The Mind-Body Therapies of Meditation and Relaxation - Essay Sample

Mind-body therapies are practices designed to help the minds positive impact and to facilitate the mind's capacity to affect bodily functions. They include meditation, relaxation, biofeedback, guided imagery, hypnotherapy, yoga and Tai Chi. Most body-mind therapies focus on the minds conscious of mental states which improve and increases awareness to guide these mental states in a better way.

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Meditation is a state in which an individual train their mind to concentrate, relax and be composed. This helps various people with different problems, such that when one meditates theyll feel great, it brings about happiness where individuals who meditate frequently are less stressed, healthy, have enough sleep and take most life situations positive. Improved sleep is needed by the body and helps it to function's appropriately, stress reduction whereby meditation acts as the primary way of assisting the body to reduce our body's production of stress and related problems which increases mood-enhancing chemicals. Improved health, meditation aids a lot in improving one's health by strengthening our immune system, lowering cholesterol and preventing blood pressure (Creamer 2000).

Relaxation is a state by which the body of a human being is subjected to no pressure from the external surrounding or also a state of serenity. Relaxation is necessary for our bodies in various ways, such as it helps to keep our stress levels low. Also, decreases the rate at which one can get a heart attack, it reduces blood pressure, protects one from mental problems, gives the body a chance to take a break and improves digestion (Jeffery and Dusek, 2009).

Biofeedback is a process by which one gains more information of many physiological activities precisely on improving their health and body performances. Biofeedback helps a lot, and it may be used to treat headaches and migraine, improve one's health, prevents chronic pain, reduces and prevents high blood pressure, reduces the urgent need of urinating and helps women strengthen the pelvic girdle. Guided imagery is a program of mind-body interventions by which a trainer helps an individual to generate imaginations in a relaxed state. It is used to promote relaxation, lowers blood pressure, weight loss, smoking abstinence, pain management, promotes healing and helps one achieve a relaxed state (Lynne, 2004).

Hypnotherapy is described as a therapy that uses hypnosis in creating the subliminal alteration in the individual's thoughts behavior attitude and feelings. Its importance's include; Overcoming bad behaviors such as using drugs and sleeping problems; Helps one's self-determination by hypnotherapy aids in breaking the negative part of preventing one in achieving their goals and for self-improvement by which hypnotherapy concentrates on the good part of a person instead of the bad one (Gary, 2008).

In conclusion, mind-body therapies are interrelated such that the body affects the mind which in return impacts the body in a positive way. Yoga and Tai chi are workouts that focus on specific movements that enable the body to switch from one position to the other. They both help in relieving pain helps in reducing stress, aids the body to have balance, and also reduces high blood pressure.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Creamer P, E. J. (2000). Rheumatology . A systematic review.

Gary Elkins, J. M. (2008). Randomized Trial of a Hypnosis Intervention for Treatment of Hot Flashes Among Breast Cancer Survivors . Clinical Oncology, 5022-5026.

Jeffery A. Dusek, H. B. (2009). A Model of the Comparative Clinical Impact of the Acute Stress and Relaxation Responses. Mind-Body Medicine, 47-50.

Lynne W. Stevenson, D. M. (2004). A randomized controlled trial. Effects of tai chi mind-body movement therapy on functional status and exercise capacity in patients with chronic heart failure, 541-548.