Meditation: A Review of its Use in Western Medicine and, in Particular, its Role in the Management of Sexual Dysfunction

Until relatively recently meditation was considered an esoteric subject unrelated to mainstream medical or psychological therapies. Over the last few decades meditation has been studied in a non religious, therapeutic setting. We describe what meditation isand define it as “being in the moment”. We also define the different types of meditation, including both mindfulness based stress reduction and mindfulness based cognitive therapy, both of which have become standardised therapeutic interventions. We further describe evidence from meta-analyses and review articles of the beneficial effects of meditation on brain EEGs, the immune response, pain control, and anxiety and depression. Finally we discuss the potential of, and evidence for, its use in patients with sexual dysfunction.