Dr. Richard Miller is a meditation teacher and the founder of iRest — a research based meditation practice based on ancient mindful awareness techniques to regulate and recover from emotional traumas associated with stress.
iRest (Integrative Restoration) is based on the ancient yogic practice of yoga nidra, combining eastern philosophies of meditation with contemporary western practices and influences of clinical psychology.
Dr. Miller has consulted on over 20 scientific studies to assess the integrity of his approach, with very positive results. This includes a series of initial studies that focused on using iRest to treat soldiers returning from combat who suffered with severe post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The result of using meditation to regulate and heal emotional traumas of extreme stress were so successful that the military has embraced and implemented it in over 35 settings across the US as a complementarity and alternative treatment for both PTSD and chronic pain.
In this episode, we explore:
- Ancient philosophies of yoga and meditation.
- Combining eastern meditation with modern psychology.
- What is emotional trauma?
- Letting go of extraneous thoughts, and what it means to come back into full being.
- How to better understand and regulate our own emotions.
- Understanding the mind body connection.
- Some exciting discoveries Richard made while studying meditation and working with other people.
- Why meditation is so effective at treating severe emotional traumas.
At an early age, Richard was inspired by eastern schools of meditation, spiritual development, and modern philosophy. At the core of these teachings, he discovered a powerful and eye opening emphasis on the simplistic nature of our existence as a gateway to the healing experience of compassion for ourselves and for others.
These influences eventually drove Richard deeper within himself and onto an illuminating path of spiritual discovery. Driven by his desire to help others, Richard wanted to test his hypothesis that meditation can be used to treat even the most serious cases of emotional traumas.