The Psychological and Physiological Reality of Meditation

I write as a personal testimony, and out of gratitude.

Aged nearly 70, most years of my life have been blighted by serious, black depression which began in childhood. Much has been written on the subject of depression over thousands of years and I feel no need to augment that sad collection.

Instead I want to confirm success in turning my life around after so many desperate decades. I have written many times on the subject of meditation (and indeed depression) and after each occasion on which I have written, I have unconsciously left a long gap, feeling perhaps no immediate need to revisit the matter. It hardly makes for cheerful fare.

I have studied meditation, mysticism, depression and related topics for more than 35 years and have read much by many authors, and many books whose authors are in effect unknown. Religious texts, books of psychology and philosophy, practical guides (many of which proved unworthy), dark nights of many souls. While there is some satisfaction in gathering knowledge, it proved of little use.

As a closet ascetic, I dallied with meditation in a practical sense for many years but never with the persistence or determination necessary to prove efficacious.

Without being able to give an accurate date, it seems to me that I have now been taking my practice in a very serious manner for around three years.

If I am to be honest, there now seems little room for anything else in my life, but sacrifice sometimes has to be made to achieve a desired goal. And I am deeply thankful I have not made such a sacrifice in the pursuit of power or great wealth. Although I would in any event be deeply unsuited to such a course of action.

My practice has changed much over the past three years. I no longer use self hypnosis although it proved useful initially. By now, the descent into a meditative state of mind happens more or less on demand whenever summoned.

In the beginning it was a chore, an effort. Even 20 minutes seemed eternal, accompanied by a tedious desire to sneak a look at a clock to see when my time was up. I worried about technique, I fussed over letting thoughts go. I obsessed about what my practice was supposed to achieve and whether I was making any headway. In any direction.

Over time, I slowly expanded my 20 minute slots and simply ceased to worry. It all became very natural, it began to happen on its own and without effort. And it has become increasingly pleasurable – although the purists will tell you that is not the point at all. Perhaps pleasurable is not the right word but it has certainly become addictive for the utter peace it inevitably brings.

And that peace has spread out into the rest of my life. Which is not to claim I never get irritable, just that my default state is now one of calm and acceptance, enjoyment even – in a quiet sort of way.

I could talk and lecture forever but none of my words will make a blind bit of difference to you. Do as I do rather than hear my words. Practice, routinely and regularly and for lengthening periods of time. Relax and don’t fuss – keep at it and the magic will slowly creep in, almost without you noticing.

No one should be deterred by my obsession – I feel sure that most would find great benefit without letting meditation take over their lives. Perhaps I was a tough case, perhaps I needed to be compulsive to effect a cure. There again, obsession and deep concentration on the matter in hand is my nature.

I happened to meditate for an hour and a half this morning before I got up, but then I am retired and can afford the time. I’m sure others who still toil at the coal face of capitalism or elsewhere would find much benefit in 15 to 20 minutes here and there during the day.

I have also had to make serious changes in my life, none of which I regret. For me, these adjustments have been absolutely necessary – but perhaps others can get off more lightly.

Everything has become about right living, as our Buddhist friends might say. I don’t drink or smoke, I am pretty well a vegetarian and I exercise with reasonable vigour every day without fail. Often for several hours.

I have consciously tried to refine my behaviour, much along the lines of the three wise monkeys. Its not a source of pride or self congratulation – I just feel better that way.

I don’t socialise very much and when I do I am very picky about my company. Social butterflies, business people, politicians hold little appeal. Snobbery has become an anathema. Braying voices of the privileged few grate against my nerves, and so my club can prove a tiresome trial sometimes.

So that is how I lead my life and, like it or not it works for me. As long as I don’t let the routine slip, if I stay well away from computers, algorithms and complex derivative arbitrage, the sun tends to shine. Let any of the old life back in and the cumulonimbus incus rapidly reappears. My hedonic baseline has risen – it is as simple and incontrovertible as that.

Some may be tempted to think that my experiences are merely subjective, or that I am a teller of untruths.

