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Dr Shanida Nataraja

The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and Proof of the Power of Meditation. Dr Shanida Nataraja. INTRODUCTION. Stress places huge burden on individual and society. Increased incidence of stress-related diseases. Impaired social relationships. Decreased work productivity . STRESS.

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Dr Shanida Nataraja

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  1. The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and Proof of the Power of Meditation Dr Shanida Nataraja

  2. INTRODUCTION

  3. Stress places huge burden on individual and society Increased incidence of stress-related diseases Impaired social relationships Decreased work productivity STRESS Increase in risk-prone behaviour Work absenteeism Conflict

  4. TAOISM: tai chi/chi gung Meditation appears in many different spiritual disciplines HINDUISM: yoga CHRISTIANITY: mantra meditation/centering prayer Meditation SIKHISM: Simran/nām japō ISLAM: muraqaba or tamarkoz Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) Transcendentalmeditation (TM) JUDAISM: hitbodedut BUDDHISM: Mindfulness/loving kindness

  5. Different types of meditation have commonly occurring features Mental discipline Sustained attention Progressive muscle relaxation Stilling of the mind State of detached awareness

  6. Structure of today’s talk Defining role for meditation in everyday life Overview of human brain Health benefits of yoga Peering into the meditating brain Health benefits of meditation Meditation

  7. Structure of today’s talk Defining role for meditation in everyday life Overview of human brain Health benefits of yoga Peering into the meditating brain Health benefits of meditation Meditation

  8. 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

  9. Orientation in space-time Focused attention Language Images and emotions Several brain areas are important for meditation

  10. Sympathetic nervous system “Fight or flight” Parasympathetic nervous system “Rest and digest” Parasympathetic nervous system “Rest and digest” • Increases heart rate and breathing rate • Slows any unessential bodily processes, such as digestion • Decreases heart rate and breathing rate • Increases blood flow to organs and stimulates digestion • Decreases heart rate and breathing rate • Increases blood flow to organs and stimulates digestion Parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system also important Rest and digest Fight or flight Decrease in stress Increase in stress

  11. Structure of today’s talk Defining role for meditation in everyday life Overview of human brain Health benefits of yoga Peering into the meditating brain Health benefits of meditation Meditation

  12. 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

  13. 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

  14. Mantra meditation involves changes in frontal and parietal lobes

  15. 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 Right-brain Abstract Holistic Intuitive Left-brain Rational Analytical Logical Meditation

  16. Mantra meditation involves changes in frontal and parietal lobes

  17. 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

  18. Structure of today’s talk Defining role for meditation in everyday life Overview of human brain Health benefits of yoga Peering into the meditating brain Health benefits of meditation Meditation

  19. Number of types of meditation have been studied • Yoga • MBCT • MBSR • Chi Gung • Tai Chi • Loving kindness • TM

  20. 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: Improving Reducing • Overall quality of life • Symptoms of stress • Sleep quality • Anxiety/psychological distress • Depression • Need for doctor visits

  21. Stress-related diseases and conditions • MBSR, TM, Chi Gung, Zen Buddhist meditation, and yoga all reduce high blood pressure • MBSR improves moderate-to-severe psoriasis • Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia (MBTI) reduces insomnia • MBSR boosts immune response • MBCT reduces irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

  22. 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

  23. 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%

  24. Meditation plays important role in patients with chronic pain • Kabat-Zinnet 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

  25. Studies reveal potential of meditation in wide range of different patients

  26. Structure of today’s talk Defining role for meditation in everyday life Overview of human brain Health benefits of yoga Peering into the meditating brain Health benefits of meditation Meditation

  27. Yoga has positive effect on stress management Reduced anxiety Improvement in perceived stress and overall health perception Less anxiety, depression and stress Reduced anxiety & stress, and improvements in mental health Cowen and Adams, 2004 Michalsen et al, 2005 Malathi and Damodaran, 1999 Smith et al, 2007 Positive effect of yoga on stress management Kjellgren et al, 2007 Granath et al, 2006 Ray et al, 2001 West et al,2004 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

  28. Yoga has wide ranging benefits in children and adolescents ADHD • IBS • Anxiety Asthma Depression • Pain and injury • Obesity Eating disorders

  29. Structure of today’s talk Defining role for meditation in everyday life Overview of human brain Health benefits of yoga Peering into the meditating brain Health benefits of meditation Meditation

  30. evidence calls for paradigm shift in society’s perception of meditation Paradigm shift MEDITATION AS A VALUABLE DISCPLINE FOR ALL MEDITATION AS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE FOR A SELECT FEW Meditation as a dated or “new age” discipline to facilitate spiritual development Meditation as an integral part of everyday life

  31. CONCLUSIONS

  32. Summary of effects of meditation Brain performance benefits: Improves attention Give access to right brain thinking Optimises brain performance? Physical health benefits: Positive impact on stress-related conditions Lowers blood pressure Boosts immune system Mental health benefits: Reduces anxiety Improves depression Reduces stress/anxiety of living with chronic illnesses Reduces risk-prone behaviour Other psychological benefits: Improves emotional processing Improves coping strategiesImproves social functioning

  33. The Blissful Brain: Neuroscience and Proof of the Power of Meditation Dr Shanida Nataraja

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