Dr. Robert Harden is a Texas-based psychiatrist with more than 40 years of clinical, academic, and leadership experience in the field of mental health. Trained at Timberlawn Psychiatric Hospital, he completed both his general psychiatry residency and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry, equipping him to address a wide range of developmental, emotional, and behavioral concerns across age groups. Throughout his career, Robert Harden, MD, has served in roles such as director of clinical services at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano and Psychiatrist IV at the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, providing care for vulnerable populations. Now a psychiatric consultant at Compassionate Psychiatric Services, he works with patients managing conditions such as anxiety disorders, neurodevelopmental challenges, and stress-related illnesses. Drawing on his expertise in mindfulness and psychopharmacology, Dr. Harden offers insight into meditation as an accessible and effective tool for mental and physical well-being.
A Brief Introduction to Meditation
Stress and anxiety represent two common and potentially life-threatening health conditions in the United States. The American Institute of Stress reports that 43 percent of US adults experienced increased anxiety in 2024 compared to 2023. Without intervention, stress and anxiety can cause elevated blood pressure and related health conditions. Fortunately, Americans can develop various techniques for stress and anxiety management, including meditation.
The term “meditation” refers to a relatively wide range of practices designed to focus or clear the mind through various mental and physical techniques. Meditation has an extremely long history, dating back thousands of years to many ancient spiritual and religious traditions around the world. Although meditation has existed in one form or another in the US for hundreds of years, the practice has gained mainstream popularity in recent decades, partly due to the comparable rise in popularity of yoga.
Meditation provides the body with an array of benefits. From a psychological standpoint, meditation can help reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and similar conditions. Over time, meditation leads to improved cognitive function, including improved concentration and problem-solving abilities. People who meditate may find themselves more flexible in unusual or unexpected circumstances and can more readily overcome emotional difficulties.
Meditation also yields important physical benefits. As mentioned, meditation represents an effective tool against stress and anxiety, and can help individuals decrease their blood pressure. Meditation also improves the cardiovascular system and supports a healthier sleep cycle, among many other benefits.
In the past, some people may have questioned the true impact of meditation, particularly in relation to physical benefits. However, advances in technology have demonstrated the positive impact of meditation on the brain. Put simply, individuals who regularly meditate have a unique brain structure, with certain regions of the brain growing larger and featuring more neuron activity with stronger connections. Impacted areas of the brain include those associated with control of the senses and emotional processing. The brains of people who meditate have also shown resistance to age-related cognitive decline.
While meditation provides many benefits, Americans may feel overwhelmed when it comes to starting a meditation routine. To start, individuals should review the basic categories of meditation. Body-centered meditation, for example, emphasizes physical sensations throughout the body, while contemplative meditation involves focusing the mind on a single question or thought, such as a contradiction. This intense focus allows the mind to wander free of the stresses and mundanity of everyday life.
Similarly, mantra meditation compels a person to repeat a single word or phrase for long periods, either internally or out loud. Emotion-centered meditation is comparable to contemplation and mantra meditation, but involves focusing on a single emotion, such as acts of kindness or things that bring happiness into a person’s life.
Individuals sometimes conflate meditation and yoga. The two practices can overlap, specifically when it comes to meditation with movement, which consists of focused breathing exercises and specific body movements, including poses held for set periods.
Other types of meditation range from mindfulness meditation to visual-based meditation. After researching various types of meditation, individuals should speak to their healthcare provider and other health experts who can provide further guidance for developing an effective meditation routine.
About Robert Harden
Dr. Robert Harden is a veteran psychiatrist specializing in general, child, and adolescent psychiatry. With decades of clinical service across hospitals, state agencies, and private practices, he currently serves as a psychiatric consultant at Compassionate Psychiatric Services. Dr. Harden has received numerous professional honors and is an active member of leading psychiatric associations. His interests include meditation, mindfulness, and approaches that integrate mental and physical well-being into patient care.
