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EL29 Mindfulness Meditation

Lecture 1.5: Recent scientific and

neuroscience findings

Quick check: How much can you recall so far?

Which of the following traits are NOT common to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam? a)  Belief in one God b)  Critical importance of chanting &

meditation c)  Importance of holy books d)  Originated in the middle east

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Lectio Divina

!  In Christianity, Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading” is a traditional Benedictine practice of reading

!  Intended to promote communion with God and to increase knowledge of God’s Word.

Lectio Divina is a form of Christian

mediation.

What is its purpose or intention?

Chat with your neighbors….

Lecture Overview

! Topics: • Meditative states and science • Meditation and ASCs • Brain responses to meditation

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Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1:. Meditative states are not linked to

paranormal or metaphysical/mystical interpretations as were long believed by most religious traditions.

!  Key Learning #2: : Meditative states are really just another ASC, but long-term practice seems to have considerable benefits. Dozens of psychological and wellness benefits accruing from meditation have now been documented scientifically.

!  Key Learning #3: Different meditation practices engage different brain circuitry that result in different internal psychological states of mind and external behaviors.

Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1:. Meditative states are not linked to

paranormal or metaphysical/mystical interpretations as were long believed by most religious traditions.

!  Key Learning #2: : Meditative states are really just another ASC, but long-term practice seems to have considerable benefits. Dozens of psychological and wellness benefits accruing from meditation have now been documented scientifically.

!  Key Learning #3: Different meditation practices engage different brain circuitry that result in different internal psychological states of mind and external behaviors.

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Consciousness States: Medical

NWC

http://scopeblog.stanford.edu/2014/08/07/exploring-the-conscious-and-unconscious-brain-in-every-day-life/

Awareness allows us to receive and process

information communicated by the

five senses and thereby relate to ourselves and the rest of the world.

Awareness has psychological and

physiological components

Arousal is regulated solely by physiological functioning. Its primitive responsiveness to the world is demonstrated by predictable reflex to involuntary response to stimuli

Meditative Sate?

The Neuroscience of Consciousness:

!  Consciousness not confined to one region of the brain.

!  Global Workspace Model: A dynamic integration of millions of neurons processing information – constant flux – where your attention is at any given moment. http://journal.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00200/full

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Altered States of Consciousness

!  Mental experiences that transcend ordinary experiences. •  Literally an “altered state” deviating from one’s normal mental state. •  May induce emotions like: fear/anxiety, well-being, connection to

supernatural entities. •  Encouraged and interpreted by many different cultures as important

religious experiences.

!  Stroke of Insight: Jill Bolte Taylor on TED.com •  http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/jill_bolte_taylor_s_powerful_stroke_of_insight.html

Meditative state !  Many forms such as yoga, Zen and transcendental

meditation each of which has its basis in Eastern religion like Buddhism and Hinduism.

!  Meditation involves the use of a technique to deliberately alter Normal Waking Consciousness (NWC) in order to induce an ASC characterized by a deep state of relaxation.

!  It typically involves altering the normal flow of conscious thoughts by focusing on a simple stimulus like breathing or a body part.

!  Suppresses activity of the sympathetic nervous system

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Religious interpretations of ASCs 1.  Spirit Possession

!  A supernatural force (a spirit/god) enters a person’s body. !  An individual may be able to control the spirit, to heal/divine or the spirit may

control the body and heal/divine without the host’s knowledge. !  Spirit possession may also be negative or unwanted. In this case exorcism rituals

may be needed. !  Trance state in which the Soul has left the body. Interpretations of the

Altered State are based around the Soul’s experience out of body. 2.  Unity with God/gods

•  Long periods of intense prayer or meditation •  Loud music with a repetitive beat, ecstatic dancing, trance. •  Brings members into a Unitary State with God, a state in which the

individual experiences a feeling of becoming one with the supernatural. 3.  Liberation from Suffering

•  Intense mediation practice over years •  Practitioner comes to realize higher wisdom and overcome suffering

Out of body experiences (OBE) !  Commonly reported in

parapsychology literature for decades.

!  Once thought to be the soul leaving the body.

!  OBEs can be induced by brain traumas, sensory deprivation, near-death experiences, dissociative and psychedelic drugs, dehydration, sleep, and electrical stimulation of the brain,

!  Modern explanation relates to damage to the Parietal Lobe and/or other brain regions

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Ghosts !  40-50% of people in the

modern western world still believe in ghosts.

