A behavioral-analytic discussion about meditation

Abstract

In addition to more space in the professional environment, the academic environment has sought to understand the factors that encompass meditation and its possible benefits, rising enthusiastically that they resort mainly to mentalism and spirituality. In this sense, highlighting the need for a greater theoretical-practical debate, the present study aimed to discuss elements related to meditative practices and their effects, through behavior analysis. It is possible to relate meditation with the self-description resources of private and public stimuli related to other behaviors and specific contexts. It can comprise a series of neurophysiological and psychological activities that involve specific body posture, regulated diaphragmatic dynamics, establishment of focus, with or without the use of associated verbal anchors, and body self-awareness to develop openness and acceptance of the present moment through self-regulation of attention. Openness to the present moment can be related to being in touch with the present moment, which means shifting attentional focus to the here and now. This process may be related to a previous process of awareness, which can be understood as a capacity for self-description of what one does, privately or publicly, implying the acquisition of suspects who discriminate against one’s own behavior. Accepting the present moment, on the other hand, is related to the assent and reception of certain private events that are taking place here and now in relation to the context, the way they are, evoked by various other private or public events, without trying to modify their configuration and/or frequency. In this way, we intend to contribute to the understanding of meditation, through the analysis of its functioning in a more objective and contextual way.