# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Socialthinking - Free Articles & Strategies

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Zones of Regulation was created to help individuals manage the feelings they experience by identifying their shifting emotional states as existing in different “Zones”. It is important not to label one Zone as

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Learn about the Zones of Regulation a powerful framework and curriculum to help students develop emotional self-regulation and control.

# data[].attributes.body
Great resource for introducing the brain and its functions including topics around regulation.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
ABOUT MINEOLA GROWS: When students understand that they are in control of their brains, they are empowered to learn, to grow, and to seek out challenges for a lifetime of learning. The “Mineola Grows” project is dedicated to creating learning environments that help students foster this skill, throu…

# data[].attributes.headline
Self Regulation Tour of the Brain Lesson 1

# data[].attributes.subject
Self Regulation Tour of the Brain Lesson 1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A Tour of the Brain! | Self-Regulation Lesson 1

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Hand-Brain Model! | Self-Regulation Lesson 2

# data[].attributes.headline
Self Regulation Lesson 3: What is the Lizard Brain?

# data[].attributes.subject
Self Regulation Lesson 3: What is the Lizard Brain?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
What Is My Lizard Brain? | Self-Regulation Lesson 3

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dr. Dan Siegel's Hand Model of the Brain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
If You're Stressed, WATCH THIS! - This is Water David Foster Wallace

# data[].attributes.body
My presentation on mindfulness focussing on teachers and students uses and benefits and Why and How...and more...

# data[].attributes.body
Seeing what is right in front of you...David Foster Wallace.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Our geometric discussion goes beyond the hexagonal (six-sided) or tetrahedral lattice discussed by Haramein, to include pentagonal (five-sided) structures, and heptagonal (seven-sided) to decagonal (ten-sided) helices. We discuss the relevance of these Euclidean geometries in mapping 3D positions and 4D motion of Planck Spherical Units (PSU), and reveal force correlations with these patterns related to Buckminster Fuller's work.

In addition, we show how both the cultural and quantum physical descriptions of these geometries are linked to properties and structures of matter at every scale, as well as our perception of those structures. Certain geometries found in spiritual traditions, art, philosophy, and architecture for thousands of years have significant relevance in our study of quantum gravity, light, and the origin of spin. This leads us to consider emergent properties of consciousness based on fractal holographic geometric structures in the fabric of spacetime.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Our geometric discussion goes beyond the hexagonal (six-sided) or tetrahedral lattice discussed by Haramein, to include pentagonal (five-sided) structures, and heptagonal (seven-sided) to decagonal (ten-sided) helices. We discuss the relevance of these Euclidean geometries in mapping 3D positions and 4D motion of Planck Spherical Units (PSU), and reveal force correlations with these patterns related to Buckminster Fuller's work.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
A quick mindfulness guided meditation | Jessica Amos | TEDxSalem

# data[].attributes.headline
Spirit science on Meditation Robert Monroe

# data[].attributes.subject
Spirit science on Meditation Robert Monroe

# data[].attributes.body
https://youtu.be/9Zd9qvJUr-o

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Meditation translations were made possible by the Center for Health Services and Society, Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior in collaboration with Together-for-Wellness, a resource-rich website that is part of the CalHOPE initiative funded by FEMA.

# data[].attributes.headline
PT 5 ways mindfulness Practice positively changes your brain

# data[].attributes.subject
PT 5 ways mindfulness Practice positively changes your brain

# data[].attributes.body
accessed 12/14/20

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In recent decades, mindfulness, defined as purposeful, nonjudgmental present moment awareness -essentially, not being distracted-has become a buzzword in neuroscience, psychology, and related mental health fields. Thirty-plus years of research finds that it is significantly associated with mental, physical, and emotional health.