!  No scientific evidence that any “spirit matter” survives death.

!  Scientifically demonstrated causes include: •  Electromagnetic fields induced

in the temporal lobes. •  Low frequency infrasound can

lead to auditory and visual hallucinations.

•  Toxic mold & CO poisoning can also lead to hallucinations

•  Social psychology and the will to believe others and an longing for an “afterlife”

Altered States of Consciousness and the Brain Cerebral Cortex (when we think of “the brain” this is what usually comes to mind) Divided into right and left hemispheres, with each hemisphere's lobes responsible for specific functions:

Frontal Lobes Have you ever experienced the phenomenon of arriving at school and not remembering driving there? The planning, organization and self-correction skills controlled by the frontal lobes are responsible for your safe arrival at school. If there had been a detour on the way, the frontal lobes' mental flexibility would have allowed you to alter your route and successfully complete your trip. Carrying out daily functions requires you to remain in control and generate alternatives when problems arise.

Parietal Lobes Allows you to find your way in the dark and sense your relationship with surroundings. Visual perception and analysis of space, as demonstrated by the ability to read a map or follow a maze, are also processed in these lobes. Location of the Orientation Association Structure

Ex: If these are damaged, may not know where “you” end and the outside world begins.

Brain Stem Life-sustaining functions such as regulation of blood pressure, heart rate, breathing and body temperature. The system that is responsible for the level of arousal and alertness is also in the brain stem and is known as the Reticular Activating System (RAS). The RAS, referred to in the book as the Sympathetic System functions like a dimmer in a light switch, increasing and decreasing the responsiveness to the environment. If the RAS is damaged, like a light that has been dimmed…an altered state of consciousness such as a coma or a vegetative condition may result. An altered state may also result from overstimulation of this system.

Limbic System In addition to the easily identifiable lobes, there are systems within the brain that connect the lobes. The system most sensitive to the results of head injury is the limbic system, which mediates mood, emotions, motivation, attention and memory. Injury to the system may be manifested in behaviors ranging from flat affect (no expression) to aggressiveness; from mild distractibility to the inability to pay attention for one minute; from almost imperceptible memory problems to the inability to recall dialing numbers on a phone.

Temporal Lobes

Right Temporal Lobe. This is the place for the senses, without worries, burdens, etc. produced in the Left Temporal lobe. It is this lobe that is stimulated most during an Altered State.

-The ability to understand a teacher during a lecture (language comprehension), to name your friends and family (naming ability)

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Scientific interpretations of meditative ASCs

!  Still a new field in neuroscience. !  However, general conclusion would be that

most religious interpretations of meditative states are probably wrong.

!  Most meditative states are just another form of ASC that is purely organic-brain driven in nature and not metaphysical.

!  Many claimed psychological & wellness benefits now have scientific backing

!  Different meditation styles produce different brain responses.

Which of the following statements is true regarding meditative ASCs?

1.  Allows you to see ghosts 2.  Enables out of body experiences 3.  Is just another organic induced

state 4.  Is a state where you are unified with

God/gods

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Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1:. Meditative states are not linked to

paranormal or metaphysical/mystical interpretations as were long believed by most religious traditions.

!  Key Learning #2: : Meditative states are really just another ASC, but long-term practice seems to have considerable benefits. Dozens of psychological and wellness benefits accruing from meditation have now been documented scientifically.

!  Key Learning #3: Different meditation practices engage different brain circuitry that result in different internal psychological states of mind and external behaviors.

Early research using EEG

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Scientifically demonstrated benefits of meditation

http://www.artofliving.org/meditation/meditation-for-you/benefits-of-meditation

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Bad habits meditation helps overcome

1.  Overeating due to lack of mindfulness

2.  Bad posture 3.  Acting on impulse 4.  Addiction to

technology 5.  Forgetting things

you should be able to remember

6.  Obsessing over your to-do list.

7.  Never being able to get a quality night’s sleep

8.  Worrying over small personal problems

9.  Bad management of bigger personal problems

10.  Inability to accept yourself the way your are

What happens in the brain during meditation?

