is meditation the reason this monk’s brain is eight years younger than his body?

While there's no fountain of youth, a Tibetian Buddhist monk may have tapped into the next best thing, according to an analysis showing that his 41-year-old brain actually resembles that of a 33-year-old.  The monk, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche (YMR), a renowned meditation practitioner and teacher, began meditating at age 9. The "extraordinary number of hours" …

neurofeedback and addiction: a path to balance

For thousands of years, the way that our human brain worked was a mystery. With the help of computer technology, mental health professionals have uncovered helpful insight by studying the brain. We are now able to take a glimpse into the intricate mechanics of our minds with the use of a wearable device and a …

anti inflammatory effects of omega 3 fatty acids could help reduce depression

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) are metabolised into molecules called lipid mediators and the levels of these in the blood are linked to an improvement in depressive symptoms. The omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) are found in oily fish. Researchers from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) …

wisdom of trauma

โ€œEvery human has a true authentic self. Trauma is the disconnection from it and healing is the reconnection to it.โ€ Dr. Gabor Matรฉ Trauma is the invisible force that shapes our lives. It shapes the way we live, the way we love and the way we make sense of the world. It is the root …

dysregulation, disconnection, self-defeating behaviours: the heart of CPTSD

Why do SO few people make real progress recovering from the long term effects of childhood trauma? If you ask me, itโ€™s because of the misguided belief that telling the story of what happened in the past โ€” if we just probe the memories enough and generate enough emotions around those memories โ€” will somehow …

the habits of happiness

Is happiness a choice? It turns out an answer is yes. And no. There are many factors to a personโ€™s happiness: genetics, life circumstances, and choices all influence happiness levels. Scientists are discovering that choice has a greater impact on happiness than previously thought. But just like you canโ€™t simply choose to get in shape …

the chemistry of emotions part 1

Where two neurons meet, a very small gap (synapse) exists between them. The electrical impulse travelling along the axon of the neuron must convert into a chemical signal to bridge this gap. The chemicals that do this are called neurotransmitters. These so-called "chemical messengers" are involved in our different responses to situations. Your emotions depend …

high insulin levels during childhood a risk for mental health problems in adulthood

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have shown that the link between physical and mental illness is closer than previously thought. Certain changes in physical health, which are detectable in childhood, are linked with the development of mental illness in adulthood. The researchers, led by the University of Cambridge, used a sample of over 10,000 …