Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology of Meditation States

Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology of Meditation States PDF Author: Barbara Tomasino
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288945178X
Category : Meditation
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description
Neurophysiological and psychological modifications induced by meditation practice have been consistently addressed by neuroscience. Training meditation practice induced plasticity (Barinaga, 2003; Knight, 2004), and as a consequence several benefit for mental and physical health (Davidson & McEwen, 2012), and cognitive performance. One goal of meditation is to achieve the light of consciousness observing with equanimity (the right distance) clouds of the mind wandering. This Frontiers Research Topic brings together studies from groups of authors whose research focus on neuropsychological systems involved in meditation demonstrating how meditation activates and can modify brain areas, cognitive mechanisms and well-being.

Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology of Meditation States

Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology of Meditation States PDF Author: Barbara Tomasino
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 288945178X
Category : Meditation
Languages : en
Pages : 147

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Book Description
Neurophysiological and psychological modifications induced by meditation practice have been consistently addressed by neuroscience. Training meditation practice induced plasticity (Barinaga, 2003; Knight, 2004), and as a consequence several benefit for mental and physical health (Davidson & McEwen, 2012), and cognitive performance. One goal of meditation is to achieve the light of consciousness observing with equanimity (the right distance) clouds of the mind wandering. This Frontiers Research Topic brings together studies from groups of authors whose research focus on neuropsychological systems involved in meditation demonstrating how meditation activates and can modify brain areas, cognitive mechanisms and well-being.

The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation

The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation PDF Author: Yi-Yuan Tang
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319463225
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 103

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Book Description
This book presents the latest neuroscience research on mindfulness meditation and provides guidance on how to apply these findings to our work, relationships, health, education and daily lives. Presenting cutting-edge research on the neurological and cognitive changes associated with its practice Tang aims to explain how it reaps positive effects and subsequently, how best to undertake and implement mindfulness practice. Mindfulness neuroscience research integrates theory and methods from eastern contemplative traditions, western psychology and neuroscience, and is based on neuroimaging techniques, physiological measures and behavioural tests. The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation begins by explaining these foundations and then moves on to themes such as the impact of personality and how mindfulness can shape behaviour change, attention and self-control. Finally, the book discusses common misconceptions about mindfulness and challenges in future research endeavours. Written by an expert in the neuroscience of mindfulness this book will be valuable for scholars, researchers and practitioners in psychotherapy and the health sciences working with mindfulness, as well as those studying and working in the fields of neuroscience and neuropsychology.

Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications

Meditation – Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications PDF Author: Stefan Schmidt
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3319016342
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 409

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Book Description
This volume features a collection of essays on consciousness, which has become one of the hot topics at the crossroads between neuroscience, philosophy, and religious studies. Is consciousness something the brain produces? How can we study it? Is there just one type of consciousness or are there different states that can be discriminated? Are so called “higher states of consciousness” that some people report during meditation pointing towards a new understanding of consciousness? Meditation research is a new discipline that shows new inroads into the study of consciousness. If a meditative practice changes brain structure itself this is direct proof of the causal influence of consciousness onto its substrate. If different states of consciousness can be linked with properties and states of the brain this can be used to study consciousness more directly. If the sense of self is modifiable through meditative techniques and this can be objectively shown through neuro-imaging, this has profound implications for our understanding of who we are. Can consciousness, in deep states of meditative absorption, actually access some aspect of reality which we normally don't? Meditation research can potentially foster us with a new access to the phenomenological method in general. This has even been branded with a new catch-phrase: Contemplative Science. It brings together the most modern neuroscientific approach and the most advanced phenomenological methodology of studying the mind from within, through highly skilled self-observation that has gone through many thousand hours of honing the capacity to look carefully, without distraction. This book addresses these issues by bringing together some of the leading researchers and thinkers in the field. The scope of the volume reaches from first person neuroscience to Indian philosophy, from pedagogic applications to epistemological aspects and from compassion meditation to the study of brain activity.

