The Art of Mental Travel

“Meditation and guided audio or visual meditation differ in their intention, features, and outcomes. The original purpose of meditation was to engage inner spaces in mental travel to discover the unchanging nature of pure consciousness, and it aims to connect with higher consciousness rather than just provide relaxation. In contrast, guided meditations engage the senses and offer relaxation and timed interventions, which is quite different from meditation's intention. Traditional meditation involves perceptual decoupling, a single point of focus, and agency in the experience. In contrast, guided meditations offer multiple points of focus. Mental travel can take many forms, such as imagining oneself in a peaceful location or remembering a pleasant memory.

When we examine this more closely, we can see that an experience that intends to relax people, engage their senses, and offer timed interventions and guidance, with storytelling that has multiple points of focus, is quite different from one that intends to have people connect with their higher levels of consciousness, detach from their senses, lose a sense of time, be self-guided, and have one point of focus.”Both mental travel and meditation can be useful tools for self-care and mental well-being and knowing the differences can help you choose one that better fits your needs.

Read the whole article at Psychology Today

#mentaltravel #meditation #mentalwellness #selfcare

💬 Have you ever found mental travel or meditation to be a helpful tool for managing stress or negative emotions? Which one do you prefer? What are some of the benefits it gives you?

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