Download or read book Impact of Mindfulness Meditation on Brain Function Connectivity and Structure written by Tammi RA Kral and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mindfulness meditation provides promise for stress relief and well-being. However, most non-clinical studies suffer major limitations. We addressed many of the limitations through larger samples, a design combining a randomized active-controlled trial (RCT) with cross-sectional analysis of long-term training, and complementary brain and behavioral measures. Mindfulness meditation involves paying attention to the present moment, with a non-reactive stance toward experience. This dissertation rigorously tested the impact of mindfulness meditation training on the neural correlates of emotional nonreactivity, resting state functional connectivity (RSFC) in brain networks associated with attention and mind-wandering, and structural neuroplasticity. We examined the impact of short-term training with Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR), which is widely used, extensively tested and has demonstrated clinical efficacy. In Chapter 1, we examined amygdala reactivity and functional connectivity with ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) during emotional stimuli, which have been implicated in emotion regulation. Mindfulness meditation was associated with reduced amygdala reactivity and increased functional connectivity with VMPFC. Increased amygdala-VMPFC functional connectivity was associated with decreased amygdala reactivity from pre- to post-intervention. In Chapter 2, we replicated and extended prior work showing increased RSFC between posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and lateral prefrontal cortex (LPFC), which are implicated in mind-wandering and attention, respectively. Increased PCC-LPFC RSFC is hypothesized to reflect better attentional control of mind-wandering. In support of this hypothesis, we found that increased self-reported attention was associated with stronger PCC-LPFC RSFC from pre- to post-intervention. In Chapter 3, we attempted to replicate and extend research showing changes in regional gray matter volume (GMV) associated with mindfulness meditation training. However, there were no significant differences in GMV between meditators and controls. Yet, time practicing mindfulness meditation was associated with differences in amygdala and hippocampus GMV. This dissertation provides evidence for tangible neural changes associated with mindfulness meditation training, which are consistent with hypothesized benefits in emotional nonreactivity and attention. The lack of replication of group differences in brain structure highlights the need for publishing null results, and for rigorous RCTs of MBSR in community samples. Finally, effects of practice time were evident across measures, underscoring the importance of sustained meditation practice.
Download or read book The Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation written by Yi-Yuan Tang and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-08-09 with total page 103 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Meditation practices for health state of the research written by and published by DIANE Publishing. This book was released on 2009 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Meditation written by Miguel Farias and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-10-21 with total page 1038 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Meditation techniques, including mindfulness, have become popular wellbeing practices and the scientific study of their effects has recently turned 50 years old. But how much do we know about them: what were they developed for and by whom? How similar or different are they, how effective can they be in changing our minds and biology, what are their social and ethical implications? The Oxford Handbook of Meditation is the most comprehensive volume published on meditation, written in accessible language by world-leading experts on the science and history of these techniques. It covers the development of meditation across the world and the varieties of its practices and experiences. It includes approaches from various disciplines, including psychology, neuroscience, history, anthropology, and sociology and it explores its potential for therapeutic and social change, as well as unusual or negative effects. Edited by practitioner-researchers, this book is the ultimate guide for all interested in meditation, including teachers, clinicians, therapists, researchers, or anyone who would like to learn more about this topic.
Download or read book MRI Atlas of Human White Matter written by Kenichi Oishi and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2010-11-12 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: MRI Atlas of Human White Matter presents an atlas to the human brain on the basis of T 1-weighted imaging and diffusion tensor imaging. A general background on magnetic resonance imaging is provided, as well as the basics of diffusion tensor imaging. An overview of the principles and limitations in using this methodology in fiber tracking is included. This book describes the core white-matter structures, as well as the superficial white matter, the deep gray matter, and the cortex. It also presents a three-dimensional reconstruction and atlas of the brain white-matter tracts. The Montreal Neurological Institute coordinates, which are the most widely used, are adopted in this book as the primary coordinate system. The Talairach coordinate system is used as the secondary coordinate system. Based on magnetic resonance imaging and diffusion tensor imaging, the book offers a full segmentation of 220 white-matter and gray-matter structures with boundaries. Visualization of brain white matter anatomy via 3D diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) contrasts and enhances relationship of anatomy to function Full segmentation of 170+ brain regions more clearly defines structure boundaries than previous point-and-annotate anatomical labeling, and connectivity is mapped in a way not provided by traditional atlases
Download or read book The Relaxation Response written by Herbert Benson, M.D. and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-09-22 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this time of quarantine and global uncertainty, it can be difficult to deal with the increased stress and anxiety. Using ancient self-care techniques rediscovered by Herbert Benson, M.D., a pioneer in mind/body medicine for health and wellness, you can relieve your stress, anxiety, and depression at home with just ten minutes a day. Herbert Benson, M.D., first wrote about a simple, effective mind/body approach to lowering blood pressure in The Relaxation Response. When Dr. Benson introduced this approach to relieving stress over forty years ago, his book became an instant national bestseller, which has sold over six million copies. Since that time, millions of people have learned the secret—without high-priced lectures or prescription medicines. The Relaxation Response has become the classic reference recommended by most health care professionals and authorities to treat the harmful effects of stress, anxiety, depression, and high blood pressure. Rediscovered by Dr. Benson and his colleagues in the laboratories of Harvard Medical School and its teaching hospitals, this revitalizing, therapeutic tack is now routinely recommended to treat patients suffering from stress and anxiety, including heart conditions, high blood pressure, chronic pain, insomnia, and many other physical and psychological ailments. It requires only minutes to learn, and just ten minutes of practice a day.
