High-quality sleep and adaptive cognitive emotional regulation strategies can help to promote resilience to depression and anxiety when faced with negative or stressful experiences, according to new research published in the scientific journal Cortex. The researchers were interested in understanding why some individuals experiencing chronic stress develop mental health problems, while others do not. They believed …
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. …
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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 …
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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 …
breathwork: coherence and union
If I say mind and thinking, you automatically know that we are talking about head. And reason. With the same automatism, you know that when using the words emotion and feeling all the rest of the body is put into play from the heart. The world of sensations. Who knows how many times in your school, affective, professional life, these two parts acted separately or, worse, …
spiritual centre of the brain: evolutionary ancient
According to a report in the Journal of Neuroscience, the concept of religion and spirituality is profoundly ingrained in our brains. Because researchers have now identified an essential location in the brain stem — an extremely ancient part of the brain in terms of evolution — we now have an understanding of the brain stem’s significance. If this …
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breathing to manage your stress – a new approach
The role of the breath in meditation and stress management programs is well established. As a meditation strategy, focusing on the breath is primarily a tool for concentration, a place to focus the mind. As a stress management technique, slowing the breath, “belly breathing,” and focusing on the exhalation are all common (and effective) approaches to shifting the nervous system out of a …
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The way of suffering -Thich Nhat Hanh (1926-2022)
Handling our suffering is an art - if we know how to suffer, we suffer much less, and we’re no longer afraid of being overwhelmed by the suffering. Mindfulness helps us recognize, acknowledge, and embrace the presence of the suffering, which can already bring some calm and relief. When a painful feeling comes up, we …
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in the zone: how we achieve brain flow
You are playing such an intense video game and are focused so intently on getting to the next level that you don’t know what is going on around you. You have no sense of time passing. You feel great. You are “in the zone.” You are experiencing flow. You are running a marathon and you …
breath in deeply: bring your mind home to your body
Breath is the gift of life - one we are used to and do not see it as such. It’s become an automatic experience on our part which, in many ways, it is. Have you ever thought about it? Do you breathe, or does the breathing happen without your conscious involvement? When you are focussed …
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