Dr Shanida Nataraja

THE BLISSFUL BRAIN: NEUROSCIENCE AND PROOF OF THE POWER OF MEDITATION

INTRODUCTION

STRESS PLACES HUGE BURDEN ON INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY

STRESSSTRESS

Increased incidence of

stress-related diseases

Increased incidence of

stress-related diseases

Increase in risk-prone behaviour

Increase in risk-prone behaviour

Impaired social relationships

Impaired social relationships

ConflictConflict

Work absenteeism

Work absenteeism

Decreased work productivity

Decreased work productivity

MEDITATION APPEARS IN MANY DIFFERENT SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

HINDUISM:yoga

Meditation

CHRISTIANITY:mantra meditation/

centering prayer

ISLAM:muraqaba or

tamarkoz

Transcendentalmeditation (TM)

BUDDHISM:Mindfulness/

loving kindness

TAOISM:tai chi/

chi gung

SIKHISM:Simran/nām japō

Mindfulness-basedstress reduction

(MBSR)

JUDAISM: hitbodedut

DIFFERENT TYPES OF MEDITATION HAVE COMMONLY OCCURRING FEATURES

Sustained attention

Mental discipline

Progressive muscle relaxation

Stilling of the mind

State of detached awareness

STRUCTURE OF TODAY’S TALK

Overview of human

brain

Peering into the meditating brain

Health benefits of meditation

Health benefits of yoga

Defining role for

meditation in everyday

life

Meditation

STRUCTURE OF TODAY’S TALK

Overview of human

brain

Peering into the meditating brain

Health benefits of meditation

Health benefits of yoga

Defining role for

meditation in everyday

life

Meditation

HUMAN BRAIN IS A BIOSUPERCOMPUTER

First mentioned in Edwin Smith Surgical Papyrus circa 1700 BC

Largely disregarded by the Egyptians

Aristotle proposed brain was cooling unit to lower blood temperature

SEVERAL BRAIN AREAS ARE IMPORTANT FOR MEDITATION

Focusedattention

Orientationin space-time

Language

Imagesand emotions

PARASYMPATHETIC AND SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ALSO IMPORTANT

• Increases heart rate and breathing rate

• Slows any unessential bodily processes, such as digestion

Sympathetic nervous system“Fight or flight”

• Decreases heart rate and breathing rate

• Increases blood flow to organs and stimulates digestion

Parasympathetic nervous system“Rest and digest”

Increase in stressDecrease in stress

Rest and digest

Fight or flight

• Decreases heart rate and breathing rate

• Increases blood flow to organs and stimulates digestion

Parasympathetic nervous system“Rest and digest”

STRUCTURE OF TODAY’S TALK

Overview of human

brain

Peering into the meditating brain

Health benefits of meditation

Health benefits of yoga

Defining role for

meditation in everyday

life

Meditation

SCIENCE AND SPIRITUALITY AS TWO PARTIAL BUT COMPLEMENTARY DESCRIPTIONS OF REALITY

1997 survey of US scientists revealed 40% believed in a personal God

Becoming more widely accepted that science and spirituality each provide a complementary and partial representation of a greater reality

True insight stems from the integration of scientific and spiritual knowledge

EPILEPSY REVEALED BRAIN’S INVOLVEMENT IN MYSTICAL EXPERIENCES Patients with temporal lobe epilepsy often experience:

Hallucinations with a religious content Seizure-induced feelings of religious ecstasy Spontaneous religious conversions Religious fanaticism

Ramachandran (1997) proposed: Temporal lobe played important role in mystical and

religious experiences

Michael Persinger proposed that mystical experiences were result of microseizures in temporal lobe; observed in “normal” individuals as well as patients with epilepsy

MANTRA MEDITATION INVOLVES CHANGES IN FRONTAL AND PARIETAL LOBES

FOCUSED ATTENTION PROMPTS SHIFT FROM LEFT TO RIGHT BRAIN

We predominantly use our left brain

Attention is right brain function; focused attention promotes shift from left to right brain

Left-brainRational

Analytical Logical

Right-brainAbstractHolistic Intuitive

Meditation

MANTRA MEDITATION INVOLVES CHANGES IN FRONTAL AND PARIETAL LOBES

DECREASED ACTIVITY IN PARIETAL LOBE HAS NUMBER OF EFFECTS

Sense of orientation in space-time

Expression of experience through language

Focused attention drives decrease in activity in brain cells that convey sense of orientation in space–time

Reflected in expansion of awareness

Focused attention drives decrease in activity in brain cells that allow expression of experience through language

