There are numerous studies on how meditation helps to lessen stress and improve overall well-being. Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the Stress Reduction Program at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, was a pioneer in recognizing that mindfulness meditation could be helpful for adult patients suffering from chronic pain. He developed a secular version of the Buddhist practice, which he called Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). There are currently over a thousand studies published in peer review journals. Kabat-Zinn’s MBSR program has been found to reduce not only chronic pain but also high blood pressure and cholesterol levels, alleviate depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, eating disorders and substance abuse.

The executive functioning part of the brain is the most vulnerable in people who have ADHD. The circuits here have faulty firing of synapses which make it very effortful in attending to tedious low-level stimuli, like cleaning and tidying one’s room or work area, finishing homework, projects or books, staying organized, waiting and delaying gratification, or balancing a checkbook. Most people who do not understand ADHD think the person is simply stupid, lazy, or unmotivated. Fortunately, research has indicated that there are opportunities to rewire the brain circuits in people who have ADD/ADHD.

A study of mindfulness meditation as a treatment for adults and adolescents with ADHD was published in the Journal of Attention Disorders (Zylowka, et al. 2008, 11, 737-746). One of the benefits of practicing meditation is to help make those specific difficult tasks mentioned above become better incorporated into one’s daily living. Mindfulness is defined as the “moment to moment awareness of our present experience, without judgment”.

The authors in this article stated that “Mindfulness meditation involves experiential learning via silent periods of sitting meditation or slow walking and purposeful attention to daily activities. Relaxation, although often induced during the training, is not the sole goal of the activity; rather, the main activity is a cognitive and intention-based process characterized by self-regulation and attention to the present moment with an open and accepting orientation towards one’s experiences.”

Meditation helps to modify attentional networks, alter dopamine levels, change neural activity, and modulate EEG patterns. This can be enhanced by using meditation recordings that include Entrainment (a synchronization of two or more rhythmic cycles) and Binaural Beats that help the person meditating go from an alpha state to beta state.

Meditation invites one into the present moment, by slowing thoughts down and sweeping away those ideas that are buzzing around in a busy incoherent brain which prohibits the person from relaxing. The ADHD mind is likened to a screen which is rapidly flipping from one channel to another.

Meditation does not have to be complex, religiously oriented, boring, or expensive. There is a myth surrounding the practice of meditation that it is attached to eastern religion. Although it is true that Buddhist practice incorporates some form of meditation, the intention is to be at greater peace with oneself. Meditation can be thought of in the same way as other disciplines that might improve one’s overall physical, mental or psychological well-being. Like other forms of exercise, strenuous or not, each one must find a method of using the discipline so that they see improvement in their being.

Living with a depressed adolescent or a child with a disability is very stressful and meditation gives you a chance to let go of stress and give yourself a lovely self-indulgent gift in letting your mind flow into a peaceful space. You probably have little time to spend alone and enjoy a few quiet moments to get in touch with your inner being. You may just be too busy attending to the needs of others. If you are willing to get up 15 minutes earlier, and take this time to focus and quiet your mind, you may find it is one of your favourite things to do and may look forward to it each day.

There is no way to avoid stress in one’s daily life, but there is the possibility of addressing the stress with a healthy plan. People often say that they eat more when they feel stressed or they take some kind of mood altering substance in an effort to feel calmer. Instead of self-medication, why not try self-meditation? For those of you who are meditation phobic because you get too antsy or you don’t know if you are doing it right, just remember to keep it simple in the beginning. You don’t need to hire a trainer; you don’t have to pay loads of money to get a mantra. You don’t have to sit in the lotus position (unless you prefer it) and you don’t have to learn a complicated breathing technique.

Here are some simple tips to help you get started:

1. Get up 15 minutes earlier than normal and meditate before you do anything else such as breakfast. It is too easy to get caught up with all the responsibilities and tasks of the day.

2. Get out of bed, and go to a place where you can sit with your back straight. Don’t lie down because it is easy to fall back to sleep. You want to stay alert and be in a state of mindfulness. Some people like to light a candle, burn some fragrant incense, or have some freshly cut flowers nearby.