States of Consciousness

States of Consciousness PDF Author: Dean Cvetkovic
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3642180477
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 285

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Book Description
In this accessible overview of current knowledge, an expert team of editors and authors describe experimental approaches to consciousness. These approaches are shedding light on some of the hitherto unknown aspects of the distinct states of human consciousness, including the waking state, different states of sleep and dreaming, meditation and more. The book presents the latest research studies by the contributing authors, whose specialities span neuroscience, neurology, biomedical engineering, clinical psychology and psychophysiology, psychosocial medicine and anthropology. Overall this anthology provides the reader with a clear picture of how different states of consciousness can be defined, experimentally measured and analysed. A future byproduct of this knowledge may be anticipated in the development of systematic corrective treatments for many disorders and pathological problems of consciousness.

The Neuroscience of Meditation

The Neuroscience of Meditation PDF Author: Yi-Yuan Tang
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128182679
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 234

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Book Description
The Neuroscience of Meditation: Understanding Individual Differences explores the individual differences in learning and practicing meditation, while also providing insights on how to learn and practice effectively. The book comprehensively covers the research in brain areas and networks that mediate the positive effects of meditation upon physical and mental health. Though it examines how people differ in how they learn and practice meditation, it underscores how underlying mechanisms differ in learning and practicing meditation and how they remain unclear to researchers. This book addresses the research gap and explores the brain science behind meditation. Examines the biological mechanisms that give rise to individual differences Incorporates brain imaging and physiological recordings for further measurement of individual differences Covers the genetic association between meditation learning and practice Explores how meditation changes over the lifespan—from children to seniors

Zen-Brain Reflections

Zen-Brain Reflections PDF Author: James H. Austin
Publisher: MIT Press
ISBN: 0262260379
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 615

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Book Description
A sequel to the popular Zen and the Brain further explores pivotal points of intersection in Zen Buddhism, neuroscience, and consciousness, arriving at a new synthesis of information from both neuroscience research and Zen studies. This sequel to the widely read Zen and the Brain continues James Austin's explorations into the key interrelationships between Zen Buddhism and brain research. In Zen-Brain Reflections, Austin, a clinical neurologist, researcher, and Zen practitioner, examines the evolving psychological processes and brain changes associated with the path of long-range meditative training. Austin draws not only on the latest neuroscience research and new neuroimaging studies but also on Zen literature and his personal experience with alternate states of consciousness. Zen-Brain Reflections takes up where the earlier book left off. It addresses such questions as: how do placebos and acupuncture change the brain? Can neuroimaging studies localize the sites where our notions of self arise? How can the latest brain imaging methods monitor meditators more effectively? How do long years of meditative training plus brief enlightened states produce pivotal transformations in the physiology of the brain? In many chapters testable hypotheses suggest ways to correlate normal brain functions and meditative training with the phenomena of extraordinary states of consciousness. After briefly introducing the topic of Zen and describing recent research into meditation, Austin reviews the latest studies on the amygdala, frontotemporal interactions, and paralimbic extensions of the limbic system. He then explores different states of consciousness, both the early superficial absorptions and the later, major "peak experiences." This discussion begins with the states called kensho and satori and includes a fresh analysis of their several different expressions of "oneness." He points beyond the still more advanced states toward that rare ongoing stage of enlightenment that is manifest as "sage wisdom." Finally, with reference to a delayed "moonlight" phase of kensho, Austin envisions novel links between migraines and metaphors, moonlight and mysticism. The Zen perspective on the self and consciousness is an ancient one. Readers will discover how relevant Zen is to the neurosciences, and how each field can illuminate the other.

Exploring Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship

Exploring Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship PDF Author: Alexander Moreira-Almeida
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1461406471
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 260

