Finding Release From Meditation
- ABC anchor Dan Harris came to meditation after having a panic attack on the set of Good Morning America.
- Meditation brings on the relaxation response, promoting the release of brain chemicals that induce a feeling of relaxation.
- To meditate, you center your mind and focus on your breath as it moves in and out.
“I noticed that my palms were sweating, my mouth had dried up, my heart was racing, my lungs had seized up. I couldn’t breathe, which is pretty inconvenient when you’re trying to anchor the news,” he tells SurvivorNet.
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Meditation as Medicine
That’s when Harris discovered the power of meditation to overcome life’s stresses. “While it is not a panacea, meditation can be very useful,” he says.
Meditation brings about what Harvard professor and cardiologist Dr. Herbert Benson termed “the relaxation response.” It triggers the release of brain chemicals and signals that promote a deep sense of calm and ease stress.
Related: Feel the Fear, and Let it Go — Meditation for Cancer Survivors
“Benson and his team worked on that research for about 20 years to show the effects that [meditation] has on increasing the parasympathetic tone, decreasing the sympathetic nerve tone, and putting you into a very relaxed state, which has powerful other effects,” Dr. Brian Berman, professor of family and community medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, told SurvivorNet in a previous interview. “Ideally, meditating like that once or twice a day for about 10, 15 minutes will give you these effects.”
Clinical psychologist Dr. Mariana Strongin, on the value of self-soothing during stressful times
10% Happier
After discovering the value of meditation in his own life, Dan Harris decided to share what he’d learned. He penned two books: 10% Happier in 2014, and Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics in 2017. “My goal was to write a book that was funny and embarrassing and used the F word a lot. Most meditation books aren’t that way,” he says. “I thought it would make a difference.”
His hope is that a dose of meditation might also relieve the stress of cancer survivors. His wife, Dr. Bianca Harris, underwent a double mastectomy for breast cancer, so “I know a little bit of what it’s like to experience that kind of fear and pain,” he says.
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How to find courage in a time of uncertainty
Meditation involves anchoring yourself in the present moment and focusing on your breath as it moves in and out of your nose and mouth. As thoughts flit through your mind, acknowledge them, and then let them go. It can take some time to get comfortable meditating, but it’s a gradual process, similar to strength training.
“The goal in meditation is to focus your mind for just a few nanoseconds at a time. And then you’re going to get carried away and you start again and again and again. Starting again is the key move. I refer to it as a bicep curl for your brain,” Harris adds.
Related: Don’t Buy into the Backlash — the Science on Meditation is Clear
If you’re interested in trying meditation, use this guided meditation created by Dr. Berman exclusively for the SurvivorNet community.
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