I can say that I am not, but you have no need to believe me. You can find ample evidence that others have reported similar success and it may be worthwhile to summarise what seem generally to be the psychological and physiologic effects of the long term and serious practice of meditation. It is also worth looking at the physical evidence of change found in practitioners by medical research and testing.

My advice these days would be to avoid a religious or historic interpretation of the practice. Tales of mysticism east and west, earnest advice from Buddhas and gurus – all of that confabulates the matter into a fantastic and generally unhelpful mishmash of semi religious garbage.

Stick with the science and the therapists and you are likely to see the reality far more clearly.

To cut through the nonsense search for (in strictly secular terms) the effects of long term, serious dedicated meditation. You are likely to end up with something like the following summary:

On a strictly secular and scientific basis, long-term, dedicated meditation can lead to measurable and lasting changes in brain structure and function, emotional regulation, and physiological health. The effects extend beyond simple relaxation, training the brain to be more resilient, focused, and emotionally balanced. 

Neurological effects

• Increased gray matter: Long-term meditators show increased gray matter volume in several brain regions, including the frontal lobe, hippocampus, and insula. These areas are associated with attention, learning, memory, and emotion regulation, suggesting that meditation helps preserve brain structure against age-related decline.
• Enhanced neural connectivity: Meditation improves the neural connections between different parts of the brain. Studies show increased connectivity between the prefrontal cortex (involved in executive function) and the default mode network (DMN), the system associated with mind-wandering and self-referential thought. This improved communication enables better focus and emotional regulation.
• Reduced amygdala activity: The amygdala is the brain’s “fight or flight” center, responsible for processing fear and stress. Regular meditation has been shown to decrease the size and reactivity of the amygdala, resulting in a significantly reduced stress response.
• Altered brainwaves: Experienced meditators often exhibit higher levels of gamma brainwaves, which are associated with heightened perception and consciousness, even when not actively meditating. The practice also promotes more alpha and theta waves, correlating with a relaxed but alert state.
• Increased neuroplasticity: Dedicated practice strengthens the brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity—its ability to form new neural connections based on experience. This allows the brain to re-wire itself in response to new information and challenges. 

Cognitive and emotional effects

• Improved attention and focus: Meditation strengthens the brain’s attention networks. This helps develop both sustained attention (the ability to stay focused on a task) and selective attention (the ability to filter out distracting stimuli).
• Enhanced emotional regulation: The practice helps build emotional resilience and reduce automatic, negative reactions to stressors. By training the mind to observe thoughts without judgment, it can decrease rumination and allow for a more balanced response to challenging situations.
• Reduced anxiety and depression: A wide range of studies show that mindfulness meditation can significantly reduce the symptoms of depression and anxiety. For some, its effects are comparable to those of antidepressant medication, offering an effective tool for managing these mental health conditions.
• Greater self-awareness and self-compassion: Meditators often develop a clearer understanding of their own thoughts, feelings, and impulses. This can lead to greater psychological freedom, less impulsive behavior, and a more compassionate attitude toward oneself. 

Physical health effects

• Lowered blood pressure and heart rate: By activating the parasympathetic nervous system (the “rest and digest” response), meditation helps reduce resting heart rate and blood pressure, taking the body out of a chronic “fight or flight” state.
• Reduced inflammation: Chronic stress increases inflammation, which contributes to many diseases. Meditation has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers and the expression of pro-inflammatory genes in the body.
• Strengthened immune system: By reducing stress and inflammation, meditation can indirectly boost immune function. Studies on mindfulness training have observed stronger immune responses to vaccinations.
• Improved sleep: By calming the nervous system, meditation can help shorten the time it takes to fall asleep and improve the overall quality of sleep.
• Pain management: Meditation can alter the brain’s processing of pain, helping manage symptoms of chronic conditions like fibromyalgia and migraines. It does this by decoupling the physical sensation of pain from the emotional reaction to it. 

As I said at the very beginning of this post, I write as a personal testimony, and out of gratitude. And in a more particular sense I write to those many, many people blighted by the curse of unhappiness, depression or any similar malady of the soul.

I have proved to myself that lasting, genuine, dramatic change is possible.

I hope you might “give it a go”.

Illustration: A Man Reading: Rogier van der Weyden, c. 1450