3. Make sure there is nothing and no one there to disturb or interrupt you. (Put your pet in another room, turn off the mobile and unplug the phone). The environment must be quiet, unless there are natural sounds like birds singing in the garden or the gentle sound of running water from a fountain.

4. Start by breathing naturally and focus on your ‘in’ and your ‘out’ breath. You are not controlling your inhalation and exhalation; you are simply paying attention, becoming more aware of your body, and listening to your breathing.

5. You will notice some tension in your body, perhaps in your hands, shoulders or back. Relax them, let the muscles become loose, and notice the difference you feel.

6. When your mind wanders, which it will, bring it back by focusing on your breathing. As thoughts and feelings arise, simply acknowledge them and then let them go as if they were big white fluffy clouds just floating away in the sky.

7. Choose one or two beautiful or significant words that you feel are uplifting and want to achieve such as calm or peaceful. Say them to yourself as you breathe in and out. When your mind wanders, you can return to your center by breathing and repeating your word(s).

People have been using Angel cards around the word since the 1970’s to accompany meditation. They were developed Joy Drake and Kathy Tyler and are basically a box of 72 illustrated playful cards that represent essences of wisdom. You can order the small box from the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland and receive it in just a few days. Every morning you can pick a card at random and use it in your meditative practice. Today the card I picked was “Respect” which was the focus of my meditation as well as a guide to use throughout the day to respect myself, others, animals, and the planet.

If you decide in the future to explore meditation further, you can take a course in mindfulness, or a course in The Art of Living, or go to Plum Village in France and spend a weekend with Thich Naht Hahn, who wrote these two books among many others:”The Miracle of Mindfulness: A Manual on Meditation” and “Present Moment, Wonderful Moment”. Another great book on mindfulness is: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose by Eckhart Tolle.

If you don’t feel that mediation is beneficial at first, don’t give up. Give yourself several days to adjust to your new practice. Like anything worthwhile, you need to do it every day as part of your morning ritual and this requires dedication and discipline. Eventually it will most likely be something you relish doing. You can also listen to some free mediation tapes to help you get started: http://www.project-meditation.org

Meditation can also help with healing depression. For a more in-depth description of how it helped a parent whose child suffered from depression, click on the website address below to read more as she co-authored an Ebook with me entitled Understanding Depression in Children and Adolescents: Essential Steps to Helping Your Child. http://www.prosocial.co.uk/Products/UnderstandingDepressionEbook/tabid/1681/Default.aspx

© 2009 Dr. Angel Adams and Dr. Patricia Papciak. All Rights Reserved

http://www.prosocial.co.uk

Dr Angel Adams is a highly experienced clinical psychologist and is known as a leading advocate for parents, grandparents and foster carers in the UK. Dr Adams’ expertise is in assessing, diagnosing and treating children with complex psychological and neurodevelopmental disorders. She has a private practice is in Kingston, Surrey where, over the years her work has been particularly focused on running specialised groups for children, adolescents and adults. She runs parent management training and has conducted research on group intervention for children with ADHD which she has presented at the International CHADD conference. She appeared on the BBC2’s Horizon science programmes featured ‘Living with ADHD’. Since 1994, she has been a guest speaker at many conferences and seminars across the UK, Europe and USA. She has also chaired conferences on ADHD.

Dr Angel Adams has worked as a clinician for over 27 years. Originally licensed as a Clinical Psychologist in America, she is also a BPS Chartered Clinical Psychologist. Dr Adams received her PhD from the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP), a school within Alliant International University.

Her work involves assessment and diagnosis, psychometric testing, and implementation of therapeutic interventions for looked after children, children/adolescents and adults with a broad range of diagnoses. For the past six years she has co-run a weekly ADHD Assessment Clinic at CAMHS with a Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and a Community Pediatrician. Dr Adams provides evidence-based treatment including parent-training, support groups for siblings, consultation to schools, and social skills training.

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