Los Angeles, May 16 : More than 60 succulents, shamrocks, four-o’clock flowers and other potted plants are thriving in the Cedars-Sinai office of Rebecca Hedrick, MD, director of Consultation Liaison Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
At home, Hedrick tends to at least 60 more.
“I’m not listening to audiobooks, I’m not talking to family, I’m not thinking about work when I’m gardening,” Hedrick said. “I’m in the present moment, fully focused on my plants.”
For Hedrick, gardening is a form of mindfulness meditation. She initially turned to meditation to help manage stress after an autoimmune condition caused flare-ups that led to vision loss. Over time, meditation helped lessen both the frequency and intensity of those flare-ups.
Today, Hedrick incorporates mindfulness-based stress reduction into her work as a psychiatrist and encourages similar mind-body interventions as healthy, science-backed ways to help alleviate anxiety.
In a widely cited clinical trial published in JAMA Psychiatry, an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program was found to work as well as a commonly prescribed first-line medication for anxiety in reducing symptoms of anxiety disorders.
“Meditation doesn’t just calm you down in the moment,” Hedrick said. “It changes how the brain is wired, helping the thinking part of the brain get better at dialing down the fear response.”
Hedrick said mindfulness meditation strengthens the connection between the prefrontal cortex—the area of the brain responsible for planning, higher-level thinking and information processing—and the amygdala, the brain’s danger center.
“Meditation is a bicep curl for your brain,” she said, noting that neuroimaging studies show meditation can produce measurable structural and functional changes in the brain. “The brain actually gets bigger in the areas that control attention regulation.”
One common meditation misconception, Hedrick said, is that meditating requires sitting perfectly still and emptying the mind. Instead, it’s paying attention to the present moment without judgment.
“Many people find movement—gardening, running, practicing tai chi or yoga, playing the guitar—to be a more accessible form of meditation than sitting still,” she said. “There are infinite ways to bring your mind into the present moment.”
Distraction during meditation is not failure, Hedrick added, but part of the exercise. Redirecting attention strengthens brain circuits involved in emotional regulation and self-awareness.
As with any form of training, the benefits build gradually over time.
“Stick with it,” she said. “The benefits come with practice. That’s why we call it a practice—you have to keep doing it.”
Hedrick cautions, however, that meditation should not be used to suppress difficult emotions.
“Meditation works best when you stop trying to use it to feel better and instead, use it to get better at feeling,” Hedrick said. “Mindfulness is most powerful when integrated with therapy. If unresolved trauma, grief or depression are driving these emotions, you still need the therapeutic work of understanding and processing them.”
Hedrick emphasized that meditation is not always calming or appropriate for everyone, particularly people with trauma histories, severe anxiety or certain psychiatric conditions. In those cases, treatment decisions should be guided by a healthcare professional.
“Meditation isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution or a cure-all,” Hedrick said. “Consider it one part of a tool kit. Mindfulness works alongside therapy, physical activity, social connection and, when appropriate, medication.”
For those interested in beginning a mindfulness practice, Hedrick recommends joining a guided meditation group, exploring a digital app, or incorporating breath work slow, focused breathing that helps calm the body and anchor attention in the present moment.
Music to Calm and Heal
Meditation and mindfulness are not the only therapeutic tools that can help people cope with stress and anxiety. Music also can bring comfort, connection and emotional relief.
Bronwen Jones, MTheol, BCC, an interfaith chaplain in the Spiritual Care Department who works with the Patient and Family Support Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, coordinates live, virtual concerts by professional musicians for patients receiving chemotherapy and other treatments.
In infusion areas, music from Gershwin to Beatles classics acts as a salve.
“Hearing live music completely changes the atmosphere of the room,” Jones said. “It’s extraordinary and powerful when a professional musician plays for one of our patients. It’s a uniquely personal and often emotional experience—a magical moment where people transform.”
Jones coordinates the performances with musicians through the Project: Music Heals Us “Vital Sounds Initiative.” Sessions are tailored to each person’s musical preferences, with musicians often taking requests and building rapport along the way.
Patients frequently describe the music as the highlight of their day, Jones said, helping them relax and reconnect with joy during the often-isolating experience of cancer treatment.
She recalled one patient whose blood pressure was dangerously high before chemotherapy. After watching a live cello performance, the patient’s blood pressure decreased so dramatically that she was able to proceed with treatment.
Jones, a former professional musician, said music can reach people emotionally in ways other interventions sometimes cannot.
“If you appreciate listening to music, you can use it to help shape your mood—whether you’re seeking tranquility or a sense of renewal,” she said. “I also encourage people to learn or relearn an instrument because engaging in learning is a wonderful coping skill when dealing with anxiety.”
The Power of Awe
Like meditation and music, awe experiencing wonder, admiration and reverence when encountering something vast, powerful or beautiful—can allow for conceptual reframing by reconnecting people to meaning, gratitude and perspective.
Postdoctoral scientist Rebecca Benhaghnazar, PhD, founder and co-chair of the Scientific, Spiritual and Interfaith Community at Cedars-Sinai, said awe can emerge through music, prayer, mindfulness, nature or art anything that helps people feel connected to something larger than themselves.
“Whatever allows a person to transcend themselves can create a very powerful shift in cognitive retraining,” Benhaghnazar said. “For some, that’s taking in a sunset or listening to beautiful music. For others, it’s prayer.”
Benhaghnazar, whose research focuses on therapeutic design and cell biology, finds those moments of awe in her own work.
“I get to take a look at nature on a microscopic level,” she said. “When I see inside a single cell, it’s wondrous.”
In a culture dominated by nonstop stimulation, Benhaghnazar emphasized the mental reset that even a few reflective moments can provide.
“A daily awe practice is a must,” she said. “Go outside for a few minutes and look at the leaves on a tree, look up at the sky. Awe, connection, spirituality, gratitude—they’re all grounding.”
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