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Meditation
How to Know if Zen Meditation Is Right for You
Benefits, Uses, and Access to the Unconscious
By
Amy Morin, LCSW
Amy Morin Amy Morin
Amy Morin, LCSW
Amy Morin, LCSW, is the Editor-in-Chief of Verywell Mind. She's also a
psychotherapist, the author of the bestselling book "13 Things Mentally
Strong People Don't Do," and the host of The Verywell Mind Podcast.
Learn about our editorial process
Updated on September 13, 2021
Reviewed
Verywell Mind articles are reviewed by mental health professionals.
Reviewers confirm the content is thorough and accurate, reflecting the
latest evidence-based research. Content is reviewed before publication
and upon substantial updates. Learn more.
by
Sara Clark
Sara Clark Sara Clark
Reviewed by Sara Clark
Sara Clark is an EYT 500-hour certified Vinyasa yoga and mindfulness
teacher, lululemon Global Yoga Ambassador, model, and writer.
Learn about our Review Board
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Person practicing Zen meditation Person practicing Zen meditation
Martin Puddy / Corbis / Getty Images
Table of Contents
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Table of Contents
Zen meditation, also known as ZaZen, is a meditation technique rooted
in Buddhist psychology. The goal of Zen meditation is to regulate
attention. It’s sometimes referred to as a practice that involves
“thinking about not thinking.”
People usually sit in the lotus position—or sit with their legs
crossed—during Zen meditation and focus their attention inward. While
some practitioners say this step is accomplished by counting
breaths—generally from one to 10—others say there is no counting
involved.
What Happens During Zen Meditation
Zen meditation is considered an “open-monitoring meditation,” where
monitoring skills are used. These monitoring skills are transformed
into a state of reflexive awareness with a broad scope of attention and
without focusing on one specific object.
Zen meditation is similar to mindfulness in that it's about focusing on
the presence of mind. However, mindfulness focuses on a specific
object, and Zen meditation involves a general awareness.
Unlike loving kindness and compassion meditation, which focuses on
cultivating compassion, or mantra meditation, which involves the
recitation of a mantra, Zen meditation involves increased awareness of
the ongoing physical and self-referential processes.
Individuals who practice Zen meditation attempt to expand their
attentional scope to incorporate the flow of perceptions, thoughts,
emotions, and subjective awareness.
Zen meditation often involves keeping the eyes semi-open, which is
different from most other forms of meditation that encourage closing
the eyes. During Zen meditation, practitioners also dismiss any
thoughts that pop into their minds and essentially think about nothing.
Over time, they learn how to keep their minds from wandering and may
even be able to tap into their unconscious minds. Often, the goal is to
become more aware of preconceived notions and gain insight into
oneself.
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Benefits
Research clearly shows meditation has a wide range of physical,
cognitive, social, spiritual, and emotional health benefits. And of
course, meditation can be a great stress reliever, which is why many
people turn to it in the first place.
It’s likely that Zen meditation offers many of the same benefits as
other types of meditation, but much of the research on meditation
hasn’t differentiated between the different types.
There is early research that shows different types of meditation may
affect the brain in slightly different ways. So, it’s possible that
Zen meditation might offer some additional benefits beyond those seen
in other types of meditation.
Impact on the Brain
For years, scientists have studied how meditation affects the mind and
the body. There has been some particular interest in Zen meditation
practice and how it affects the brain. In a 2008 study, researchers
compared 12 people who had more than three years of daily practice in
Zen meditation with 12 novices who had never practiced meditation.
Everyone in the study was given a brain scan and asked to focus on
their breathing. Occasionally, they were asked to distinguish a real
word from a nonsense word on a computer screen. Then, they were
instructed to focus on their breathing again.
The scans revealed that Zen training led to activity in a set of brain
regions known as the “default network.” The default network is linked
to wandering minds.
The volunteers who regularly practiced Zen meditation also were able to
return to their breathing much faster than the novices after being
interrupted.
The authors of the study concluded that meditation may enhance the
capacity to stay focused, pay attention, and limit distractions—all of
which can be a struggle for people in today’s digital world.
Access to the Unconscious
There’s also been a lot of curiosity about whether Zen meditation can
allow practitioners to better access their unconscious minds. It’s
thought that the conscious mind can only focus on one thing at a
time—like your grocery list or a book that you’re reading.
But, experts suspect the unconscious mind is vast. Many researchers
believe that knowing how to access unconscious processes could foster
greater creativity and help people become more aware of what they need
to do to reach their goals.
A 2012 study examined whether Zen meditation helped practitioners
better access their unconscious minds. All of the participants were
experienced Zen meditators. One group was asked to meditate for 20
minutes. The other group was asked to read magazines. Then, all of the
participants were seated in cubicles with a computer.
They were instructed to link three words presented on the screen with a
fourth, associated word. They also were asked to type the answer as
fast as possible. The individuals who meditated prior to the test were
able to complete the task faster, which demonstrated that they had
better access to their unconscious minds.
In another study, one group was again asked to meditate for 20 minutes
while the control group was simply told to relax. Then, all the
volunteers were asked 20 questions, each with three or four correct
answers. For example, they may be asked to name one of the four
seasons. However, just before seeing the question on the computer
screen, a potential answer such as “Spring” flashed for 16
milliseconds.
