The psychology of meditation : research and practice

365 Pages·2016·3.18 MB·English

by  Michael A. West

The Psychology
of Meditation
Research and Practice

The Psychology
of Meditation
Research and Practice
Edited by
Michael A. West
1
1
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Preface
In 1987 Oxford University Press published a book entitled The Psychology of
Meditation, which reviewed research on the effects of meditation upon arousal,
brain wave activity, and personality. It also described the very limited research
examining the application of meditation in clinical settings. It was a privilege
for me to edit that book and to learn from the content. But more than 30 years
have gone by since its publication. I have continued to practice meditation but
had not kept abreast with what psychological research had discovered about
meditation processes and outcomes. Like many others I was curious about how
our knowledge has developed.
The motivation to edit a new book with the same focus was selfish, therefore.
I wanted to learn from those who could best contribute to a volume reviewing
from a psychological perspective what we know about research into and the
practice of meditation. Finding the key researchers and inviting them to give of
their time to write a chapter was the major challenge. I am fortunate that all of
the contributors, who come from many different countries, are people who are
not only deeply immersed in the challenge of understanding meditation from a
psychological perspective, but who also have practiced meditation (for the
most part) over many years. Not only do they review research but they also pro-
vide a personal account of their meditation experience and, in some cases, jour-
neys. It is a privilege for me to be able to learn from their rich contributions. My
selfish motivation in editing this volume has been rewarded by the outcome.
My hope is that readers will find much to savor and will also have a sense of
privilege in the enlightenment that I have found in reading the contents of the
chapters that these generous contributors have crafted.
Sheffield, United Kingdom, April 2015

Acknowledgments
Eleanor Hardy took on the task of reviewing the contents of the book and
checking layout, references, consistency, and the many similar tasks I am too
lazy or unskilled to manage effectively. I am grateful for her generosity and
patience in doing this. Gillian Hardy, as ever, was a great source of wisdom and
generosity. Charlotte Green has provided helpful, patient, and light-touch sup-
port on behalf of Oxford University Press. The warmest acknowledgements go
to the contributors to this volume, who were so generous and responsive in
preparing their chapters.

Contents
List of contributors xi
Part 1 Meditation perspectives
1 The practice of meditation 3
Michael A. West
2 Meditation: Practice and experience 27
Martine Batchelor
3 How conscious experience comes about, and why
meditation is helpful 49
Guy Claxton
4 Fish discovering water: Meditation as a process
of recognition 73
James Carmody
5 Psychology of meditation: Philosophical perspectives 93
Loriliai Biernacki
Part 2 Therapeutic and clinical applications
of meditation
6 Traditional and secular views of psychotherapeutic
applications of mindfulness and meditation 119
Lynn C. Waelde and Jason M. Thompson
7 Meditation and the management of pain 153
Vidyamala Burch
8 Addictive disorders 177
Sarah Bowen, Matthew Enkema, Corey Roos, Haley Douglas,
Erin Harrop, Tatyana Kholodkov, and Katie Witkiewitz
9 Meditation and physical health 193
Linda E. Carlson
10 The cognitive and affective neurosciences
of meditation 221
Antonino Raffone