Today, I’d like to talk about the connection between meditation and coping with pet loss.
My Personal Image of Meditation
When you hear the word meditation, what kind of image comes to mind?
- It seems difficult.
- It sounds a little unbelievable.
- If it could really make me feel better, life wouldn’t be so hard.
That was exactly the image I had of meditation at first.
Still, I was desperate—clinging to any hope. If there was even a chance that it could ease my pain, I wanted to give it a try.
Does Meditation Help Ease Pet Loss?
My Encounter with Meditation
After the death of my beloved dog, I fell into depression. (My story about depression is here.)
At that time, a friend of mine—a physical therapist—recommended meditation to me.
At first, I was skeptical. I thought, If this could really heal me, life wouldn’t be so hard.
And just as I expected, nothing changed when I tried it.
In fact, I became frustrated. There was even a period when I began to doubt the intentions of the person who had recommended it.
Still, I continued practicing meditation for several days.
Then one day, something happened—I managed to enter a deep meditative state.
My whole body relaxed; it felt both heavy and light at the same time.
It was as if I were sinking into the bed, yet floating in the air.
My mind was empty, not thinking about anything, yet my awareness was perfectly clear—I knew I was present, here and now.
It was a strange, almost mysterious experience.
Afterward, I fell into a deep sleep. When I woke up the next morning, I felt:
“For the first time in a long while, I actually slept well.”
For someone who had been struggling with insomnia, this was almost unbelievable.
That morning, I felt both hazy and vividly refreshed, as if my brain were filled with something new and clear. It took me a while before I could start my usual morning routine.
Of course, my depression later returned, and my condition continued to fluctuate between better and worse. But whenever I meditated before going to bed, I once again felt a sense of clarity and relief.
To be honest, meditation isn’t easy. Even now, I can’t always do it successfully. Sometimes I can enter a meditative state, and sometimes I can’t.
But what I can say with certainty is this: after a successful meditation, I always feel refreshed.
And even though my good and bad days still come and go, meditation has become one of the few practices that truly helps me.
Simple Ways to Experience Meditation
There are also simple ways to experience meditation.
For example, have you ever felt refreshed after visiting a Shinto shrine?
Or noticed how striking a temple bell can bring a sense of calm?
Even just closing your eyes and counting to ten can sometimes settle your mind.
That, too, is considered a kind of meditative state.
If you follow a religion, visiting a sacred place—such as a church or cathedral—can also be helpful.
When you connect with something you believe brings you peace or salvation, you may experience something very similar to meditation.
Personally, I like to gaze at the stars.
When I do, my worries slowly fade away. My mind becomes empty, and I spend that time simply admiring the beautiful night sky.
(You can read more about this experience in my piece “The Station Where Stars Stop.”)
I believe this, too, is very close to a meditative state.
The Role of Meditation
I feel that the role of meditation is to empty the mind.
When I meditate, I am wrapped in a gentle feeling and released from pain.
The sense of urgency disappears, and I become able to love many things more freely.
The suffering and hardship we carry now are, in a way, worlds created by our own minds.
Through meditation, the mind is released, and the inner space becomes empty.
Think about it—
Even when people go through the same experience, each person feels it differently.
That is because everyone has a different heart, a unique inner world.
When we store too many emotions inside and can no longer contain them, we begin to feel pain and sadness.
Meditation helps us empty those emotions, reset the mind, and find balance again.
But then, does emptying the heart mean losing the feelings we hold for our beloved pets?
Of course not. Please don’t worry.
On the contrary, it allows us to love them even more deeply.
Some say that meditation itself is love.
If we think only of our own benefit, we cannot truly meditate.
Meditation begins with love—with cherishing others sincerely.
And when we return from meditation, that love grows even stronger.
Advice for Those Who Have Lost a Pet
Meditation may feel a little difficult.
If you find yourself thinking, This is too hard, I can’t do it well, then it’s better not to force it.
I also struggled at first and became very anxious when I couldn’t do it.
That only had the opposite effect.
But if you ever feel, Maybe I’ll give it a try, I recommend reading a book by Keiko Aikawa.
Or, you can listen to meditation music on YouTube.
There are many different styles of meditation music, so it may help to find the sound or frequency that resonates best with you.
When meditation works, the pain becomes lighter.
You begin to feel that even with sorrow, you can go on living.
And warm, happy memories of your pet will return to you.
I sincerely hope your heart finds even a little comfort.
And I pray that you will continue to love your departed pets and live surrounded by the precious memories you shared with them.
[Back to the Pet Loss Support Page]
Mindfulness
Updated in 2025.
Similar to meditation, there’s an even easier way to refresh your mind: mindfulness.
Learn more about mindfulness here.