Mindfulness meditation changes brain in eight weeks
By practicing daily mindfulness meditation – which focuses on nonjudgmental awareness of sensations, feelings and state of mind – meditators can experience measurable changes to the brain’s regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress in as little as eight weeks.
A study conducted by a team led by Harvard-affiliated researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital is the first of its kind to document such physical changes in a meditator’s brain matter. MR images showed increased grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory, and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection. Some participants, who meditated for an average of 27 minutes, also reported reduced stress, and these reports were correlated with decreased grey-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress. No changes were noted in the control group, confirming that the brain matter changes were not just from the passage of time.
“Although the practice of meditation is associated with a sense of peacefulness and physical relaxation, practitioners have long claimed that meditation also provides cognitive and psychological benefits that persist throughout the day,” says Sara Lazar, PhD, of the MGH Psychiatric Neuroimaging Research Program, the study’s senior author. “This study demonstrates that changes in brain structure may underlie some of these reported improvements and that people are not just feeling better because they are spending time relaxing.”
Zen meditators and the art of pain tolerance
What advantage do Zen meditators have over non-meditators? It seems their tolerance to pain, in addition to many other health benefits.
Researchers at the Université de Montréal enlisted the aid of a group of Zen meditators and compared their responses to non-meditators. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging to record their brain responses after painful stimuli was applied, the experienced meditators showed decreased activity in the areas responsible for cognition, emotion and memory (the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and hippocampus), therefore eliminating the brain’s mental processing of pain.
“The results suggest that Zen meditators may have a training-related ability to disengage some higher-order brain processes, while still experiencing the stimulus,” says Pierre Rainville, researcher at the Université de Montréal. “Such an ability could have widespread and profound implications for pain and emotion regulation and cognitive control. This behavior is consistent with the mindset of Zen and with the notion of mindfulness.”
Mindfulness Meditation May Ease Fatigue, Depression in Multiple Sclerosis
American Academy of Neurology: Learning mindfulness meditation may help people who have multiple sclerosis (MS) with the fatigue, depression and other life challenges that commonly accompany the disease, according to a study published in the September 28, 2010, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
In the study, people who took an eight-week class in mindfulness meditation training reduced their fatigue and depression and improved overall quality of life compared to people with MS who received only usual medical care. The positive effects continued for at least six months.
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Mindfulness meditation increases well-being in adolescent boys
University of Cambridge: ‘Mindfulness’, the process of learning to become more aware of our ongoing experiences, increases well-being in adolescent boys, a new study reports.
Researchers from the University of Cambridge analyzed 155 boys from two independent UK schools, Tonbridge and Hampton, before and after a four-week crash course in mindfulness. After the trial period, the 14 and 15 year-old boys were found to have increased well-being, defined as the combination of feeling good (including positive emotions such as happiness, contentment, interest and affection) and functioning well.
Professor Felicia Huppert of the Well-being Institute at the University of Cambridge said: “More and more we are realising the importance of supporting the overall mental health of children. Our study demonstrates that this type of training improves well-being in adolescents and that the more they practice, the greater the benefits. Importantly, many of the students genuinely enjoyed the exercises and said they intended to continue them – a good sign that many children would be receptive to this type of intervention.
“Another significant aspect of this study is that adolescents who suffered from higher levels of anxiety were the ones who benefitted most from the training.”
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Brain Waves and Meditation
Norwegian University of Science and Technology: Forget about crystals, candles, Eastern philosophy, and about sitting and breathing in awkward ways. Meditation research explores how the brain works when we refrain from concentration, rumination and intentional thinking. Electrical brain waves suggest that mental activity during meditation is wakeful and relaxed.
“Given the popularity and effectiveness of meditation as a means of alleviating stress and maintaining good health, there is a pressing need for a rigorous investigation of how it affects brain function,” says Professor Jim Lagopoulos of Sydney University, Australia. Lagopoulos is the principal investigator of a joint study between his university and researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) on changes in electrical brain activity during nondirective meditation.
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Spirituality in the Workplace
There’s a growing movement within corporate America of merging spirituality into the office setting, as businesses encourage holistic practices such as tai chi, meditation, yoga, and prayer. Employees now have access to quiet rooms for a meditation or prayer retreat, libraries with spiritually-oriented books and videos, or an instructional tai chi, yoga, and qigong program at lunchtime.
These types of wellness programs have become a more acceptable way to help employees cope with the challenges and daily demands that arise in corporate settings, and management teams who implement such programs realize the competitive advantage by allowing their employees to become more attuned to spiritual practices in the workplace.
While hesitant to promote organized religion and an atmosphere of proselytizing, the emphasis, rather, is placed on seeking the spiritual aspects of life, such as finding meaning and purpose in everyday events and interactions, a deeper appreciation of connections with others, improved sense of community, and better relations with management and coworkers. For such businesses that are now including these holistic programs in the workplace, it’s really all about determining what helps employees feel motivated and good about themselves.
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Pondering the Big Questions of Life Provides Significant Mental Benefits
No matter your religion or spiritual beliefs, even if you’re atheist, contemplating the questions of the universe — whether they be religious, scientific, or psychological — can enhance brain function. Practices such as meditation, chanting mantras, and intense prayer can provide significantly positive effects on cognition, relaxation, and psychological health.
According to a new book by Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman called “How God Changes Your Brain,” such practices both increase activity in the frontal lobe, which “creates and integrates all of your ideas about God,” and diminishes activity in the amygdala, the region responsible for emotions that can generate fearful images of a frightening and punitive God and suppress the frontal lobe’s ability to logically think about God.
When the parietal-frontal circuit is activated, we readily perceive and delineate our physical surroundings and our orientation within it. Meditation overrides these perceptions, which then allows feelings of oneness with spirit and the universe to arise.
Dr. Newberg is a medical doctor, professor of radiology, psychology, and religious studies, and is head of the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. He’s considered one of the top neuroscientists that is shedding light on the growing field of neurotheology and the new discoveries being made about the relationship between the brain and spiritual or contemplative practices.
One of Dr. Newberg’s objectives is to align the fields of science and religion, both often viewed as holding opposing concepts. “The two most powerful forces in all of human history have been religion and science,” he said. “These are the two things that help us organize our world and understand it. Why not try to bring them together to address each other and ultimately our world in a more effective way?”