Early Ideas

In 1979, West noted that there were few theoretical explanations for the psychological and physical health benefits of meditation.  One that had been proposed was desensitization.

Some theorists believe that because meditation promotes a calm witnessing of thoughts, its practice desensitizes individuals to their anxieties.

This is similar to the theory of reciprocal inhibition, which hypothesizes that a relaxed mind state would not allow the formation of anxious or phobic reactions.

References

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