On average, the meditation group gave 6.8 answers that matched the
subliminal words. The control group only matched an average of 4.9
words. The researchers concluded that the meditators were better able
to access what the brain paid attention to than the non-meditators.
The study authors report Zen meditation might be able to provide better
insight into what’s going on in the background of the brain.
If Zen meditation allows you to better understand how you’re feeling,
why you make certain decisions, and how you’re influenced by your
environment, this could have a big impact on your life.
Drug Abuse Treatment
Zen meditation is often used in drug abuse treatment programs in Taiwan
because it slows heart rate and respiration while also improving the
functioning of the autonomic nervous system. In fact, the authors of a
2018 study published in the Journal of Traditional and Complementary
Medicine found that Zen meditation affects brain-heart interactions.
According to the authors, Zen practitioners devote their practice to
disclosing the spiritual heart inside the organ heart. They state,
“Through years of Zen meditation practice, practitioners have their
brain functions totally reformed into a so-called detached brain
dominated by the spiritual heart.”
Individuals who are in recovery from drug abuse also may experience
problems with their autonomic nervous system—the system responsible for
the control of the bodily functions that are not consciously directed,
like breathing, heartbeat, and digestive processes.
Researchers have found that 10-minute Zen meditation sessions have
shown significant improvement in autonomic nervous system function in
patients.
Zen meditation also improves mood; and a better mood can be key to
helping people with a drug addiction resist the temptation to use
again. The researchers also found that Zen meditation “enhances the
hypothalamus and frontal-lobe functioning,” which improves self-control
and helps people overcome addiction.
Sixteen out of 18 participants in the study said they experienced
“cleaning and rejuvenation of body and mind” after a 10-minute Zen
meditation session. Participants also reported scalp tingling,
whole-body heat, and feeling cool.
Researchers who use Zen meditation as a treatment say it impacts
regions of the brain that help individuals successfully go through
detox and the recovery process.
How to Learn It
There are many ways to learn more about Zen meditation including audio
programs, online videos, online learning programs, and books devoted to
the subject. You also might find a Zen meditation class so you can
learn from an instructor. Additionally, there are a variety of
meditation retreats that last anywhere from a weekend to a month or
more.
Zen meditation retreats are especially popular with tourists in China
who want to learn the practice in a Buddhist temple. So depending on
your interest, needs, and budget, there are plenty of ways to find a
program that will help you learn Zen meditation techniques.
Is Zen Meditation Right for You?
When it comes to meditation, it’s important to find which type is best
suited for you. Research shows that Zen meditation doesn’t always turn
out to be a favorite. In fact, sometimes, it’s near the bottom of the
list.
In a 2012 study, college students spent seven days practicing a
specific type of meditation over the course of four weeks. At the end
of the study, they were asked to rank the meditation practices in order
of personal preference. Significantly more participants ranked
Vipassana (mindfulness) and Mantra meditation as higher than Zen and
Qigong Visualization.
A Word From Verywell
Enjoying your meditation practice is key to sustaining it over a long
time. If you try Zen meditation and it isn’t right for you, don’t
discount all types of meditation. Try another type until you find one
that's best suited for you.
Meditation for Stress Reduction
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8 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed
studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial
process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content
accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
1. Lusnig L, Radach R, Mueller CJ, Hofmann MJ. Zen meditation
neutralizes emotional evaluation, but not implicit affective
processing of words. PLoS One. 2020;15(2):e0229310.
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229310
2. Sharma H. Meditation: process and effects. Ayu. 2015;36(3):233–237.
doi:10.4103/0974-8520.182756
3. Krishnakumar D, Hamblin MR, Lakshmanan S. Meditation and yoga can
modulate brain mechanisms that affect behavior and anxiety-A modern
scientific perspective. Anc Sci. 2015;2(1):13–19.
doi:10.14259/as.v2i1.171
4. Pagnoni G, Cekic M, Guo Y. "Thinking about not-thinking": neural
correlates of conceptual processing during Zen meditation. PLoS
One. 2008;3(9):e3083. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0003083
5. Andreasen NC. A journey into chaos: creativity and the
unconscious. Mens Sana Monogr. 2011;9(1):42–53.
doi:10.4103/0973-1229.77424
6. Strick M, van Noorden TH, Ritskes RR, de Ruiter JR, Dijksterhuis A.
Zen meditation and access to information in the
unconscious. Conscious Cogn. 2012;21(3):1476–1481.
doi:10.1016/j.concog.2012.02.010
7. Lo PC, Tsai PH, Kang HJ, Miao Tian WJ. Cardiorespiratory and
autonomic-nervous-system functioning of drug abusers treated by Zen
meditation. J Tradit Complement Med. 2018;9(3):215–220.
doi:10.1016/j.jtcme.2018.01.005
8. Burke A. Comparing individual preferences for four meditation
techniques: Zen, Vipassana (mindfulness), Qigong, and
Mantra. Explore (NY). 2012;8(4):237–242.
doi:10.1016/j.explore.2012.04.003
Additional Reading
messages. New Scientist. 2012;214(2868):10.
doi:10.1016/s0262-4079(12)61457-2
self: cognitive mechanisms in meditation practice. Trends Cogn Sci
(Regul Ed). 2015;19(9):515-23. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2015.07.001
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