The Impact of Vipassana Meditation on Stress and Anxiety: My Clinical Experience

Abstract

This article is about my clinical experience.  On 30 November 2022, I met with a severe hit-and-run accident and got multiple facial fractures. The right eye turned reddish and had severe swelling around it and bleeding through the nostrils and multiple fractures on the top of the eyebrows corner of the orbit is fractured (orbital plate). The specific fractured locations are the anterior and lateral walls of the right maxillary sinus, lateral wall of the right orbit, zygomatic arch, and segmental fracture of the right zygomatic arch are noted, and dislocated of the upper jaw; right cheek numbness; drowsiness; and multi scratches over my body. I included my accident photos, medical records, X-ray, CT scan, and eye reports in this article. During diagnosis, doctors decided I needed plastic surgery after alleviating the swelling and pain.  The case was referred to three departments for treatment: Ear Nose Throat (ENT) department, plastic surgery, and dental department. Medications included a course of antibiotics.  I did not use external skin care ointments but I applied a natural Aloe vera for better skin condition.  Furthermore, the pain, suffering, and tiredness associated with my injuries can make it harder to obtain enough rest and sleep. I recorded the data using the DASS-21 item scale on the fourth day following the accident. The results were severe for stress and moderate for anxiety. I was trained twice in the Vipassana meditation at S.N Goenka’s 10 days residential course. I started the serious practice of vipassana meditation for ten hours a day during the bedrest period.  Regardless of age and the degree of injuries, within six days miracle took place in which my facial cuts healed amazingly and the swelling and pain reduced. The aim of this article is to outline the impact of vipassana meditation in clinical settings.