ADD

Howdy,

Never have been that interested in the idea of meditation, or zen, or chi. Sorry. But, a question popped into my head.

My brother has ADD. It's not a bad case, but it shows via his attention span. It is impossible for him to hold onto an idea for a lengthy amount of time.

So, I was curious, would something like this prevent a person from meditation? It's my understanding that the practice of meditating takes alot of focus, but when a person is mentally incapable of focusing ...is it still possible?

Or, more positively, would meditation be a way to overcome ADD, if only for a while. Kind of like "Meditate twice a day, once in the morning and once before going to bed. If you experience stomach cramps or headaches, call me the next morning."

Just curious.

-Ket

overcome ADD, I doubt it. Help to manage it, yes.

Start small (one minute). count breaths. get distracted, start over.

I would argue that your brother is not mentally incapable of focusing but that he needs to learn how to focus. People with ADD think differently than the rest of us. It isn't just about "attention span" it is about learning styles and communication styles. Once you work that out, life becomes much easier on both ends.

peace

Appreciate the input, Kemposan.

-Ket

I had a friend back home whose kid had ADD. They eventually found out he held his focus longer on things he was passionate about. They tried using a type of association between his interests and his schoolwork to help him study and retain information.

As for meditation i would suggest starting slow and have your brother only focus on specific things. Trying to get anyone to "think of nothing" is hard enough at times let alone someone with ADD.

Ket,
In nature there are a wide variety of creatures.
Let's use for example a Squirrel and a clam. Both of them have qualities or attributes that allow them to be successful in specific environments. A squirrel in the ocean? not so pretty. Add or adhd does not have to be a pajorative. It can present problems in some evironments i.e school but not in others i.e BMX competition. Deficit in a classroom, asset on a hook and ladder truck. One other aspect of ADD that can be a benefit is the abilty to hyperfocus.
Meditation can help focus as can medication. The most helpful is to find the environment you were born to thrive in. I'm sure he catches alot of grief . Encourage him and remind him he has everything he needs to achieve greatness.

My brother is ADD.

Someone said above things that inspire a passion enable them to focus. This is true. However, they get frustrated easily and often that leads to anger, which leads to them stopping (if only for that night) or being forced to stop because of their antisocial behaviour...

I believe an ADD person is capable of meditation, provided they have the passion and incentive.

I have ADHD, very bad. It is hard to meditate, but I can do it. Tell your brother to try to meditate for one minute, and then taking a walk. Gradually increase the time, or the number of walks. You wouldn't believe how well it works for someone with ADHD to meditate while they walk.

I disagree, Oldman ...Granted, it is my brother, and not I, but I do hear alot about it from him.

One thing that irked him to no end in high school was when some random teacher would come in, pull him out of class and force him to take tests or projects in a more "controlled" environment, so as to retain his focus. He wholeheartedly hated that...

What I have noticed is that people with ADD, ADHD, Dyslexia (sp), or other the like, tend to actually become smarter than those without simply because they have to work so much harder and use that much more brainpower in order to function. With this in mind, wouldn't it be possible for even the clam, given enough time and effort, and "focus", to be secure in the treetops? (symbolic and hypothetical, of course).

My original question was answered, and I thank everyone for that, but i re-read your post and decided to give a retort.

-Ket

Ket,
Students with Add in some districts are "Given the opportunity" to test in an environment that is free from distraction.It is supposed to be a benefit. Often especially
young teens, with add are selfconscious about being labled "different". When you are young you want to belong to the herd not be culled out of it. It doesnt feel safe. If he can grow to love himself as he is. He's a Squirrel Monkey. Not easy to live with but great for getting clams out of trees.

hello,
i was just recently diagnosed with ADD... more in schoolwork and that type of thing, but i will tell you that i am a HUGE fan of meditation (use the term fan loosely) what i mean is, i practice it. quite a bit. sometimes just for relaxation, others i use techniques of ninjitsu in iron body training.
due to the psychological and other effects of ADD, it is more difficult for some to focus down on one thing for a very long period of time. meditation will probably never overcome the affects of the disorder, but it can certainly, with time, dedication, and serious practice, help to reduce the symptoms and affects. if he's interested in meditation, have him start off slowly... for instance, 10 minutes each day, or every other day. this way, he can start into it, but not have to focus on it for any lengthy period of time. as he is able to do it, up the time to maybe 15 minutes a day. the main thing is that he makes a schedule and sticks to it. something like that can really help manage the disorder, just because it will add some structure to his day, beyond just his normal every day things.
good luck to your brother