Meditation is a systematic method of regulating your attention, often through focusing on your breathing, a phrase, or an image. It may include calmly dismissing distracting thoughts and feelings while sitting in a relaxed position with your eyes closed.

Meditation is used to relieve stress and elicit the relaxation response, a state of profound rest and release. Some experts believe that by regularly practicing techniques that evoke the relaxation response, such as meditation, you can help your body erase the cumulative effects of stress, which has been linked to health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, a weakened immune system, and asthma. As noted earlier, there appears to be a link between stress and depression (see Hormones and the HPA Axis).

Studies have found that meditation can help prevent relapse in people who have had three or more episodes of depression. For example, in one study, while 78% of depressed people given normal treatment for depression relapsed in the following year, only 36% of those people who got meditation training in addition to regular treatment did. For people with fewer than three episodes of depression, meditation has not been found to be as effective.

There is evidence that meditation has distinct effects on the brain. In one study, researchers measured brain electrical activity before, immediately after, and four months after a two-month course in mindfulness meditation. They found persistent increased activity on the left side of the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with joyful and serene emotions.

Another goal of meditation is to facilitate personal change much the same goal as psychotherapy. Some therapists, particularly those in the cognitive behavioral field, have incorporated meditation techniques into therapy, either as part of the session or as homework for patients to do on their own. If meditation appeals to you, ask your therapist about how best to use it. Going to a class or listening to a meditation tape may be a good first step.