Meditation has been practiced for thousands of years as a means of promoting physical, mental, and emotional well-being. There are many different types of meditation, but they can be broadly categorized into three main forms: focused attention, open awareness, and automatic self-transcending.
1) Focused Attention Meditation
Focused attention meditation involves concentrating on a single object, such as the breath or a specific mantra, while redirecting any wandering thoughts back to the object of focus. This type of meditation is often taught in mindfulness-based stress reduction programs and has been shown to improve attention, decrease anxiety, and increase immune function.
Studies have shown that focused attention meditation can increase activity in the prefrontal cortex, which is involved in attentional control, and decrease activity in the amygdala, which is involved in emotional processing. This shift in brain activity may help to explain the benefits of focused attention meditation, such as improved attention and decreased anxiety.
2) Open Awareness Meditation
Open awareness meditation involves observing thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment or reaction. The goal is to cultivate a state of non-reactive awareness and develop insight into the nature of the mind. This type of meditation is often taught in Vipassana and Zen meditation traditions.
Studies have shown that open awareness meditation can increase activity in the insula, which is involved in interoceptive awareness, and decrease activity in the default mode network, which is involved in self-referential thinking. This shift in brain activity may help to explain the benefits of open awareness meditation, such as increased emotional regulation and decreased rumination.
3) Automatic Self-Transcending Meditation
Automatic self-transcending meditation involves effortlessly transcending the thinking process to experience a state of pure awareness. Vedic meditation and Transcendental Meditation are this type of meditation and involve the use of a phonetic mantra/ sound (no meaning) as a vehicle to transcend the thinking process.
Studies have shown that automatic self-transcending meditation can increase activity in the default mode network, which is involved in self-referential thinking, and decrease activity in the amygdala, which is involved in emotional processing. This shift in brain activity may help to explain the benefits of automatic self-transcending meditation, such as increased creativity and decreased anxiety.
So the three forms of meditation – focused attention, open awareness, and automatic self-transcending – work differently on brain activity and therefore benefit the meditator in different ways. Focused attention meditation can improve attention and decrease anxiety, open awareness meditation can increase emotional regulation and decrease rumination, and automatic self-transcending meditation can increase creativity and decrease anxiety and depression. Each form of meditation has its own unique benefits, and individuals may find that one form of meditation resonates with them more than others.