More specifically, the positive potential benefits of mindfulness practice are more attentional control, more effective emotional regulation, enhanced social relationships, reduced risk for physical ailments, enhanced immune system functioning, and better sleep quality (seems like a long list, right? It's just the basic summary). While these findings generally refer to those who practice formal mindfulness meditation, the below specified physiological benefits also apply to those who practice mindfulness informally (albeit to a lesser degree), which consists of focusing all your attention on the activities of your everyday life, such as waiting in line, cooking, cleaning, or brushing one's teeth.

In this post, I summarize how mindfulness practice is thought to change the brain according to the recent research (which is hard for the skeptics to refute!). Highlights are increased neurogenesis (creation of new neurons) and gray matter (generation of new nerve cells in the brain; essentially the reversing of ageing--meditators brains often appear younger than their non-meditating counterparts) in the brain's frontal cortex (the part of the brain associated with decision-making and logical thinking) and sensory cortices (the part of the brain associated with sensing, feeling, noticing), the hippocampal formation (the part of the brain associated with memory; Holzel et al., 2011), and a reversal of the brain's natural tendency to thin (Treadway & Lazar, 2009), especially in the anterior cingulate (the part of the brain associated with attention), the insula (the part of the brain associated with gut-responding), as well as decreased activity and reduced gray matter in the amygdala (the part of the brain associated with fear).
1. Frontal Cortex
Perhaps the most robust finding is that mindful states achieved through meditation, as well as informal mindfulness practices, boost frontal brain activity, especially the dorsolateral and medial prefrontal cortices. With time, this increased cortical strengthening bolsters our capacity for rational thought and intentional planning, promoting effective executive functioning, limbic modulation (emotional awareness and control), and impulse control as a function of the amount of time spent in meditative and mindful states.
2. Amygdala
Long-term mindfulness practice and mindful states are strongly correlated with reduced gray matter and activity in the amygdala, which considerably lessens fear-related and anxious arousal, facilitating physiological well-being and calmness. While the amygdala is by no means your enemy (it's an effective alarm system that protects us from danger), investigators believe these changes from mindfulness in the amygdala can buffer against trauma symptoms, or emotional abreactions to any adverse event capable of resulting in PTSD symptoms. To further support this robust finding, researchers found that mindful attention and awareness negatively correlated with a post- traumatic stress response, anxiety, and depression (Bernstein, Tanay, & Vujanovic, 2011).

Mindfulness encourages prefrontal regulation of limbic (emotional) responses, and may help explain part of why mindfulness is widely used in many psychotherapies (Lazar, 2005). This may explicate the finding that brainwave states associated with rest and relaxation, such as theta, tend to increase as a function of mindfulness, as relaxation likely results from decreased amygdala activation. This may be related to a connection between mindfulness practice and a lowered resting heartbeat, facilitating a more efficiently pumping organ by calming the sympathetic nervous system activation resulting from amygdala activation.
3. Social Neural Circuitry
Mindfulness practices were found to be closely linked to relationship satisfaction (Atkinson, 2013). Seventeen studies found that people with extensive experience in mindfulness practices have developed more brain gray matter in socially germane areas of the brain compared to controls that did not practice mindfulness, providing convincing evidence for the vital role mindfulness often plays in establishing and maintaining emotionally nourishing relationships (Siegel, 2007).

Specifically, this refers to a calmer and regulated amygdala, increased levels of the bonding hormones oxytocin and vasopressin (Siegel, 2007), a more sensitive fusiform face area (the part of the brain associated with accurate facial recognition and reading the emotions on people's faces), more sensitive dopamine (the neurotransmitter in the brain linked to pleasure) reward pathway associated with social interaction, and lastly, enhanced functioning of the mirror neurons (more connective and attuned relating to others) in the temporal sulcus (the part of the brain associated with processing sounds) (Atkinson, 2013).

Investigators have also found increases in cortical thickness in the left temporal gyrus (the part of the brain also associated with processing sounds). This suggests enhanced ability to perceive emotions in others, employ and understand language, and process auditory stimuli are a product of mindfulness meditation; all are necessary for adept social functioning and enhanced relating with others (Treadway & Lazar, 2009).

