Historically, meditation (from Latin meditatio — reflection, reflection) is one of the methods of Indian spiritual practice.
Meditation received special development and a specific focus in Indian yoga and Buddhism (as one of the main means of achieving religious liberation). But meditation can also be found in the ancient “philosophical ecstasy” of the Platonists and Neoplatonists (moreover, among the Platonists it acted as a necessary prerequisite for theoretical thinking, in particular mathematical), in the “exercises” (spiritual exercises) of the Jesuits, in the Jewish Kabbalah, in the doctrine of the “path «Sufi Muslims, and even in the Orthodox «smart doing» (the so-called «Logos-meditation», or «Jesus Prayer»). Nowadays, meditation has firmly entered the national and religious cultures of many countries, especially the countries of the East.
In the United States, a huge boost to the popularity of meditation was given in the 1960s and 1970s by the hippie movement. Hippies considered meditation one of the main means to achieve harmony with themselves and others. And, although the popularity of the hippie movement itself gradually faded, but since then meditation has become so widespread in developed Western countries. In Russia, interest in meditation emerged during perestroika and peaked in the early 1990s.
Meditative methods are widely used in modern psychotherapy. It is believed that meditation promotes relaxation, relief from stress, clearing the mind of unnecessary thoughts and experiences, obtaining peace of mind and inner harmony. (see Benefits of Meditation). In most psychotherapeutic techniques, it is recommended to practice meditation at the peak of muscle relaxation (so-called relaxation). For example, 10 minutes of meditation followed by 20 minutes of muscle relaxation according to the Jacobson method. The development of meditation is well facilitated by auto-training and Ericksonian hypnosis. According to modern psychotherapists, to master meditation at an acceptable level, it is enough to practice for half an hour daily for six months.
Modern psychoanalysis (for example, Jung’s school of psychoanalysis), which aims at the integration of the personality, also makes extensive use of elements of meditation.