1. Teaching Meditation to College Students to College Students James L Spira, Ph.D., MPH, ABPP James L Spira, Ph.D., MPH, ABPP

2. Outline Principles of Meditation Types of Meditation Simple/Effective Techniques Adapting to different problems Adapting to different settings

3. Principals of Meditation: Reducing attention to cognitions and reactions to cognitions and emotions Reducing focus on and reaction to self and others and the world Allowing fuller perception of what presents itself, more as it is, with less biased distortion Being fully and comfortably in the moment Calming the mind Comforting the body

4. Types of Meditation Eastern Experiential vs Western Conceptual Yogic Origin Pranayama Hatha Yoga Taoist Tai Chi Chi Kung Buddhist Vipassana Zen

5. Simple Effective Techniques Absorptive Approaches Yoga Tai Chi Zen Observational/Non-reactive Approaches Vipassana / Mindfulness Combination Approaches Zen/Mindfulness

9. Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (Specific Frequencies of HRV) RSA During WorryRSA During Zazen

12. EEG Aspects of Meditation Hz ~ attentional focus ~ processing effort/style Delta (0-4Hz) Sleep Effortless, recuperative Theta (4-8Hz) Daydreaming, background noise Minimal effort, parallel processing Alpha (8-12Hz) Calm, clear open attention to sensation Low effort, Bottom-up, sensory processing Beta (12-16; 16+) Focused attention to problem-solving task Effortful, conceptually-driven processing

13. EEG States of Mind Snapshots of a normal subject undergoing different activities (1 lead)

14. Functional Model of Attentional Processing Attention/access to internal experiences Attention to environment Elite Athlete Average Person ADHD Meditator

15. Attention is enhanced processing: 1) We enhance what we attend to Pay attention to worry and we will enhance the worry Pay attention to sensation and we will enhance sensation (+ or -) 2) We become what we attend to If we attend to pain or worry, our nervous systems gear up for that If we attend to the softness of the breath or the simplicity of sensory input, our nervous systems reflect that processing

16. Attentional Retraining 3) Pay attention to something if you can act on it to improve the situation. Otherwise, switch your attention to: n Some other “beta” activity you can act on productively Rest in “alpha” receptive meditative state

17. Attentional Retraining Two ways to improve attention (i.e. enhance S/N ratio for what one processes) 1) Reduce Theta (background noise) through Vipassana style meditation (low alpha) (one typically drifts into theta, learns to recognize it and let it go, to be replaced by alpha activity) this is typically practiced in a meditation session CBT may first need to be employed to support belief in the benefit of suspending self-image, especially among those who lack confidence in themselves (NPD, GAD, BN, etc.)*

18. Attentional Retraining 2) Enhance Alpha (attended signal) through Zen absorption techniques A) high alpha this can be practiced either in a meditation practice (eyes open) or in receptive activities of daily life, such as driving, walking, eating, listening to a conversation, etc. (examples?) B) low beta can be enhanced through training in sustained attention in active involvement for anxious or ADHD types, being motorically involved is useful (chi kung, tai chi, Yoga, doing massage, Karate, etc.)

19. Attentional Retraining Those who ignore internal activity need to emphasize recognition of internal ‘noise’ and be less unconsciously driven by it (Vipassana) Impulsivity/OCD/Conversion D/O Those who are "stuck" in their thoughts need to emphasize enhancement of signal (Zen) ADHD/GAD/PTSD/Psychosis But all need to practice both approaches typically practicing both each day

20. Practice Active Absorptive  Still Permissive