Neurofeedback
A comprehensive approach that examines the intersection of multiple biological processes is necessary to elucidate the development of stress-related disorders. In a new study, investigators from McLean Hospital, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, working with colleagues at The University of Texas at Austin and Lieber Institute for Brain Development, uncovered both shared and distinct …
Continue reading "molecular changes in the brain with PTSD & depression"
Previous research has shown the vast mental and physical health benefits associated with yoga. Yoga practice can be divided into subcategories that include posture-holding exercise (asana), breathing (pranayama, Kriya), and meditation (Sahaj) practice. Studies measuring mental health outcomes have shown decreases in anxiety, and increases in cognitive performance after yoga interventions. Similar studies have also shown cognitive …
Continue reading "effects of yoga on brain waves & structural activation: a review"
Scientists have identified specific patterns of brain network reconfigurations that occur when people take both classical and non-classical psychedelic drugs. Their findings, published in NeuroImage, shed new light on how psychedelics affect the brain and consciousness. The authors behind the new study wanted to better understand the neurobiology of the psychedelic experience by examining the common …
In part III of our article on vagus physiology, we look at the treatment for these, until recently, little-known but critically important and widespread conditions of the vagus nerve which are the root cause of many illnesses for millions of people worldwide. In parts I and II of this article, we have laid a basic …
Can different pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors leading to various diseases be linked with altered nerve transmission via one common pathway? The authors of a 2012 scientific article published in the journal, Clinical Science, (3) hypothesized that adequate vagal nerve activity reduces the risk of major diseases through common basic mechanisms.. There are 3 basic mechanisms that …
Continue reading "vagus physiology: answers to critical questions you didn’t know you had – part II"
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, …
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"
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"
Though I know that I have dallied with the vagus nerve before, as a most interesting cog in the wheel of overall health, a series of events in my own health has brought me back to study it some more. In fact, during a phase of experiencing an unsettling series of symptoms, including post-herpatic neuralgia …
Following are excerpts from the book, “Freedom: the end of the human condition” written by biologist, Jeremy Griffith, in 2016*. It recounts the psychological alienation felt by humans when a separation occurs between (the Grace of) instinct and the 'knowledge of right and wrong’ inherent in the social adaptations of living in society, what he …
Neurosoma 