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| Meditating in Union Station. Photo Credit: Wayne MacPhail |
Many people interested in spirituality and recovery from serious
mental health concerns may have felt like I did about brain imaging technology.
I thought such research could contribute little or nothing to our understanding
of the ineffable, because the transpersonal or spiritual dimension is “beyond
measure.” Imagine my surprise when I
found brain imaging technology helps reveal the positive impact mindfulness
meditation!
Yale post-traumatic stress researcher Steven N. Southwick
(2012), reviews brain imaging studies of mindfulness meditation linked to
cognitive reappraisal. These studies show heightened activation of parts of the
brain that relate to more rapid rebound from, and quieting of anger, mistrust,
and fear that are associated with improved resilience after trauma. The
National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine recently spotlighted
brain imaging studies that shows that mindfulness meditation increases brain
connectivity (Kilpatrick, et al., 2011) and increases the volume of gray matter
in the brain in areas associated with learning, memory, and emotional control (Holzel,
et al., 2011).
The demonstrated improvements in brain volume and
connectivity are in contrast to other research in which the onset of
schizophrenia is associated with the loss of gray matter in parts of the brain
(Tang, et al., 2012; Dazzan, 2011). Recent brain imaging studies at Yale
University show stressful life events such as job loss and divorce are also
associated with reductions in the gray matter in parts of the brain that
regulate emotions and other physiological functions such as blood pressure and
glucose levels, even in people who have no clinical symptoms (Hathaway, 2012).
Early abuse has been found to reduce brain volume in adolescents that impact
areas associated with motivation, working memory, emotion processing and
control of aggression (Hart & Rubia, 2012). Another line of inquiry found
that some psychiatric medications (such as the antipsychotic medication haloperidol)
give rise to a structural remodeling of the brain that trims brain dendrites,
thereby reducing gray matter volume (Science Daily, 2012). The impact of some
drugs on brain structures has been replicated in animal studies by Dr. Shitij
Kapur of King’s College, London, demonstrating a 6% loss in brain volume over
what would be the equivalent of 5 years of medication usage in human subjects
(Science Daily, 2012).
Mindfulness meditation has been shown to have other salutary
effects besides improving connectivity and increasing brain volume. Some of these
impacts were described by Holzel (no date) in a Harvard Medical School
presentation, and include
- · Increased physiological and psychological relaxation
- · Improved mood
- · Increased ability to contend with challenging situations
- · Improved concentration and memory
- · Reduced blood pressure
- · Reduced cortisol levels
- · Improved immune function
Mindfulness meditation has become a common component of
mind-body medicine. One study assessed women with newly diagnosed cancer. Those
who participated in a short series of mindfulness meditation workshops showed
improvements in mood, reductions in depression, improved energy levels and
reductions in a variety of measures of stress (Speca, et al., 2000). Many
mental health conditions are characterized as “stress vulnerability disorders,”
so learning this effective stress reduction technique could prove to be a boon
to some in their recovery process.
Such studies show
that the brain has the capacity for plasticity and can literally restructure on
a cellular level toward positive effects that
makes the individual more stress resistant and resilient.
So what is mindfulness
meditation?
The practice of mindfulness meditation has its roots in
Buddhism and is thousands of years old. It is a process of relaxed but focused
attention. Recently mindfulness
meditation techniques have been put to use in behavioral health programs, such
as Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), in mind body clinics, in education and
leadership training, and many more applications.
Want to try
mindfulness meditation?
The process is simple, but takes some time and focus to fully
master. Here is how I have been taught to do this practice:
- · Sit comfortably upright in a chair, with your spine straight and your feet flat on the floor.
- · Place your hands, palms up, in your lap. You can touch your index finger and thumb together.
- · Place your gaze a few inches in front of your nose and close your eyes, or better yet, nearly close your eyes, until only soft fuzzy light is seen.
- · Begin to observe the interplay of thoughts and sensations in your mind and body for a few moments, then let those thoughts and feeling go, gently.
- · Begin focusing on your in-breath and out-breath, breathing in and out of your nose. If you like, you can tie the breath to a word of phrase of your choice, such as “calm” or “peace.” Try to perceive the full sensation of the in-breath and the out-breath.
- · When thoughts or sensations arise, notice them gently and nonjudgmentally, and then bring your attention back to your breath and to the word or phrase you are using.
·
Practice mindfulness meditation for a few
minutes, building up to ten or twenty minutes once or twice a day.
Recordings with guided practice are available to help in learning
and practicing mindfulness meditation. Simple directions and free videos, lectures,
e-books, and recording are available online:
How have you used meditation in your practice, or in your
own mental health recovery? Please share your experiences and resources.
References
Dazzan, P., Soulsby, B., Mechelli, A., Wood, S.J.,
Velakoulis, D., Phillips, L.J., Yung, A.R., Chitnis, X., Lin, A., Murray, R.M.,
McGorry, P.D., McGuire, P.K., & Pantelis, C. (04/25/2012). Volumetric
abnormalities predating the onset of schizophrenia and affective psychosis: An
MRI study in subjects at ultrahigh risk of psychosis. Schizophrenia Bulletin. Advanced access downloaded from http://schizophreniabulletin.oxfordjournals.org
on 09/24/2012.
Hart, H., & Rubia, K. (2011). Neuroimaging of child
abuse: A critical review (2012). Frontiers
in Human Neuroscience. 6(52): 1-24.
Hathaway, B. (1/09/2012). Even in the healthy, stress causes
brain to shrink, Yale study shows. Yale
News.
Holzel, B.K. (undated) Neural correlates of mindfulness
practice. Power Point. Boston, MA: Harvard Medical School.
Holzel, B.K., Carmody, J., Vangel, M., Congleton, C.,
Yerrasetti, S.M. (2011). Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional
gray matter density. Psychiatric
Research: Neuroimaging. 191: 36-43.
Kilpatrick, L.A., Suyenobu, B.Y., Smith, S.R., Bueller,
J.A., Goodman, T., Creswell, J.D., Tillisch, K.,
Mayer, E.A.., & Naliboff,
B.D. (2011). Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on intrinsic
brain connectivity. Neuroimage. 56(1):
290-298.
NCCAM (01/30/2012). Mindfulness meditation is associated
with structural changes in the brain. U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services. National Institute of Health. National Center for Complementary and
Alternative Medicine.
NCCAM Clearinghouse (undated). Backgrounder. Meditation: An
introduction. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute
of Health. National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Schatz, C. (4/08/2011). Mindfulness meditation improves
connections in the brain. Harvard Health.
Accessed on the World Wide Web, 9/20/2012 at: http://health.harvard.edu/blog/mindfulness-meditation-improves-connections-in-the-brain.
Science Daily (05, 2012). Psychiatric medications’ effect on
brain structure varies. Science Daily. Accessed from the World Wide Web http://www.sciencedaily.com/release/2012/05/120508103915.html.
Southwick, S.M. &
Charney, D. (2012). Resilience: The
science of mastering life’s greatest challenges. Cambridge University
Press. See also ResilienceInUs.com.
Speca, M., Carlson, L.E., Goodey, E., & Angen, M.
(2000). A randomized, wait-list controlled clinical trial: The effects of
mindfulness meditation-based stress reduction program on mood and symptoms of
stress in cancer outpatients. Psychosomatic
Medicine. 62:613-622.
Tang, J., Liao, Y., Zhou, B., Tan, C., Liu, W., Wang, W.,
Liu, T., Hao, W., Tan, L., & Chen, X. (2012). Decrease in temporal gyrus
gray matter volume in first-episode, early onset schizophrenia: An MRI study. PLoS ONE. 7(7): 1-6.
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