Download or read book Indian Philosophy and Meditation written by Rahul Banerjee and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2017-11-10 with total page 169 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: India has a rich tradition of meditative practices designed to study the phenomenon of consciousness. From the distant past to the present, India has evolved a unique psychological culture with grand unifying themes and universal modes of meditative practice. This book provides a detailed analysis of classical and modern Indian views on consciousness along with their related meditative methods. It offers a critical analysis of three distinct trends of Indian thought, viz., a dualistic mode of understanding and realizing consciousness in Hindu Sāṃkhya, an interactive mode in early Buddhist abhidhamma, and the evolutionary transformational mode in the teachings of the twentieth-century sage Sri Aurobindo. This book explores the unifying features in Indian first person practices with regard to consciousness and the importance of these applied psychological practices and their associated understanding of our conscious inner lives. The most striking feature of the work is that side by side theoretical exposition of consciousness, it includes a number of worksheets which explain how to use meditation to achieve relaxation as well as cognitive ‘maps’ of the different levels of conscious states and instruction and how one can traverse from one state to another. The final chapter explores Sri Aurobindo who introduced new and decisive Indian spiritual thought and practice to India in the form of Integral Yoga. This innovative book will be of interest to scholars studying Indian philosophy, Indian religion and the emerging field of contemplation studies.
Download or read book Neuroimaging and Neuropsychology of Meditation States written by Barbara Tomasino and published by Frontiers Media SA. This book was released on 2017 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Handbook of Mindfulness written by Kirk Warren Brown and published by Guilford Publications. This book was released on 2015-01-15 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "While we have learned a great deal about mindfulness in the past 30 years, unquestionably the field of mindfulness science is still maturing, and in the chapters herein the authors have taken pains to point out how the current research is limited in its methods and conclusions, and have pointed to specific ways in which future research studies can overcome these limitations. That said, the work represented in this Handbook is among the best conducted to date, measured in terms of scientific creativity, sophistication, and insight. Our hope is that this volume offers readers both a panoramic view of the current science of mindfulness and a compass to help guide its ongoing evolution"--
Download or read book The Fellowship of the River written by Joseph Tafur MD and published by Joseph Tafur. This book was released on 2017-03-10 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Western medicine has not been particularly successful at getting people relief from conditions like depression, chronic pain, migraine headaches, addiction, and PTSD. Dr. Tafur helps us to understand why. I have watched people spend years in frustration and thousands of dollars consulting an army of specialists, without getting real relief from their problem. Because these and others are diseases deeply connected with the state of our emotional bodies. Too often, the Western medical approach fails to address the emotional dimension of illness. This is where traditional plant medicines, with their ability to alter consciousness and open channels of communication to our emotions, offer so much promise. The stories shared here demonstrate the astonishing-mystical, colorful, metaphysical-effects of ayahuasca and Traditional Amazonian Plant Medicine. Follow Dr. Tafur through the Amazon jungle as he develops a breakthrough understanding of how psychoactive plants interact with the complex network that connects our minds and hearts to our physical anatomy. What Dr. Tafur presents here is nothing short of a paradigm shift for modern medicine, where sacred plants, used properly in ceremony, take their place as important tools in the doctor's medicine chest, offering the missing elements of emotional and spiritual healing that have eluded us for so long. For more information about The Fellowship of The River, please visit https: //drjoetafur.com/the-fellowship-of-the-river/
Download or read book Acceptance Based Behavioral Therapy written by Lizabeth Roemer and published by Guilford Publications. This book was released on 2020-06-25 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Developed over decades of ongoing clinical research, acceptance-based behavioral therapy (ABBT) is a flexible framework with proven effectiveness for treating anxiety disorders and co-occurring problems. This authoritative guide provides a complete overview of ABBT along with practical guidelines for assessment, case formulation, and individualized intervention. Clinicians learn powerful ways to help clients reduce experiential avoidance; cultivate acceptance, self-compassion, and mindful awareness; and increase engagement in personally meaningful behaviors. Illustrated with vivid case material, the book includes 29 reproducible handouts and forms. Purchasers get access to a companion website where they can download printable copies of the reproducible materials and audio recordings of guided meditation practices. A separate website for clients includes the audio recordings only.
