Abstract

Meditation inclues a variety of techniques that share a common conscious effort to focus attention in a non-analytic way. In terms of its goals, meditation is a state of completely focused attention devoid of external thoughts--a state of heighted choice-less awareness. ;This study was designed to: Identify and critically review professional literature on the effectiveness of meditation; Provide an overall measure of effectiveness through the statistical meta-analysis technique; Provide a classification of findings through the voting method; and summarize and integrate highlights and major findings for the purpose of generating implications for future research and practice in counseling and psychotherapy. ;Related goals of this study to: Educate and clarify whether meditation deserves a wider acceptance and application in the pursuit of holistic well being, which is the ultimate goal of counseling and psychotherapy; and To assess whether meditation addresses the holistic nature of the human person as mind, body and spirit and would, as such, be a needed complement to counseling and psychotherapy. ;Effectiveness of meditation has been studied on blood pressure/hypertension, EEG, respiratory systems, muscle tension, pain, perceptual/cognitive abilities and motor skills, self-actualization, anxiety, stress, and chemical dependency. Effectiveness of meditation has also been measured across gender, age and cultural background and has been found to transcend race, culture and belief systems. ;This research review offers support for on going calls, encouragement and challenges to counseling and psychotherapy to examine, develop and integrate meditation theories and goals as part of a comprehensive theory of and approach to counseling and psychotherapy. The need for integration is to respond and address clients' emerging world view and movement towards more holistic well-being--of body, mind and spirit. When meditation becomes fully integrated, it could also complement therapeutic eclecticism as currently practiced in counseling and psychotherapy. ;Several implications for research were generated. Research is needed to replicate previous studies using stronger scientific rigor to control identified methodological weakness in past studies. Studies are needed to measure the energy generated by meditation and to assess intuition and other levels of consciousness attainable via meditation. Research is also needed to tailor meditation to specific treatment goals or problems, as well as aspects of cost effectiveness. Longitudinal studies of most aspects of meditation are needed, as well. ;Central among implications for practice were these: Meditation might be useful in all modes of counseling, such as, individual and group counseling, as well as specialized practice, such as, marriage counseling and employee assistance counseling. Additionally, meditation might be useful in most settings, such as, universities, prisons, rehabilitation centers, and corporations. Meditation teachers might be more effective if they have direct and extensive personal experience in meditation, however there are a number of problems, such as over-meditation, that require attention from both meditation teachers and students