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Book Description
The conscious mind defines human existence. Many consider the brain as a computer, and they attempt to explain consciousness as emerging at a critical, but unspecified, threshold level of complex computation among neurons. The brain-as-computer model, however, fails to account for phenomenal experience and portrays consciousness as an impotent, after-the-fact epiphenomenon lacking causal power. And the brain-as-computer concept precludes even the remotest possibility of spirituality. As described throughout the history of humankind, seemingly spiritual mental phenomena including transcendent states, near-death and out-of-body experiences, and past-life memories have in recent years been well documented and treated scientifically. In addition, the brain-as-computer approach has been challenged by advocates of quantum brain biology, who are possibly able to explain, scientifically, nonlocal, seemingly spiritual mental states. Exploring Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship argues against the purely physical analysis of consciousness and for a balanced psychobiological approach. This thought-provoking volume bridges philosophy of mind with science of mind to look empirically at transcendent phenomena, such as mystic states, near-death experiences and past-life memories, that have confounded scientists for decades. Representing disciplines ranging from philosophy and history to neuroimaging and physics, and boasting a panel of expert scientists and physicians, including Andrew Newberg, Peter Fenwick, Stuart Hameroff, Mario Beauregard, Deepak Chopra, and Chris Clarke the book rigorously follows several lines of inquiry into mind-brain controversies, challenging readers to form their own conclusions—or reconsider previous ones. Key coverage includes: Objections to reductionistic materialism from the philosophical and the scientific tradition. Phenomena and the mind-brain problem. The neurobiological correlates of meditation and mindfulness. The quantum soul, a view from physics. Clinical implications of end-of-life experiences. Mediumistic experience and the mind-brain relationship. Exploring Frontiers of the Mind-Brain Relationship is essential reading for researchers and clinicians across many disciplines, including cognitive psychology, personality and social psychology, the neurosciences, neuropsychiatry, palliative care, philosophy, and quantum physics. “This book ... brings together some precious observations about the fundamental mystery of the nature of consciousness ... It raises many questions that serve to invite each of us to be more aware of the uncertainty of our preconceptions about consciousness ... This book on the frontiers of mind-body relationships is a scholarly embodiment of creative and open-minded science.” C. Robert Cloninger, MD Wallace Renard Professor of Psychiatry, Genetics, and Psychology, Washington University School of Medicine St. Louis MO

Place, Spirituality, and Well-Being

Place, Spirituality, and Well-Being PDF Author: Victor Counted
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 3031395824
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 294

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Book Description
This book synthesizes perspectives on how ‘place’ is deeply intertwined with our spirituality and well-being. Split into three sections, this book brings together contributions from global scholars across a range of disciplines to unravel how the personal, social, and cultural spheres of place shape our spiritual experiences and overall well-being. It is an essential read for those interested in enriching their knowledge of the linkages between place, spirituality, and well-being, while also providing a foundation for future research on place and its intersections with both spirituality and well-being.

Meditation

Meditation PDF Author:
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0444642285
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 437

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Book Description
Meditation, Volume 244, the latest release in the Progress in Brain Research series, highlights new advances in the field with this new volume presenting interesting chapters on The effect of meditation on attentional processes, State-trait influences of Vipassana meditation practice on P3 EEG dynamics, What could teachers learn from the neuroscience of self-experience?, Training Attention for Conscious Non-REM Sleep: The Yogic Technique of Yoga Nidrā and Its Implications for Neuroscience Research, CNV and P3 modulations following sensorimotor training, Analytical meditation: a characterization of a reasoning-based meditation training, Buddhist meditation and the regulation of brain networks, Mindfulness-based Emotional Balance Training in Military Spouse, and more. Provides the authority and expertise of leading contributors from an international board of authors Presents the latest release in the Progress in Brain Research series Updated release includes the latest information on Meditation

Kindness in Leadership

Kindness in Leadership PDF Author: Gay Haskins
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1315462516
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
In a global climate of increasing complexity and uncertainty, there have been calls for a more responsible form of leadership in business and society. The relationship between kindness and leadership is therefore a topic of fundamental importance for our well-being as individuals, for the success of our organisations, and for the future of our global community. Kindness in Leadership is one of the first books to explore both the concept and practice of kindness in leadership and consider them in different societal and organisational settings. Its uniqueness lies in combining an innovative mix of personal views from leaders with explorations of organisational philosophies and practices. It opens with a definition of kindness and its contours and underpinnings. It then explores the importance of kindness within different organisations, parts of the world, economic strata, age groups and genders, drawing on research on organisational compassion and neuroscience. In order to support learning, each chapter is supported by a series of questions for consideration and discussion. This will be a stimulating and thought-provoking read for a wide audience of practicing managers and leaders in organisations of all shapes and sizes, for academics involved in educating for leadership, and for students aspiring to develop their own kind and compassionate leadership style.