The Art of Meditation: Exploring the Depths of Mind and Soul

Meditation, an age-old practice that has crossed the centuries, continues to fascinate and intrigue us. Far more than a simple search for inner calm, it offers a journey into the depths of the mind and soul, exploring the sometimes uncharted corners of our being. In this article, we will dive into the different types of meditation, mindfulness, and their potential to heal trauma.

The Foundations of Meditation

Meditation has its roots in ancient traditions, among them Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, and Sufism. Its essence lies in the practice of mindfulness, where we cultivate a sustained, non-judgmental attention to the experience of the present moment. This practice allows us to stop being carried away by ceaseless thoughts and to (re)discover a state of inner calm and clarity. Meditation lets us cultivate our center — a place we can return to no matter what outer or inner circumstances we are moving through.

Meditation is, in a way, a declaration of love to the whole of life.

— Thomas Hübl, collective-trauma expert and author

Cultivating Presence

To cultivate presence is to fully embrace each moment of our existence with an open and attentive awareness. It means bringing a conscious attention to our thoughts, our emotions, our bodily sensations, and our surroundings — without judgment and with curiosity. By practicing mindfulness day by day, we learn to live in the present moment, to savor life’s small joys, and to connect more deeply with ourselves and with others. Presence frees us from the grip of the past and the worries of the future, allowing us to taste fully the essence of life, here and now.

The Different Types of Meditation

Meditation consists in resting our attention on a specific object. This could be, for example, our breath, our bodily sensations (as in a body scan), the flame of a candle, a mantra, a sound, a visualization. From each of these flow different benefits and effects.

The attention we bring to a specific object can then be either focused or open. In the first case, we develop concentration. Each time we notice our attention drifting away from the chosen object, we return to it gently. As our practice deepens, our ability to stay with the object of our attention grows longer and longer. In the second case — where the attention brought to a specific object is open — we attend to the various aspects of our experience (our physical sensations, our emotions, our thoughts, our perceptions) without adding any judgment and without concentrating on anything in particular. In this way we cultivate the realization that all phenomena, inner and outer, come and go.

Meditations of Compassion and Love

We can also meditate by cultivating qualities of compassion, kindness, and love. These qualities are naturally present within us, and yet sometimes, in the frantic pace of today’s world, we have become cut off from them. This kind of meditation allows us to find our way back to our humanity.

You can find one of my meditations on love for oneself on YouTube (in its longer version) or on Instagram (in shorter versions).

The Benefits of Meditation

While meditation can, without any doubt, have an effect on stress — many studies prove it — and therefore an impact on our mental health, it does not stop there.

By cultivating presence to the present moment, we become aware of our thoughts, our emotions, and our sensations. We come to know ourselves in our singular, unique way, but also in what we share with all human beings.

When we meditate on our breath, and let go of the thoughts moving through us to return to the object of our attention, we learn to let go. We cultivate the capacity to be witness to our own experience; we cultivate the space that makes this possible — instead of being swept elsewhere by every inner or outer stimulus. And if we have this space within us to welcome our own experience, this space will also be available for others: we will have room to welcome the other, and to let them fully inform us. If we are overwhelmed, we have no such room.

Why Is It Sometimes Difficult to Meditate?

Meditation can be difficult for several reasons:

• Mental restlessness: our minds are often filled with ceaseless thoughts and preoccupations, which makes it hard to focus during meditation. When we begin a meditation practice, we become aware of all our thoughts. And it can be quite a shock to realize just how many there are!

• Lack of motivation or time: we are not quite sure why we sit down on our cushion, and so our commitment fades. As a famous Zen saying goes, “If you don’t have time to meditate for 15 minutes, then meditate for an hour!” Our life, in fact, becomes surprisingly simpler this way, as our priorities fall into order.

• Expecting immediate results and only positive experiences: many people expect to feel the effects of meditation right away, but it can take practice to perceive its benefits. There are times when our meditation will be easy and flowing, and others when we will feel uncomfortable. The aim of meditation is to gradually develop our capacity to stay present, whether our experience is pleasant… or not.

• When we relax, painful past experiences — traumas — can rise back to the surface: it then becomes naturally very difficult to stay still. This, in fact, is the very function of keeping busy: when we move quickly, we do not feel our emotions. Here it is important not to force things, for that would only lead to a dissociated state on the cushion.

When Trauma Resurfaces

If the past rises up again and it feels difficult, then we need support. We can ask ourselves, “What would help me integrate my past experience? What would help me have more resources?” When an experience from the past comes back to the surface, rather than meditating, it is sometimes more fitting to take a moment with a friend. This person will offer us a caring container of presence, in which we feel heard, seen, and felt. And sometimes we need deeper support and a professional setting: working with a trauma-informed therapist or coach allows us to integrate that past experience, so that we can come back to the present moment.

Meditation and Healing Trauma

Meditation — and mindfulness in particular — is about cultivating presence. About coming back to the here and now. Trauma, on the other hand, belongs to the past: it is a past experience that goes on being lived inwardly.

Meditation can be a powerful tool to help soothe trauma by fostering the capacity to be witness, building resilience and relaxation, and helping individuals develop a healthier relationship with their inner experiences. It is important to note, however, that meditation alone may not be enough to treat severe trauma, and it is often recommended to combine meditation with other forms of therapy and professional support.

The Fruit of Meditation — A Love Story

By practicing meditation regularly, we rediscover our natural qualities, such as compassion, kindness, and wisdom. And we also transcend the limits of our small “self” to reach a deeper perception of who we are and of the world around us. We find our way back to our essence, releasing what limits us and what we have identified ourselves with. We come home — the light of our soul can settle and embody itself… and there, we can rest.