I once sat across from a woman who hadn’t slept in days. Her body was rigid from pain. She said her thoughts were loud and dark. But there was this one moment—midway through a breathing meditation—where her shoulders softened, her face relaxed, and something shifted.
As a private meditation teacher, I’ve been blessed to be able to help people fighting issues ranging from BPD to chronic back pain to sleep apnea. And I strongly believe that meditation has a place in the treatment of most if not all illnesses, whether it’s due to direct physiological changes or the way meditation helps with stress and emotions.
If you’ve been struggling for a long time—mentally or physically—it’s normal to feel skeptical. Maybe you’ve tried meditation before and it let you down. Or maybe part of you wonders if this is just spiritual fluff. I get it. But meditation, when used the right way, can be a game changer—not because it fixes everything, but because it helps you meet your pain in a different way. That’s where the shift begins.
In this guide I’ll share everything you need to know so you can heal with meditation, and I’ll share my insights on both the mental and physical aspects.
Let’s start by looking at…
How meditation heals
When you meditate you allow your mind and body to calm. In turn, your nervous system resets. You hit the brakes on stress mode and shift into a parasympathetic state—where rest, repair, and immune function improve. Next, your cortisol drops. Inflammation lowers. The body begins to heal. You start to feel good, perhaps for the first time in a long time. And it happens fast.
Researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine state that “Eight days of intense meditation causes robust activation of the immune system”.
It works on your brain too. As you focus on your breath you strengthen your prefrontal cortex and quieten your amygdala. Emotional regulation improves. Anxiety fades. Focus sharpens. But healing runs deeper than brain chemistry.
You’re also opening space to witness emotions, process pain, and heal trauma. Instead of suppressing discomfort, you learn to sit with it—softly, steadily—until it melts away, freeing you.
And then there’s the spiritual side. Beneath the noise of thought and tension, meditation reconnects you to a calm inner presence. You feel stillness and inner peace. And here’s where true self-healing begins. Over time, it doesn’t just change how you feel—it changes how you see yourself.
There’s an art to this process. So let’s look at…
How To Heal With Meditation
Guided Meditation For Healing
Yesterday on my YouTube channel I shared a guided meditation for healing, which you can see below.
In the video below, I’ll guide you through a meditation designed to help you relax deeply and heal from the inside out. Whether you’re dealing with physical pain, emotional stress, or just need to feel more grounded—start here.
1) Keep it simple
I really want you to listen to this bit. Please start with simple meditation exercises that ground you and relax you. Consider mindful walking and Body Scan meditation. These are safe and offer fabulous benefits. Unfortunately, some influencers and the media like to make lofty claims about advanced techniques such as Kundalini meditation. Research shows that ig you try advanced techniques like these before you’re ready you might experience side effects, and the last thing you want to do is make things worse. So keep it simple.
Read: How to meditate safely.
2) Focus on relaxation and compassion
Above we look at the many ways meditation can help you with various illnesses, but I recommend focusing on calmness and compassion first. By cultivating calmness you help your body and mind to relax, activate the parasympathetic nervous system which in turn aids the nervous system (essential for healing), and conserve energy, which you will need to heal. And by working on compassion you will learn to enjoy a positive relationship with yourself while you are unwell, and also get the many benefits of compassion for healing (numerous scientific studies show that compassion is essential for healing).
Recommended methods:
- Mindful breathing
- Somatic meditation
- Body Scan
- Loving Kindness
3) Special techniques for specific situations
Different meditation techniques sometimes have very different effects, so of course you will want to check that the technique you’re using is suitable for your specific situation.
The table below shows the best meditations for some of the most common conditions.
| Condition | Recommended Meditation Technique | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Anxiety | Breath Awareness Meditation | Anchoring to the breath reduces mental overactivity and grounds the nervous system. |
| Depression | Loving-Kindness Meditation (Metta) | Rebuilds positive emotional tone and increases self-compassion and social connectedness. |
| Chronic Pain | Body Scan Meditation | Develops non-reactive awareness of physical sensations, reducing pain reactivity. |
| Insomnia | Yoga Nidra (Guided Sleep Meditation) | Induces deep relaxation and helps reset the body’s sleep rhythms. |
| PTSD / Trauma | Grounding Meditation with Anchoring Objects | Promotes a sense of safety by focusing on physical touchpoints and the present moment. |
| ADHD | Walking Meditation | Incorporates movement to help maintain attention while still training awareness. |
| Grief / Loss | Emotional Release Meditation (with breath + gentle awareness) | Creates space to safely feel and process difficult emotions without judgment. |
| High Blood Pressure | Mantra Meditation | Repeating calming phrases can slow the heart rate and lower blood pressure. |
| Burnout | Mindful Self-Inquiry | Helps identify inner depletion and guides attention toward inner needs and recovery. |
| Chronic Fatigue | Guided Visualization (Restorative Themes) | Uses mental imagery to promote healing, rest, and parasympathetic recovery. |
4)Test your technique
Once you’ve chosen the meditation technique that you want to try, give it a test in a short session. Meditate for around five to ten minutes the first time you use a new technique, no more than that. That’s enough time to check if the technique is producing positive results and/ or side effects.
5) A meditation a day keeps the doctor away
If you truly want to heal with meditation you must be consistent. The exact amount of meditation you’ll need per day depends on your exact situation. But generally, twenty minutes per day is a good bet. If that’s too much try for ten. It’s better to do less but do it every day than to do more once a week.
Final Thoughts
When I consider the amount of people I’ve seen heal with meditation it brings a smile to my face. By meditating you support your body through the healing journey, plus you calm your mind and generate positive emotions.
I consider myself blessed to be able to teach people like you meditation to help with your healing journey.
If I can help you, please reach out.
Paul Harrison is a meditation teacher with 20+ years of experience and a deep passion for helping others. Known for his empathy and authentic approach, he’s dedicated to guiding individuals and teams toward mindfulness, clarity, and well-being.