Did you know that only 4% of the population meditates daily? I learned that this year. And all those that do, don’t let it go. You might wonder why.
For nearly thirty years, I taught people of all walks of life how to meditate with consistent results of peace, calm, clarity, inner strength and well-being. It was one of the most satisfying times in my professional career.
Beginning to Teach Meditation
It all started in 1976 at Northwestern University where I did my doctoral research on the psychophysiology of meditation and its implications for psychotherapy. My first students were 100 Chicago police officers.
I’ll never forget sitting at a large conference table with dozens of cops, eyes closed, some with their pistols placed on the table before them. …And I peeking out seeing the glistering light reflected off one officer’s gun, all while he had the most pleasant smile across his face.
The dichotomy in that image was profound and set the course for my career to follow. Coming out of meditation practice, he said to the group: for the first time in his life he felt “tranquility from the inside out.”
That was the beginning of my career in teaching people in all walks of life how to meditate, which I then did for the next 27 years in my clinical psychotherapy practice. Fast forward to today in my work with domestic abuse survivors…and I’ll answer the question why people who meditate regularly don’t stop, and maybe it will inspire you to begin.
Continuing to Teach Meditation
There is nothing I could ever say to you that would give you the well-being of meditation as described by that police officer. But, there is something I do say in teaching meditation that will give you a way to bring this on for yourself.
Take Alyssa for example. Alyssa grew up in a violently abusive home and came to me with current troubles arising out of an abusive relationship she struggled with over recent years.
In the course of our treatment, she mentioned that she was meditating with a recording she obtained online and it was good for her as part of her routine. However, she remained unclear as to how to deal with her thoughts arising in the process of meditating. On a deep level, she believed that she wasn’t doing it “right,” which negatively influenced her process and its effectiveness.
In one session we meditated together and I gave her my basic Meditation 101 Instructions. It seemed to be a satisfying experience, though flooded with a plethora of past psychological datum (as I affectionately call it).
Two weeks following, she reminded me of why I taught meditation for 27 years. Alyssa comes to the phone with utter exuberance and personal pride in her handling of some current life stressors. It was clear mastery of her energy and empowerment in the moment.
As we drilled down on the particulars of what she was currently doing in her meditation practice, it was clear to me that she got it. And she did it in one session. The results were profound as felt by the descriptive words she used to relay what she was feeling.
Here are the words she used:
- peaceful
- calm
- inner smoothness
- equanimity
- tuned into my compass
In dealing with life issues, she noted a level of curiosity, objectivity and detachment all contributing to her sustaining the well-being in activity. Earlier on, she had been stumbling over her entanglement in much that wasn’t even hers in a controlling, abusive relationship.
When we honed in on what was different about her meditation practice since our instruction session, she noted that all along prior she had been questioning whether she was actually doing it “right,” which interfered in her arriving at the point of stillness and silence within.
The instruction given in that session set this woman on a path of meditating correctly, yielding benefits that are the glue holding people who meditate regularly to their daily practice.
Anyone Can Meditate with the Proper Instruction
If you, too, have the desire for well-being, equanimity and inner strength, learn to meditate correctly with the guidance of an experienced teacher that can take you by the hand and help you overcome your individual stumbling blocks and open to your personal peace.
For more information about meditation, contact Dr. Jeanne King, PhD to establish your personal practice. For insights on meditation practice and many other forms of energy psychology treatment, along with a library of domestic abuse educational resources, check out www.innersanctuaryonline.org
Dr. Jeanne King, psychologist and author, helps people worldwide recognize, end and heal from domestic abuse.
© Dr Jeanne King, PhD. — Domestic Violence Prevention