The hippocampus, where our memories reside, also develops new neurons as you practice, helping us remember and store important social interactions and enhance overall cognitive functioning. (FYI, the "sulcus" refers to the inside parts of curvatures in the brain, and the "gyrus" refers to the outside parts of the curvatures in the brain.)
4. Anterior Cingulate Cortex
Mindfulness increases activation in the anterior subdivision of the cingulate cortex, which plays a key role in motivation, attentional capacity, and motor control (Treadway & Lazar, 2009; Zeidan, 2015). This ultimately increases one's ability to sustain uninterrupted attention on cognitive tasks, and may contribute to enhanced limbic (emotional) control or affect regulation, especially of painful emotions (Siegel, 2007; Lazar, 2005; Treadway & Lazar, 2009). Given that tech behemoths like Apple, Amazon, Google, and Facebook are warring for our attention, this benefit can help you reclaim this precious resource.
5. Insula
The insula is the home of interoception (the internal sense of your body), associated with "gut" instinctual or visceral feelings and responses. It is found to be a key region in registering body sensations and how we perceive ourselves physically. Perhaps the increased activation during mindfulness reflects a meditator's careful (mindful) attention to ever-changing internal (physical) sensations (Treadway & Lazar, 2009).

There are also studies showing that the insula's gray matter, especially in the sub-region, is lower for those diagnosed with schizophrenia compared to the general population. This seems logical, as a large part of schizophrenia symptoms reflect a lack of mindfulness, such as hallucinations and poor attentional control.

Conclusion

There are likely other key areas of the brain mindfulness alters that I did not cover here. Let's not lose sight, however, that brain research can be limited. As a result, the found activations can mean many different things. Still, it is clear that the mindfulness studies generally reflect remarkably significant, positive, and long-term effects on brain structure that contribute to the feelings of calm and well-being we all want.

Across studies, long-term meditators demonstrated more cortical thickness overall, especially in the above areas mentioned: anterior insula, sensory cortex, and prefrontal cortices. While I would advocate practicing mindfulness even if the salutary effects weren't so robustly examined and documented, the ability for it to increase the thickness of your brain and protect against normal age-related brain thinning linked to dementia, in itself, is an especially compelling reason to practice!
This post is for educational purposes and should not to substitute for psychotherapy with a qualified professional. Copyright: Jason Linder, LMFT, 2019

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
5 Ways Mindfulness Practice Positively Changes Your Brain

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In recent decades, mindfulness, defined as purposeful, nonjudgmental present moment awareness -essentially, not being distracted-has become a buzzword in neuroscience, psychology, and related mental health fields. Thirty-plus years of research finds that it is significantly associated with mental, physical, and emotional health.

# data[].attributes.body
Free resources on mindfulness and health

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Download the free UCLA Mindful App for iOS and Android

With this easy-to-use app, you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, anytime with the guidance of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. Scientific research shows mindfulness can help manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, cultivate positive emotions, and help improve overall physical health and well-being.

Mindfulness is the practice of training the mind to be present through moment-to-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, body sensations and environment.Mindfulness promotes an attitude of openness, curiosity, and awillingness to be with our experience. Through regular practice, taught through this app, you can develop a meditation practice and learn to bring more mindfulness into your daily life.
This app offers:

Basic Meditations for getting started, in 14 Different languages

Wellness Meditations for people suffering from challenging health conditions

Informative videos exploring how to get started, supportive meditation postures, and the science of mindfulness

Weekly Hammer Podcasts and Drop-in Recordings -- 30 minute meditations on different themes you can search for and bookmark

A timer to meditate on your own

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
With this easy-to-use app, you can practice mindfulness meditation anywhere, anytime with the guidance of the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. Scientific research shows mindfulness can help manage stress-related physical conditions, reduce anxiety and depression, cultivate positive emotions, and help improve overall physical health and well-being.

