Relaxation and Meditation
Ayesha Nathoo
The Oxford Handbook of Meditation March 14, 2019 DOI: 10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198808640.013.22 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Historical analysis Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Citations | 7 |
| Key points | Argues that early twentieth-century relaxation therapies strongly influenced the later development of secularized, therapeutic meditation practices in the West. |
Abstract
Abstract This chapter elucidates the shared socio-cultural history of modern, therapeutic relaxation and meditation strategies. It demonstrates how the promulgation of relaxation therapies from the early twentieth century strongly influenced the later advancement of secularized, therapeutic meditation practices. It traces the development of scientifically grounded neuromuscular relaxation techniques, visualization methods and Autogenic Training in the first half of the twentieth century, through to the proliferation of modern yoga and Transcendental Meditation practices from the 1960s and mindfulness-based approaches from the late twentieth century. It shows how and why relaxation and meditation have been variously demarcated and amalgamated, in their common outreach to health-seeking Western populations. The chapter contributes a new historical vantage point for better understanding both the appeal and limitations of adapting and appropriating meditative techniques for therapeutic ends.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness: A proposed operational definition. | 2004 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mechanisms of mindfulness | 2005 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| How Does Mindfulness Meditation Work? Proposing Mechanisms of Action From a Conceptual and Neural Perspective | 2011 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for depression | 2006 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence (S-ART): a framework for understanding the neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness | 2012 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Interpersonal and individual effects of an app-based Christian and Islamic heart meditation intervention in healthy adults: protocol of a stratified randomised controlled trial. BMC Psychology September 27, 2024
- Comparing the effects of a mindfulness versus relaxation intervention on romantic relationship wellbeing. Scientific Reports December 10, 2020
Cites 6
- Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Depression: A New Approach to Preventing Relapse Psychotherapy Research March 1, 2003
- Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation Science March 27, 1970
- Mindfulness in cultural context Transcultural Psychiatry August 1, 2015
- Some reflections on the origins of MBSR, skillful means, and the trouble with maps June 14, 2011
- Meditation and Positive Psychology The Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology July 30, 2009
and 1 more in the library