Carlos Barraza Cedillo Article about Sensing

 

Mental Health, Meditation and Sensing (elZa.) by Carlos Germán Barraza Cedillo (Psychiatrist)

January 21, 2013 at 11:29 am(s)

Mental Health, Meditation and Sensing. One of the consequences of modern life, dominated by an economy that does not reflect and lacks a sense of ethics, alienating work from the sense of personal satisfaction and turning it into an automatic and uncritical practice, is that it is not a way of life that promotes health in any of its aspects. Health is defined by the World Health Organization as: "A state of complete physical, psychological and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease". A very important part of this concept lies in the psychological sphere, since it is what gives meaning to human existence. Mental health is, in general terms, the state of balance between a person and his or her socio-cultural environment, which guarantees his or her labor, intellectual and relational participation in order to achieve well-being and quality of life. Mental health" is commonly used as an analogy to "health or physical state", since mental health corresponds to more complex dimensions than the merely organic functioning of the individual. Mental health has been defined in multiple ways by authors from different cultures. The concepts of mental health include subjective well-being, autonomy and emotional potential, among others. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) clarifications state that there is no "official" definition of mental health and that any definition will always be influenced by cultural differences, assumptions, disputes between professional theories, the way in which people relate their environment to reality, etc. On the other hand, a common point on which theorists agree is that "mental health" and "mental illness" are not two opposing concepts, i.e., the absence of a recognized mental disorder does not necessarily indicate mental health and, conversely, suffering from a particular mental disorder does not constitute an impediment to enjoying reasonably good mental health. The observation of a person's behavior in his daily life is the main way to know the state of his mental health in aspects such as the management of his fears and capacities, his competences and responsibilities, the maintenance of his own needs, the way in which he faces his own tensions, his interpersonal relationships and the way in which he leads an independent life. In addition, a person's behavior in difficult situations and the overcoming of traumatic moments make it possible to establish a typology of his or her level of mental health. Mental health is related to reasoning, emotion and behavior in different situations of daily life. It also helps determine how to handle stress, coexist with other people and make decisions. Like other forms of health, mental health is important at all stages of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood. Deficits in mental health would contribute to many somatic and affective illnesses such as depression or anxiety. The issue of mental health, moreover, does not only concern aspects of care after the emergence of obvious mental disorders, but also corresponds to the field of their prevention with the promotion of a sociocultural environment determined by aspects such as self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and other elements that should come from the most primary education of childhood and youth. This concern does not only concern the experts, but is part of the responsibilities of the government of a nation, of the formation in the family nucleus, of an environment of healthy coexistence in the neighborhood, of the responsibility assumed by the mass media and of the conscious guide towards a mental health in the school and in the spaces of work and study in general The promotion of mental health starts from the principle that all people have mental health needs and not only those who have been diagnosed with mental health conditions. Mental health promotion is essentially concerned with the social reality in which everyone feels committed to mental well-being. Positive psychology is also concerned with mental health and is even closer to it than psychiatric treatments. Mental health promotion" is a term that covers a variety of strategies. These strategies can be viewed from three levels: Individual level - Motivating the person's own resources by stimulating self-esteem, conflict resolution, assertiveness in areas such as parenting, work or interpersonal relationships.

Community level - A growing and cohesive social inclusion, developing support structures that promote mental health in the workplace, at school and in the city. Official level - The state of each nation engaged in plans to reduce socio-economic barriers by promoting equal access to public health services for citizens most vulnerable to this disorder. One of the most immediate and well-known consequences of today's living conditions is the so-called Burnout syndrome, which currently affects all levels and areas of human endeavor, regardless of social status, age or sex. From the psychosocial perspective, Burnout Syndrome is conceptualized as a process involving cognitive-aptitudinal variables (low personal fulfillment at work), emotional variables (emotional exhaustion) and attitudinal variables (depersonalization) (Marrau). In the face of increasing environmental demands, Burnout Syndrome presents itself as a disorder of adaptation to chronic work stress that triggers physical and psychological symptoms, which significantly impair professional performance. However, Burnout Syndrome is not necessarily restricted to human services professionals. Maslach and Schaufeli point out that although this syndrome appears as a process specific to these professional fields, the phenomenon has been described in other types of professionals, such as managers and middle managers of any type of organization, coaches and athletes, and has even been studied outside the formal work environment, for example, in housewives. It is common to find studies on Burnout Syndrome related to the health field, where Burnout is investigated in nurses, emergency care personnel, intensive care, care of the elderly, people with terminal illnesses, etc. It has also been studied in professions associated with emergencies and security. Burnout Syndrome in teaching An area especially sensitive to the development of this syndrome is the educational or teaching field. Teachers are the ones who must deal with the changes and demands imposed by managers, parents and students, in the development of their functions, which are of great social importance: if the teacher is in a precarious psychological state, it will influence the quality of teaching he/she gives to the students. In other words, it is a profession that has very direct repercussions for society (Darrigrande, et al). As an alternative for the promotion of mental health, Western medicine rediscovers millenary practices in the East and pre-Columbian peoples, the different forms that meditation assumes. Due to its benefits in relation to the functioning and conservation of the brain, even neurosciences have advanced a lot in the study of such effects and day by day more benefits are discovered. Meditation is a very interesting activity that neuroscience has as a target of some of its studies, because although its benefits have long been attributed to mystical causes, it can be proven that they respond to other reasons. Studies carried out by scientists at Yale University show us that meditation can modify the use of certain areas of the brain, and in MRIs performed on meditation experts who participated in the study, a decrease in brain activity in the Default Neural Network (DMN) was detected. The DMN is responsible for controlling the actions of the person when the brain is not "busy", a situation in which we find ourselves approximately half of the time we are awake, and pathological alterations in it are associated with attention deficit, anxiety and hyperactivity. The study involved expert and novice meditators and it was found that the experts were able to develop other areas of the brain related to autism and schizophrenia, so it seems that meditation would allow the development of a new neural network where there is greater awareness of oneself and the present and less daydreaming. In short, according to Richard Davidson, meditation as a regular practice strengthens the neurological circuits and produces positive emotions and calms a part of the brain that acts as a trigger for fear and anger. At the same time, Elza Zaldumbide's Sensing arises: a research, meditative, experimental technique that rediscovers the creative conscience and relearns respect to facilitate the individual the form of introspection with his own life and emotional experience. Its results and benefits are still susceptible to further study by psychology and neuroscience.