Dr Shanida Nataraja T HE B LISSFUL B RAIN : N EUROSCIENCE AND P ROOF OF THE P OWER OF M EDITATION

INTRODUCTION

S TRESS PLACES HUGE BURDEN ON INDIVIDUAL AND SOCIETY STRESS Increased incidence of stress-related diseases Increase in risk- prone behaviour Impaired social relationships Conflict Work absenteeism Decreased work productivity

M EDITATION APPEARS IN MANY DIFFERENT SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES HINDUISM: yoga Meditation CHRISTIANITY: mantra meditation/ centering prayer ISLAM: muraqaba or tamarkoz Transcendental meditation (TM) BUDDHISM: Mindfulness/ loving kindness TAOISM: tai chi/ chi gung SIKHISM: Simran/nām japō Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) JUDAISM: hitbodedut

D IFFERENT TYPES OF MEDITATION HAVE COMMONLY OCCURRING FEATURES Sustained attention Mental discipline Progressive muscle relaxation Stilling of the mind State of detached awareness

S TRUCTURE OF TODAY S TALK Overview of human brain Peering into the meditati ng brain Health benefits of meditation Health benefits of yoga Defining role for meditation in everyday life Meditation

S TRUCTURE OF TODAY S TALK Overview of human brain Peering into the meditati ng brain Health benefits of meditation Health benefits of yoga Defining role for meditation in everyday life Meditation

H UMAN 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

S EVERAL BRAIN AREAS ARE IMPORTANT FOR MEDITATION Focused attention Orientation in space-time Language Images and emotions

P ARASYMPATHETIC AND SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM ALSO IMPORTANT Increases heart rate and breathing rate Slows any unessential bodily processes, such as digestion Sympathetic nervous system Fight or flight Decreases heart rate and breathing rate Increases blood flow to organs and stimulates digestion Parasympathetic nervous system Rest and digest Increase in stressDecrease in stress Rest and digest Fight or flight Decreases heart rate and breathing rate Increases blood flow to organs and stimulates digestion Parasympathetic nervous system Rest and digest

S TRUCTURE OF TODAY S TALK Overview of human brain Peering into the meditati ng brain Health benefits of meditation Health benefits of yoga Defining role for meditation in everyday life Meditation

S CIENCE 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

E PILEPSY 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

M ANTRA MEDITATION INVOLVES CHANGES IN FRONTAL AND PARIETAL LOBES

F OCUSED 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 Left-brain Rational Analytical Logical Right-brain Abstract Holistic Intuitive Meditation

M ANTRA MEDITATION INVOLVES CHANGES IN FRONTAL AND PARIETAL LOBES

D ECREASED 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

S TRUCTURE OF TODAY S TALK Overview of human brain Peering into the meditati ng brain Health benefits of meditation Health benefits of yoga Defining role for meditation in everyday life Meditation

N UMBER OF TYPES OF MEDITATION HAVE BEEN STUDIED Yoga MBSR Tai Chi TM Loving kindness Chi Gung MBCT

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: Overall quality of life Symptoms of stress Sleep quality Anxiety/psychological distress Depression Need for doctor visits ImprovingReducing

S TRESS - RELATED DISEASES AND CONDITIONS MBCT reduces irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) Mindfulness-Based Therapy for Insomnia (MBTI) reduces insomnia MBSR improves moderate-to-severe psoriasis MBSR, TM, Chi Gung, Zen Buddhist meditation, and yoga all reduce high blood pressure MBSR boosts immune response

M EDITATION 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

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%

M EDITATION PLAYS IMPORTANT ROLE IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC PAIN Kabat-Zinn et 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

S TUDIES REVEAL POTENTIAL OF MEDITATION IN WIDE RANGE OF DIFFERENT PATIENTS

S TRUCTURE OF TODAY S TALK Overview of human brain Peering into the meditatin g brain Health benefits of meditation Health benefits of yoga Defining role for meditation in everyday life Meditation

Y OGA HAS POSITIVE EFFECT ON STRESS MANAGEMENT Malathi and Damodaran, 1999 Ray et al, 2001 Cowen and Adams, 2004 West et al, 2004 Michalsen et al, 2005 Granath et al, 2006 Smith et al, 2007 Kjellgren et al, 2007 Reduced anxiety Improvement in perceived stress and overall health perception Less anxiety, depression and stress Reduced anxiety & stress, and improvements in mental health 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 Positive effect of yoga on stress management

Y OGA HAS WIDE RANGING BENEFITS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS ADHD Anxiety Depressi on Obesity Eating disorders Pain and injury Asthma IBS

S TRUCTURE OF TODAY S TALK Overview of human brain Peering into the meditati ng brain Health benefits of meditation Health benefits of yoga Defining role for meditation in everyday life Meditation

EVIDENCE CALLS FOR PARADIGM SHIFT IN SOCIETY S PERCEPTION OF MEDITATION MEDITATION AS A SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINE FOR A SELECT FEW MEDITATION AS A VALUABLE DISCPLINE FOR ALL Paradigm shift Meditation as a dated or new age discipline to facilitate spiritual development Meditation as an integral part of everyday life

CONCLUSIONS

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

Dr Shanida Nataraja T HE B LISSFUL B RAIN : N EUROSCIENCE AND P ROOF OF THE P OWER OF M EDITATION