, running and raquetball were my self-medicators/regulators for 25 years. If I stopped, I'd get depressed and or sick. I took up Tai Chi Chuan and Chan meditation 6 years ago. I've had weekly individual but never praticed as I should have until last year when I had a melonoma removed from my back and had to give up weights. I went through2 weeks of, I think, endorphin withdrawal even though I practiced TCC daily. I've never gone back to weights(at my teachers suggestion) I practice daily and my mood has been better then ever and so has my health. I also have lost friends, professional colleagues, to suicide, heart attacks, diabetes and overdose who did not take care of themselves- didn't have the time. That's the #1 excuse clients give for not taking care of themselves. I have them track the amount of time they spend traveling to medical appointments, getting medications, staying up at night worrying,etc.as well as taking care of others. They usually begin to make time for meditation or meditate as they function and have more time than ever. Does anyone have any information on the hormonal/chemical changes elicited by meditation, TCC, vs weightlifting, running,etc. I read some research findings regarding EEG changes in subjects who practiced Chi Kung or received emitted chi from a Chi Kung master,a fake or a mechanical device. The practitioners showed the greatest change followed by those receiving from a master. Those receiving from a mechanical simulator showed some change and those receiving from a fake showed no change. The experiment was repeated on various animals with the same results.

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