need some/guidance

[diguilio]

HI.....I WANT LEARN HOW TO MEDITATE.....not sure toand does it reallywork/help? Thank you

[hunterd]

I learned from reading a book, but I do not know what led me to that book. I would try at the national MS Society first. I would also Google meditation, and see what that turns up.

[MSer102]

Like with many learned abilities it's better to have a teacher. But if you can't afford a meditation teacher or can't find one, there's a lot of information online about learning to meditate.

There are different kinds of meditation, but I think they all work to defuse stress.

I have read about and heard some interesting information in seminars from psychologists about what kind of meditation to use. If you have bipolar disorder or have anxiety, they say that the best kind of meditation is "mindfulness". They say that the "zoning out" kind isn't good for bipolar or anxious people because things come up when the mind gets quiet that can frighten anxious people or those who don't have good self control. Those things can freak them out instead of helping them become calm.

If you aren't bipolar or anxious then you may be fine with any kind of meditation. There was a study done a while ago specifically with mindfulness meditation and people with MS and mindfulness was found to be helpful in the MS subjects. So if you aren't sure where to start, mindfulness meditation might be a good first choice. Happy meditating!

[Seasha]

diguilio - Here is an article from Momentum magazine (put out by the NMSS) on meditation. You will have to zoom out the page to read it as it's very small print. http://publications.nationalmssociet...012?pg=40#pg40

I've been meditating for years now and started with an instructor. It has been very beneficial for my well-being!

[MarkLavelle]

I have read about and heard some interesting information in seminars from psychologists about what kind of meditation to use. If you have bipolar disorder or have anxiety, they say that the best kind of meditation is "mindfulness". They say that the "zoning out" kind isn't good for bipolar or anxious people because things come up when the mind gets quiet that can frighten anxious people or those who don't have good self control. Those things can freak them out instead of helping them become calm.

Interesting!

I did TM (Transcendental Meditation, the most popular 'zoning out' kind) back in my college days and learned Mindfulness Meditation at 40 (when I had cancer), and I can see where that advice comes from.

When I had cancer I found both kinds useful, but different. But I think this is the first time since my MS diagnosis that I've even thought of doing TM. I'm gonna guess that's because I know that every once in a while TM can cause sensory hallucinations. With my paresthesia I think I'll pass!

So ... I'm gonna say that I'd recommend that people with MS try the mindfulness kind.

I learned it from the book "Full Catastrophe Living" by Jon Kabat-Zinn (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/038..._ya_os_product), and the cassette tapes that could be bought with it at the time. These days I use the Series 1 & 2 CDs from www.mindfulnesscds.com or nothing (silence).

If you have no prior experience with any kind of meditation, you can find mindfulness classes at most teaching hospitals (particularly those with stress clinics).

However you learn, try not to expect anything in particular. It's really about acquiring new habits.

[blissfuldrake]

Mindfulness meditation

I have a problem with anxiety and have been diagnosed bi-polar type 1 (the little one...not the one that lands people in psychiatric wards). I also have cognitive, attention span and impulsiveness problems. I can get confused easily and don't like lots of sensory overload. With all this, I easily get distracted from the 'mindfulness' calm I am trying to attain. Just 'noticing everything as it happens' gets me going off in other directions and scattered.

I have come up with an answer for me. I love to look CLOSELY at art, at rocks (even 'ugly' ones! LOL), ANYTHING that grabs my interest. When I need to meditate, I can pick up a rock from the driveway, or hold a flower, etc. and focus down on it, letting my mind float in wonder and imagining all that happened to this 'thing' to get it here, in this space, at this time. I fantasize the journey it took...growing in the earth...forming billions of years ago...how that particular stroke on the canvas got there...the pigments in the inks...the brush in the artist's hands...on and on. I look at all the little imperfections, perfections, colors, scents, lumps and bumps. By focusing so closely on this ONE thing, my mind stills and my anxiety leaves.

Candle flames don't do it for me, but a crackling wood fire at night is mesmerizing. Just watching the glow on the coals ebb and flow, brighten and dull is very relaxing.

I've always been an advocate for my theory that there is no right way to do 'meditation'. If you substitute the word 'daydreaming', it is much less off-putting and easier to do. Hooray for you if you have mastered and feel comfortable with Zen, Mindfulness, or any other 'brand' of meditation. This is what works for me. Maybe it will work for others, too.