While I believe mindfulness meditation has been the keystone
to my recovery, I still think of it as an adjunct therapy. I couldn’t manage mental illness as well as I do now if I did not meditate. But I
acknowledge that the medication my doctor prescribes and the therapy visits I
have with him are crucial as well. Only
through the consistent application of all three therapies am I well.
Mindfulness meditation is currently all the rage, and it
works. But I am wary of its proponents who
claim it can treat (or even cure) mental illness by itself. Meditation is a powerful tool when used to
decrease stress and increase well-being.
But if we are to maintain that mental illnesses are biochemical
malfunctions of the brain and nervous system, then we must allow room in
treatment for medicine. Therapy also has
a long history of positively impacting the lives of those challenged by
psychiatric illness. Meditation, when
added to more traditional and well-tested methods of treatment, can help a
patient successfully manage a challenging life.
I, and so many others like me, am proof of that.