# data[].attributes.body
The Myths and Science begins Mindfulness 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In the 1960s, meditation was only embraced by hippies. Then the business world became enamoured with mindfulness's promise of better concentration and stress coping mechanisms. Now the practise is so widely spread in the West, that even the UK's National Health Service recommends it. But with the popularity and business created around mindfulness, the myths surrounding it abound as well. Psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of 14 books on emotional intelligence and mindfulness, including three consisting of dialogues with the Dalai Lama, is interested in the science behind meditation. This has been the subject of his latest book, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body, co-authored with Richard J. Davidson. Goleman discusses the attacks on mindfulness and retaliates with scientific nous in the interview below. You've written about mindfulness for several decades now. Have you changed your mind about it?
When I started out, there was no good scientific evidence on meditation in peer-reviewed journals. Experientially, I knew I was doing something important but there was no data to back it up. And now there's a lot of data. So I'm more firm in my belief that it can be beneficial.
But there is a lot of data that you think hasn't been properly researched.
It's a big mix, there are more than 6,000 studies published in peer-reviewed journals. Some of those articles are excellent. Others are not - they tend to be sloppier, less convincing. In the book The Science of Meditation we focused on 60 out 6,000 studies - that's one per cent - that have the strongest methodology and were published in the most discerning journals.
What are the biggest myths on meditation in the West?
Two categories of myth - one is that meditation is a waste of time, that it doesn't do anything more than napping. That's just dead wrong. And the other one is that a little meditation is going to make you enlightened. That's dead wrong too. Meditation is a skill in our mental fitness repertoire and, like any skill, it takes effort, practice, hours to get better and better, and the more you do it, the better it gets.
But there is also a way to do it right, and you say in your book that one needs guidance to get there.
It's like getting better at any skill - golf or tennis - it takes time, motivation, hours and hours of practice, a good coach who can teach you, who knows more than you do, or can see where it would be beneficial for you to improve; it takes feedback on how you're doing. That's how you get better at any skill.
But mindfulness and meditation is such an intimate, internal skill. How does someone give you feedback on it?
For example, I studied with a Burmese teacher on a retreat and every other day you would meet with the teacher and tell him in detail about your best experience in the last two days, and what exactly your meditation practice consisted of. And he would tell you what to do next. That's the kind of precision you want.

He was working on inside meditation. There's a very detailed map of progression in that tradition. So what this teacher was doing is seeing where you are on that map and advising you on how to go to the next level. Not every meditation school has that detail but as you progress you need it more and more.

People who do an app - I guess they are now millions - don't have the opportunity for that but they're just starting out. The literature and expertise on it shows that people starting out will get good on an amateur level. Those who want to get beyond that level tend to try to get more specific feedback.

___

"Mindfulness is a mental training."

___
What exactly does progress entail? Is it a capacity to focus?
It depends on the particular meditation method you're using. But when you use the concentrative method, the concentration on the breath, your mind wanders. And you notice when it wanders and you can bring it back to the breath. You can get better and better and my co-author, Richard Davis, has a measurement tool that can help people see exactly how many times their mind wanders and they get feedback on how to get better but also advice can help you get better too.
What is your favourite meditation method?
I started with transcendental meditation many many years ago, then I went to India when I was a graduate student at Harvard, to study meditation. Then I got involved in what's called Vypassana or inside meditation - mindfulness is part of that tradition. I did that for many years and then I went to a Tibetan tradition - dzogchen.
Why There Is No Self: A Buddhist Perspective for the West Read more How can they help?
They improve your abilities to pay attention, to focus, to remember, to learn, to handle stress better, to be less reactive and to recover from being upset more quickly - which is the very definition of resilience. And then if you do a meditation on loving kindness you actually become more generous, it makes you happier, you're more likely to help someone in need. Those are very well documented trends now.
You mentioned earlier that a myth surrounding meditation is that it's no better than a nap. Sleep can help improve memory and moods. How is mindfulness and meditation better than sleep?
When you sleep, you don't get the improvement in concentration, the resilience, the ability to respond to stress. Mindfulness is a mental training.

