Illuminating Experiences of Meditation and Visualization for University Women through Collage

Dr. Indrani Margolin

The purpose of focused attention (FA) meditation is to transcend patterned current cognitions, emotions, and perceptions of self through sustained contemplation on imagery, mantras, or ideas that align consciousness with an object of focus (Cahn & Polich, 2006; Lutz et al., 2008). The FA Mahavakyam Meditation (MM; Sen, 2005) was adopted in this inquiry with university women experiencing distressing levels of stress, anxiety, and sadness. MM includes self-affirmations that connect consciousness to an unlimited pool of creativity and diligent visualization of desired emotions, experiences, and aspirations.

The authors adopted collage inquiry to illuminate participants’ experiences. The practice of collage was implemented as both an analytic method and representational form. Incorporating visual inquiry enabled authors to deepen their personal connections with the work and their analysis while participants were enabled to bring their insights to light and integrate their sensual, perceptual, and emotional shifts.

Resulting collages captured participants’ process of gaining internal awareness in the eight week MM group, in one concluding artistic piece. Findings indicated that participants realized a reduction of their distressing symptoms in a number of ways: a broadened perspective, acceptance of a range of emotions, an increased capacity to control thoughts and emotions, a positive shift in perspective of self, increased bodily awareness, and a capacity to entertain the notion that they can choose how they think and feel. Creating what they want, participants’ experienced self-exploration and growth as an enjoyable, rejuvenating process when applying Mahavakyam Meditation.