Secular Meditation in The West
As stated by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, a U.S. government entity within the National Institutes of Health that advocates various forms of Alternative Medicine, "Meditation may be practiced for many reasons, such as to increase calmness and physical relaxation, to improve psychological balance, to cope with illness, or to enhance overall health and well-being."
Herbert Benson of Harvard Medical School conducted a series of clinical tests on meditators from various disciplines, including the Transcendental Meditation technique and Tibetan Buddhism. In 1975, Benson published a book titled The Relaxation Response where he outlined his own version of meditation for relaxation.
Biofeedback has been used by many researchers since the 1950s in an effort to enter deeper states of mind.
Read more about this topic: Meditation
Famous quotes containing the words secular, meditation and/or west:
“When a woman starts out in the world on a mission, secular or religious, she should leave her feminine charms at home.”
—Jane Grey Swisshelm (1815–1884)
“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be
acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.”
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“East Side, West Side,
All around the town.”
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