The Science
Studies and Observations
Healing properties of meditation have been documented for centuries. In modern science, studies continue to explore the complexity of the human mind and the external and internal variables that influence it. Below are references to studies and books to help you decide if meditation for healing is right for you.
resources
Medical Studies
Meta studies* of meditation for pain and illness:
*A meta study, or study of many studies, is the highest level of evidence in medical research literature.
Emotion and Dis-ease Connection
- The Body Keeps the Score, Bessel van der Kolk M.D, ed. 2021
- The Positive Shift, Catherine A. Sanderson, PhD, 2019
- When the Body Says No. Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection, Dr. Gábor Maté, M. D., 2008
Other Recommended Reading
- Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon, Dr. Joe Dispenza, 2017
- The Medical Library Association Guide to Finding Out About Complementary and Alternative Medicine: The Best Print and Electronic Resources, Gregory A. Crawford, 2010
- You Can Heal Your Life, Louise Hay, 1984
Anatomy of Meditation
Thoughts and sensations are interpreted by networks in the brain. The brain then sends a signal to the hypothalamus—a small region at the base of the brain linking the nervous system to the endocrine system.
Basically, the hypothalamus acts as one of the body’s main control centers. It helps translate what the brain perceives into physical responses by directing a gland sitting just below, the pituitary gland, to release hormones.
The pituitary is often called the “master gland” because it controls:
- Growth and body composition through growth hormone.
- Metabolism and energy use through signals that influence the thyroid and adrenal glands.
- Stress response through ACTH, which stimulates cortisol production.
- Reproductive and sexual function through LH and FSH.
- Pregnancy and breastfeeding through prolactin and oxytocin.
- Water balance and blood pressure support through ADH (vasopressin).
When pituitary-controlled hormones are too low or too high, we can experience fatigue, low motivation, brain fog, sleep disruption, irritability, anxiety, depressed mood, or difficulty coping with stress.
Changing Physiology with Meditation
Meditation practice interrupts the cascade that turns stressful feelings into stress hormones. By choosing a state of calm over and over, you can send a signal from the brain to the body to create a hormonal state that looks like relaxation.
Thoughts do not let a person consciously command pituitary hormones in a simple on/off way. Many other factors— such as sleep, illness, inflammation, nutrition, medications, reproductive status, and feedback from other glands—also play important roles. However, cognition and emotion do alter neural activity. This, in turn, influences signaling from the hypothalamus to the pituitary, allowing us to prompt the best biochemical state in our bodies for healing.
Is meditation just the placebo effect?
“Placebo” is the result of our innate ability to heal our bodies – when we believe that we will get better and that our environment supports our healing, our bodies respond accordingly. Meditation likely taps into the same physiological response that placebo illicits. However, belief is not necessary for meditative healing to work. Meditation bypasses the need for cues from the environment (the way placebos do) by creating that sense of safety and support directly within our minds. Belief in meditation is a happy inevitability as you prove to yourself its effectiveness.
Aya Holyoke's Story
The first signs of my chronic illness began at age 26. I was climbing up the corporate ladder in a top US renewable energy company. I went from data analyst to supervisor in three years in a demanding work culture and was burned out. Symptoms crept up to a final health breakdown at 30.
Diagnosis was tricky. For three years, I was going from doctor to doctor. After a nine-day hospitalization, I was put on medication that finally, finally stabilized me. I went from all-day dread to feeling little windows of “maybe I can get better”.
Then I discovered energy healing. As I meditated with intention to “clear away junk” in my mind, heart, and memories, my health sky-rocketed back towards normal. In just 3 months, I went from exhausted driving 10 minutes to taking 6-hour road trips… from eating pre-made meals to making soups from scratch… from avoiding people to spending time with new and old friends. And I never felt more mentally and spiritually healthy.
Energy healing practices are not in our typical healthcare system. I want to teach these tools to fill this gap, especially for those who have tried almost everything to get better and are looking for a new option. Standard Western medicine is important and is not to be replaced by energy healing, but the two modalities are incredibly powerful together.
get in touch
Please reach out if you feel you are struggling to get well. Healing journeys are not meant to be done alone. Anam Healing is a safe container where you can be seen beyond any chronic illness and get better quickly.