Meditation and Brain Healing
I used to resist being still, now I crave it. (Photo taken at the Christine Center, Wisconsin)
“To know yourself as the Being underneath the thinker, the stillness underneath the mental noise, the love and joy underneath the pain, is freedom, salvation, enlightenment.”
~Eckhart Tolle
Needing the Sweet Balm of Nothingness
At the height of my concussion symptoms, when light and sound were too much for me to bear, I initially felt like I had been imprisoned. It felt as if I were trapped in solitary confinement in my own mind. I found meditation, or it found me, and it helped me hang on to my sanity in these darkest days. My concussed brain needed nothingness, not just silence, but true nothingness to heal. Purely out of the need to survive, I was able to be still and achieve this heavenly nothingness relatively effortlessly.
Meditation as My Brain Recovers
Now that I am almost to full recovery and my brain’s functionality is returning, I have found that I must be intentional about meditation. Quieting my thoughts is not as easy, they tend to want to flitter about again. I am no expert on meditation, just a student like the rest of the world. But I do know for sure that if you don’t make time for it, it does not happen. I meditate each morning right after breakfast. It is a sacred time that I look forward to and it helps me retain the peace of mind that I have found during my healing process.
Be a Student
For the brain injured, stilling the mind and honoring the brain’s healing process is vital to recovery. I used to be overly concerned with meditating “correctly.” There is no correct way. Looking back now, I realize that before my concussion I was actually meditating during my early morning runs under the still, starry sky. Prayer is another form of meditation. I suggest you begin by etching out the same time each day, then become a student, learn what is comfortable and what works for you. Tune in and listen to your mind and body. The Huffington Post published a Blog in 2016 entitled, “8 Cool Meditation Secrets for Lasting Peace of Mind,” by Sejal Shah. If you have no idea where to begin, I suggest you read this helpful blog:
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/sejal-shah/8-cool-meditation-secrets_b_9372770.html
Peace,
Sharon