!  Large portions of the brain become quiet. 1. A relaxed state of mind !  When your mind is in an aroused state, your brain releases alpha waves, keeping

you hyped up. !  MRI scans have shown that during meditation, your brain predominantly releases

theta waves, which has been associated with a relaxed state of mind. 2. Reduces anxiety !  When you are in an upsetting situation, the prefrontal cortex makes you feel

scared or anxious. However, mediation enables a lesser reaction in the prefrontal cortex, reducing pangs of anxiety, allowing you to evaluate the situation more rationally.

3. Increases resilience !  When analyzing MRI images of Tibetan monks, researchers at Wisconsin Madison

University discovered that meditation and resilience have a deep-rooted connection.

4. Diminishes stress !  Perhaps one of the most renowned benefits of meditation. A study conducted in

2012 analyzed three groups to test which group is able to handle stress better. A multi-tasking, stress inducing test portrayed that those who meditated showed less stress than either group.

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Decreased mind-wandering !  The default mode of humans appears to be that of

mind-wandering, which correlates with unhappiness, and with activation in a network of brain areas associated with self-referential processing.

!  Several different meditations (Concentration/mindfulness, Loving-Kindness, Choiceless Awareness) were studied using experienced meditators.

!  We found that the main nodes of the default-mode network (medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices) were relatively deactivated in experienced meditators across all meditation types (0r a decrease in mind-wandering)

www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1112029108, 2011

Key Learnings: !  Key Learning #1:. Meditative states are not linked to

paranormal or metaphysical/mystical interpretations as were long believed by most religious traditions.

!  Key Learning #2: : Meditative states are really just another ASC, but long-term practice seems to have considerable benefits. Dozens of psychological and wellness benefits accruing from meditation have now been documented scientifically.

!  Key Learning #3: Different meditation practices engage different brain circuitry that result in different internal psychological states of mind and external behaviors.

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Functional MRI studies

!  Watching blood flow in meditating monks.

!  fMRI tracks where blood is being utilized in the brain.

What happens in the brain during meditation?

!  Bright yellow and red areas are regions of the brain rapidly firing and using oxygen

!  Blue and green areas are relatively quite

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Lovingkindness/Compassion meditation increases gray matter in the brain

!  The study was led by a Harvard-affiliated team of researchers based at Massachusetts General Hospital, and the team’s MRI scans documented for the very first time in medical history how meditation produced massive changes inside the brain’s gray matter.

!  The participants spent an average of 27 minutes per day practicing mindfulness exercise.

Lovingkindness/Compassion meditation increases gray matter in the brain -

RESULTS !  A major increase in gray matter

density in the hippocampus, the part of the brain associated with self-awareness, compassion, and introspection.

!  “Participant-reported reductions in stress also were correlated with decreased gray-matter density in the amygdala, which is known to play an important role in anxiety and stress.

!  None of these changes were seen in the control group, indicating that they had not resulted merely from the passage of time.”

!  May help offset cognitive decline as we age.

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Mindfulness meditation’s impact on the brain

!  MRI scans show that after an eight-week course of mindfulness practice, the brain’s “fight or flight” center, the amygdala, appears to shrink.

!  This primal region of the brain, associated with fear and emotion, is involved in the initiation of the body’s response to stress.

!  As the amygdala shrinks, the pre-frontal cortex – associated with higher order brain functions such as awareness, concentration and decision-making – becomes thicker.

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/

Mindfulness meditation’s impact on the brain (cont.)

!  The “functional connectivity” between these regions – i.e. how often they are activated together – also changes.

!  The connection between the amygdala and the rest of the brain gets weaker, while the connections between areas associated with attention and concentration get stronger

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/

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What happens during prayer meditation?

!  In the prayer image, the frontal lobe region ("attention") is red, more activated than during the baseline.

!  Similarly, the "language center" (lower left) is more activated (redder) during prayer than for the baseline.

!  Metabolic activity of the brain is color coded--blue is least, red is most; the color coding is on a relative, not absolute scale.

http://rationalcatholic.blogspot.ca/2014/03/are-we-hard-wired-for-faith-religious.html

What happens when you are trying to meditate?

Scientific American, Nov. 2014

Default mode network

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How much can you recall about fMRI studies related to various types of meditation practices?

Chat with your neighbors….

Part 2: Hand’s on practice - Tranquil sounds

meditation