What Does Meditation Have to Do with Driving Anxiety?

As therapists, we have always known that meditation is very helpful in managing anxiety. But until recently, it just seemed to be that magic ingredient embedded in the treatment plan that proved miraculous in its benefits. Meditation has gained popularity in recent years, likely due to its undeniable benefits, but it is nothing new. Meditation has been widely practiced in yoga, mindfulness training and spirituality for thousands of years. Dating back to 5,000 BC, archeologists believe that meditation was used for religious purposes in ancient Egypt and China (Puff, 2013).

As the practice of meditation progressed, it’s benefits began to adopt a focus on mindfulness and stress reduction. The neurological impacts of meditation are largely correlated with anxiety management; thus the use of meditation in the treatment of anxiety, depression and related mood disorders. Researchers have found that psychological interventions utilizing meditation optimized the brain’s ability to react appropriately to feared stimuli by strengthening emotional regulation (Sevinc, et al., 2019). It is through anxiety-related neurological research that exposure therapy becomes widely conjuncted with meditation practice. 

For individuals struggling with anxiety related to fears, trauma, emotional regulation and/or panic symptoms, exposure therapy is used to acknowledge feared stimuli in minimal durations and severities. Exposure therapy, in turn, provides the brain with the ability to process specific fears on a gradual and continuous basis. For this, we can thank our hippocampus! Our hippocampus stores memories and translates those memories into lived responses to similar stimuli in our environment. The hippocampus is sensitive to fears and threats and can often tie old experiences to new events. For those struggling with anxiety (especially related to specific phobia or fears), it is likely that your hippocampus was largely influenced by your perceived fear in a past event or experience. For example, when a driver experiences a motor vehicle accident, the hippocampus directly links motor vehicles to accidents until these fears can be processed effectively. The memories of this motor vehicle accident that are stored in the hippocampus can be unconsciously triggered at the thought or sight of a motor vehicle. This is when meditation and exposure can help to rewire our hippocampus. 

Meditation allows the brain to develop acceptance and present-moment awareness, which is crucial for anxiety management. Mindfulness meditation is thought to create a mental framework that is optimal for exposure to fear (Sevinc, et al., 2019). Researchers studied the relationship between exposure to fear and mindfulness meditation and found that individuals who meditate regularly experience a significant decrease in anxiety when faced with a feared stimulus (Sevinc, et al., 2019). Additionally, participants who practiced mindfulness meditation showed greater brain connectivity between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. Put simply, the brain processes information and memories better when meditation is implemented in anxiety treatment. Participants in this study demonstrated fear-extinction when meditation was practiced, and in turn, were able to recondition their brain to accept what they once feared. 

Conclusively, fears are adopted based on lived experiences, and it is through meditation that individuals develop a stronger ability to regulate anxiety-induced emotions. 

The Driving Anxiety Solution prioritizes treatment in line with evidence- based research and efficacy. Anxiety treatment, in any capacity, requires self-awareness and present-moment focus, which can be attained through meditation.

Reference: 

Sevinc, G., Hölzel, B., Greenberg, J., Gard, T., Brunsch, V., & Hashmi, J. et al. (2019). Strengthened Hippocampal Circuits Underlie Enhanced Retrieval of Extinguished Fear Memories Following Mindfulness Training. Biological Psychiatry, 86(9), 693-702. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2019.05.017

Puff, R. (2013). An Overview of Meditation: Its Origins and Traditions. Retrieved 18 December 2020, from https://www.psychologytoday.com.