INTRODUCTION
Mindfulness-based interventions have become increasingly popular [1]. During the last two decades, studies have generally supported the idea that mindfulness meditation is widely practiced to reduce stress and promote mental and physical health, as well as to reduce cognitive and behavioral problems [2].
However, there was no evidence that meditation programs were better than any active treatment (i.e., medications, exercise, and other behavioral therapies) [3]. Therefore, clinicians should be aware that meditation programs can result in minor to moderate reductions in a variety of negative dimensions of psychological distress. Therefore, clinicians should be prepared to discuss with their patients the potential benefits of a meditation program to address psychological stress. Based on the author’s clinical experience, the present paper aims to conceptually analyze the theory regarding psychological functioning and action mechanisms in how mindfulness meditation works.
IMPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS MEDIATION
For more than two millennia, mindfulness meditation has been practised in the East [4], as well as currently, a growing number of people are seeking health recovery treatments with a holistic approach to the human being [5]. In my experience, I noticed that many of my patients asked for meditation to empty their minds. But in reality, the mind will never be empty.
Although, when resources are not fully available, such as psychiatric medication and professional psychotherapy, meditation could be effective as a fast, immediate, and short-term psychobehavioral therapeutic intervention model, particularly during an emergency or humanitarian crisis [6], because it is simple, easy, and non-harmful, and patients can learn and practice it whenever and wherever they have mental and psychological disturbances. Nevertheless, it enhances the mental health and well-being of aid workers in humanitarian settings because it has the power to build resilience on the field and beyond [7].
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL ACTION MECHANISM OF MINDFULNESS MEDIATION
Meditation is a method of uncovering unconsciousness; I have observed from my patients that meditation functions in a way similar to the inhibitory and excitatory mechanisms of neurons, blocking pathogenic thoughts and emotions that access the unconscious to the conscious mind (awareness). Meanwhile, in the absence of the effects of meditation, the path between both minds will be open (excitatory) after a few hours or days of practicing meditation. Therefore, unconscious suppressed psychological complexes will be stimulated and released more negative psychological dimensions from the unconscious and subconscious into the consciousness. Therefore, the problems will be relapsing and recurrent because we hypothesised that the transition from the unconscious to the conscious mind would be rapid and vivid right after practising the first session of meditation. However, according to Hoffer [8], meditation, like the free association technique, could be used to facilitate the emergence of unconscious material and allow integration at a higher (more cognitive) level of consciousness.
FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS
Meditation research continues to advance, allowing us to better understand how meditation works and its effects [9]. Although further research is needed to determine the psychotheoretical mechanism of how meditation works, the current conceptual hypothesis presented in this study might be helpful.
CONCLUSION
To conclude, long-term implementation of mediation may be more effective than short-term and interruptive implementation, as it can blur the transparent boundary between unconscious and conscious minds until the point of processing and clearing all pathogenic thoughts and emotions from the unconscious mind and blocking the transition, and this obviously depends on the individual and the severity of distress. However, this theoretical concept is based on clinical experience, but more research is needed to provide stronger evidence.