When you think of "meditation", you probably picture Buddhist monks sitting cross-legged in Tibet. But meditation offers benefits to EVERYONE, and it might EVEN help EASE major depression symptoms. Numerous studies have used MINDFULNESS-based COGNITIVE therapy to examine meditation's effects on major depression. Patients practicing mindfulness meditation sit and concentrate on the rhythm of their breathing. It helps them notice their painful thoughts and then let them float away, instead of brooding over them. COGNITIVE behavioral therapy, in the form of gentle questions from a therapist, is done WHILE the patient is practicing mindfulness. THIS therapy is intended to help patients ALTER painful thinking patterns and respond to problems in a more constructive way. Research has validated this approach. In 2008, a study of people with major depression showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy prevented relapse more than treatment with antidepressants alone did. The researchers from the University of Exeter in the UK randomly split 123 people into two groups-one group started MINDFULNESS-based COGNITIVE therapy and was allowed to stop taking antidepressants if they wanted to. The other group continued with only antidepressants. Forty seven percent of the MINDFULNESS-based COGNITIVE therapy group relapsed, compared to SIXTY percent of the group on antidepressant treatment alone. The meditators also reported GREATER enjoyment of daily life and BETTER physical health. Another relapse study in 2010 at Ontario's Center for Addiction and Mental Health looked at three groups of people with major depression. One group continued taking antidepressants, one STOPPED them and started mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and the third took placebos. The relapse rates were the SAME for those on medication and those who meditated and received drug therapy. If you're thinking about trying mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or even traditional mindfulness meditation, make sure you discuss it to your psychiatrist first and never stop antidepressant medication abruptly or without a doctor's supervision. To learn more about major depression, take a look at more videos in this series.