Download or read book Neuropsychopharmacology written by Kenneth L. Davis and published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. This book was released on 2002 with total page 1964 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Thoroughly updated and completely reorganized for a sharper clinical focus, the Fifth Edition of this world-renowned classic synthesizes the latest advances in basic neurobiology, biological psychiatry, and clinical neuropsychopharmacology. The book establishes a critical bridge connecting new discoveries in molecular and cellular biology, genetics, and neuroimaging with the etiology, diagnosis, and treatment of all neuropsychiatric disorders. Nine sections focus on specific groups of disorders, covering clinical course, genetics, neurobiology, neuroimaging, and current and emerging therapeutics. Four sections cover neurotransmitter and signal transduction, emerging methods in molecular biology and genetics, emerging imaging technologies and their psychiatric applications, and drug discovery and evaluation. Compatibility: BlackBerry(R) OS 4.1 or Higher / iPhone/iPod Touch 2.0 or Higher /Palm OS 3.5 or higher / Palm Pre Classic / Symbian S60, 3rd edition (Nokia) / Windows Mobile(TM) Pocket PC (all versions) / Windows Mobile Smartphone / Windows 98SE/2000/ME/XP/Vista/Tablet PC
Download or read book Neuroscience Consciousness and Spirituality written by Harald Walach and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-08-31 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Neuroscience, Consciousness and Spirituality presents a variety of perspectives by leading thinkers on contemporary research into the brain, the mind and the spirit. This volumes aims at combining knowledge from neuroscience with approaches from the experiential perspective of the first person singular in order to arrive at an integrated understanding of consciousness. Individual chapters discuss new areas of research, such as near death studies and neuroscience research into spiritual experiences, and report on significant new theoretical advances. From Harald Walach’s introductory essay, “Neuroscience, Consciousness, Spirituality – Questions, Problems and Potential Solutions,” to the concluding chapter by Robert K. C. Foreman entitled “An Emerging New Model for Consciousness: The Consciousness Field Model,” this book represents a milestone in the progress towards an integrated understanding of spirituality, neuroscience and consciousness. It is the first in a series of books that are dedicated to this topic.
Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science written by Emma M. Seppälä and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2017-09-26 with total page 557 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How do we define compassion? Is it an emotional state, a motivation, a dispositional trait, or a cultivated attitude? How does it compare to altruism and empathy? Chapters in this Handbook present critical scientific evidence about compassion in numerous conceptions. All of these approaches to thinking about compassion are valid and contribute importantly to understanding how we respond to others who are suffering. Covering multiple levels of our lives and self-concept, from the individual, to the group, to the organization and culture, The Oxford Handbook of Compassion Science gathers evidence and models of compassion that treat the subject of compassion science with careful scientific scrutiny and concern. It explores the motivators of compassion, the effect on physiology, the co-occurrence of wellbeing, and compassion training interventions. Sectioned by thematic approaches, it pulls together basic and clinical research ranging across neurobiological, developmental, evolutionary, social, clinical, and applied areas in psychology such as business and education. In this sense, it comprises one of the first multidisciplinary and systematic approaches to examining compassion from multiple perspectives and frames of reference. With contributions from well-established scholars as well as young rising stars in the field, this Handbook bridges a wide variety of diverse perspectives, research methodologies, and theory, and provides a foundation for this new and rapidly growing field. It should be of great value to the new generation of basic and applied researchers examining compassion, and serve as a catalyst for academic researchers and students to support and develop the modern world.
Download or read book Meditation Neuroscientific Approaches and Philosophical Implications written by Stefan Schmidt and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-11-19 with total page 409 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 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.
Download or read book Research in Personnel and Human Resources Management written by Joseph Martocchio and published by Emerald Group Publishing. This book was released on 2011-07-12 with total page 318 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Presents the papers that promote theory and research on important substantive and methodological topics in the field of human resources management. This title collects papers on important issues in the field of human resources management, including insights on employment branding, family owned firms, virtual global teams and intrinsic motivation.
Download or read book Duvernoy s Atlas of the Human Brain Stem and Cerebellum written by Thomas P. Naidich and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-06-25 with total page 872 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This atlas instills a solid knowledge of anatomy by correlating thin-section brain anatomy with corresponding clinical magnetic resonance images in axial, coronal, and sagittal planes. The authors correlate advanced neuromelanin imaging, susceptibility-weighted imaging, and diffusion tensor tractography with clinical 3 and 4 T MRI. Each brain stem region is then analyzed with 9.4 T MRI to show the anatomy of the medulla, pons, midbrain, and portions of the diencephalonin with an in-plane resolution comparable to myelin- and Nissl-stained light microscopy. The book’s carefully organized diagrams and images teach with a minimum of text.
