A comparative concept analysis of centring vs. opening meditation processes in health care.
Journal of Advanced Nursing August 1, 2013 Ellen Birx
Centring and opening are two distinct meditation processes that are often conflated in healthcare literature. Both involve present-moment awareness, a gentle effortless approach, and produce a calming effect. However, centring focuses on the individual's inner experience, while opening involves a non-dual, spacious awareness. A concept analysis using Rodgers' evolutionary method, drawing on 10 articles and 11 books for centring and 13 articles and 10 books for opening, found these processes overlapping yet distinct. The findings argue that the term meditation should not be used generically in healthcare, as the differences have important implications for nursing theory development and for guiding meditation research.