Embodiment is a capacity that supports a healthy relationship with our bodies. It emphasizes the importance of observing and noticing one’s internal felt sense. Embodied practices help increase the connections between exteroception (external sensations) and interoception (the internal felt sense). Restorative embodiment focuses on the senses as a resource to support and reinforce soothing, invigorating, …
managing emotions better could prevent pathological aging
Negative emotions, anxiety and depression are thought to promote the onset of neurodegenerative diseases and dementia. But what is their impact on the brain and can their deleterious effects be limited? Neuroscientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) observed the activation of the brains of young and older adults when confronted with the psychological suffering of others. …
Continue reading "managing emotions better could prevent pathological aging"
vagus physiology: answers to critical questions you didn’t know you had – part I
The vagus nerves are the nerves of life. They keep us alive by their innervation of the internal organs of the body and their interactions with the brain, spinal cord, cranial nerves, upper cervical spinal nerves, and sympathetic nervous system. Sensory functions of the vagus nerve are critical for conscious perception and for monitoring visceral …
Continue reading "vagus physiology: answers to critical questions you didn’t know you had – part I"
NeuroMeditation may improve cognitive functions
For 60 years, clinicians have been combining neurofeedback with meditation to speed the learning process and potentially enhance the benefits of meditation (Tarrant, 2017a). However, there has not yet been research evidence that this approach is effective for enhancing cognitive functioning—until now! In an exciting new study, published in the June 2020 issue of Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, …
Continue reading "NeuroMeditation may improve cognitive functions"
spiritual awakenings: scientists and academics describe their experiences
Review by Gunnel Minett This book deals with phenomena which have been known throughout history but which until recently have been rejected by most non-religious people. In particular, for scientists and anyone interested in an academic career, the subject has been pretty much a taboo. This book deals with experiences which can only be described …
Continue reading "spiritual awakenings: scientists and academics describe their experiences"
experiences shape how we learn
We know instinctively that our experiences shape the way we learn. If we are highly familiar with a particular task, like cooking for example, learning a new recipe is much easier than it was when we were a novice. New research from the University of California, Davis, shows that experience also changes the way our …
the science of flow: heart brain coherence
Many contemporary scientists believe it is the underlying state of our physiological processes that determines the quality and stability of the feelings and emotions we experience. The feelings we label as positive actually reflect body states that are coherent, meaning "the regulation of life processes becomes efficient, or even optimal, free-flowing and easy,"[160] and the feelings …
Continue reading "the science of flow: heart brain coherence"
does mobile phone radiation affect the brain?
Does mobile phone radiation affect the brain and, if so, how does it do so? New studies shed light on these important questions, especially for young people whose brains are still developing. In their paper, a team of scientists from China* said that mobile phone radiation has been linked with memory loss, attention problems, cognitive …
Continue reading "does mobile phone radiation affect the brain?"
consciousness, time and dukkha
Hans Karl Hermann Rudolph Gebser was born in modern day Poland and was a philosopher, poet and linguist. His major thesis was that human consciousness is in transition, and that these transitions are "mutations" and not continuous. These jumps or transformations involve structural changes in both mind and body. Gebser held that previous consciousness structures continue …
when fear gets stuck: an epigenetic mechanism
Fear-based mental health conditions are common, impacting millions of people worldwide. Previous research has shown that specific regions and pathways in the brain may be responsible for processing fear. A new study from Linköping University in Sweden has revealed a biological mechanism that impacts fear pathways and how fear memories are stored in the brain. …
Continue reading "when fear gets stuck: an epigenetic mechanism"