Reflected in indescribable nature of experience

STRUCTURE OF TODAY’S TALK

Overview of human

brain

Peering into the meditating brain

Health benefits of meditation

Health benefits of yoga

Defining role for

meditation in everyday

life

Meditation

NUMBER OF TYPES OF MEDITATION HAVE BEEN STUDIED

Yoga

MBSR

Tai Chi

TMLoving kindnes

s

Chi Gung

MBCT

MBSR HAS A POSITIVE IMPACT ON STRESS IN WIDE RANGE OF PATIENTS

MBSR investigated in a wide range of patients (pain, cancer, heart disease, depression, and anxiety)

Overall, studies indicate MBSR is effective method of stress reduction:

• Overall quality of life• Symptoms of stress• Sleep quality

• Anxiety/psychological distress• Depression• Need for doctor visits

Improving Reducing

STRESS-RELATED DISEASES AND CONDITIONS

MBCT reduces irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia (MBTI)

reduces insomnia

MBSR improves moderate-to-

severe psoriasis

MBSR, TM, Chi Gung, Zen Buddhist

meditation, and yoga all reduce

high blood pressure

MBSR boosts immune response

MEDITATION REDUCES ANXIETY: MINDFULNESS EFFECTIVE ADD-ON Long-term meditators less anxious than novice

meditators and non-meditators

MBSR leads to improvements in anxiety in individuals already taking one or more anti-anxiety medications

MBCT is beneficial in patients with generalised anxiety disorder Decreases levels of anxiety Improves mood Improvement in insomnia and sleep disturbances

NICE LEND SUPPORT TO MBCT IN PATIENTS WITH DEPRESSION

“Mindfulness-based CBT, usually delivered in a group format, should be considered for people who are

currently well but have experienced three or more previous episodes of

depression, because this may significantly reduce the likelihood of

future relapse”

NICE, 2007

Meditation can reduce risk of depressive relapse by over 50%

MEDITATION PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN

Kabat-Zinn et al: 65% of patients with chronic pain failing to respond to traditional treatments showed marked improvements in pain after ten weeks of MBSR

Mindfulness meditation improved patients’: Body image and self-esteem Ability to carry out everyday activities Ability to cope with their pain

Mindfulness meditation reduced: Psychological problems such as anxiety and depression Consumption of pain-relieving medications

STUDIES REVEAL POTENTIAL OF MEDITATION IN WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT PATIENTS

Eating disorders

ADHD

Fibromyalgia

Cancer

HIV

Type 2 diabetes

Heart disease

Rheumatoid arthritis

STRUCTURE OF TODAY’S TALK

Overview of human

brain

Peering into the meditating brain

Health benefits of meditation

Health benefits of yoga

Defining role for

meditation in everyday

life

Meditation

YOGA HAS POSITIVE EFFECT ON STRESS MANAGEMENT

Malathi andDamodaran,

1999

Ray et al, 2001

Cowen andAdams,

2004

West et al,2004

Michalsen et al, 2005

Granath et al, 2006

Smith et al, 2007

Kjellgren et al, 2007

Reduced anxiety

Improvement in perceived stress and

overall health perception

Less anxiety, depression and stress

Reduced anxiety &

stress, and improvements

in mental health

Less anxiety & depression and improved

subjective well-being

Decrease in perceived stress and negative emotions

Decreased perceived

stress, daily stressor and

mental fatigue

Decreased anxiety,

depression & stress and increased optimism

Positive effect of yoga

on stress management

YOGA HAS WIDE RANGING BENEFITS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS

ADHD

Anxiety

Depression

Obesity

Eating disorders

Pain and injury

Asthma

IBS

STRUCTURE OF TODAY’S TALK

Overview of human

brain

Peering into the meditating brain

Health benefits of meditation

Health benefits of yoga

Defining role for

meditation in everyday

life

Meditation

EVIDENCE CALLS FOR PARADIGM SHIFT IN SOCIETY’S PERCEPTION OF MEDITATION

MEDITATION AS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINEFOR A SELECT FEW

MEDITATION AS A VALUABLE DISCPLINE

FOR ALL

Paradigm shift

Meditation as a dated or “new age”

discipline to facilitatespiritual development

Meditation as an integral part of everyday

life

CONCLUSIONS

SUMMARY OF EFFECTS OF MEDITATION

Mental health benefits:Reduces anxiety

Improves depressionReduces stress/anxiety of living with chronic illnesses

Reduces risk-prone behaviour

Physical health benefits:Positive impact on stress-related conditions

Lowers blood pressureBoosts immune system

Other psychological benefits:Improves emotional processing

Improves coping strategiesImproves social functioning

Brain performance benefits:Improves attention

Give access to right brain thinkingOptimises brain performance?

Dr Shanida Nataraja

THE BLISSFUL BRAIN: NEUROSCIENCE AND PROOF OF THE POWER OF MEDITATION