My co-author Richard Davidson teamed up with John Kabat-Zinn, who is responsible to a great extent for making mindfulness so popular, and they put together a study where for four months, in one control group they taught mindfulness, while in another one they taught a self-enhanced programme on nutrition and diet but no meditation. The teachers in each group were very enthusiastic about what their course and students had similarly positive expectations in both groups. And what they found in the study was that there was no difference after eight weeks of both programmes in how positive people felt. But there were physiological differences, such as alterations on brain and immune function.

That's very important because many of the research findings on mindfulness boosters are only self-reported data and we feel that that's not strong enough.

___

"The Western model of meditation as passivity is really uninformed."

___
And how does meditation compare to going for a walk or being in nature?
Being in nature has beneficial effects on mood. But so do other things - being with your puppy also does. Those are temporary effects. But we're interested in the lasting effects - what we call altered traits, benefits accrued not while doing your practice or petting the puppy or being in nature but that show later in the day.
Would you say that the model of Christian prayer is very different from meditation?
Discursive prayer is different from meditation. It's contemplation, where you reflect on something. In meditation typically you let go of all thought, or think of only one neutral thing, or one positive thing. There is something called the centring prayer in Christianity, which is actually a newly developed Christian meditation, which probably is as beneficial as mindfulness but I don't think any studies have been done about it yet.

Then there are the second century desert fathers, written about in a collection of Greek texts called the Philokalia. The Philokalia tells the story of the desert fathers and their methods, which seem very similar to the yogi today who's focusing on a mantra. Their mantra was 'Kyrie eleison', which means 'God, have mercy on us'. I think that tradition survived today on Mount Athos in Greece and their instructions are very similar to instructions for yogis today - find an isolated place or a group of people who are doing the same thing, give up your worldly affairs, focus on this mantra and let go of other thoughts.
Are there any other practices that you would associate with mindfulness? Perhaps studying?
Anything that immerses you in thoughts about something is not mindfulness. Mindfulness allows you to create a remove internally, in your experience, so you see thoughts come and go rather than getting immersed or stuck in them. The key thing is to let them go.
Yoga Is Philosophy of Mind in Practice Read more Does that not make you more passive?
That's a naïve assumption and it has to do with misconceptions about the nature of compassion. In Tibet there's a phrase called 'wrathful compassion', where out of compassion you tell someone to stop what they're doing because it's dangerous for them, for example. So I think the Western model of meditation as passivity is really uninformed.
Is there any danger when importing Eastern concepts in Western culture?
You know, Carl Jung was very opposed to Westerners studying Eastern concepts. He said that just doesn't suit you. But I think that is a little bit tribalistic, since a central nervous system is universal, and the predicament of a central nervous system that we get swept away by preoccupations that make us worried in the middle of the night, for example, is universal, and the methodology that's offered through what we call meditation doesn't solve a Western or an Eastern problem. That attitude seems a bit close to Orientalism.

___

"Meditation can deconstruct the self."

___
But I'm referring to the fact that the society in which we live rewards ambition, competition and cold judgment rather than compassion or mindfulness.
It does. I find it very sad. That being the case, there are two levels in which meditation is useful. One is, it helps doing better in a competitive arena - it sharpens your concentration, your ability to withstand stress. Lots of people in the business world are drawn to mindfulness for those reasons. On the other hand, in Christianity and in other religions too, the value system is turned upside down, and people become monks or nuns because they see the pointlessness of the treadmill. They understand that there are higher purposes in life than just doing well and dying with a lot of money that you can't take with you. So in that regard meditation makes a lot of sense because it can deconstruct the self if you go and do it more deeply.
One way in which one can advance in meditation, you said, is by getting feedback and guidance. How would you recommend finding a good teacher?
I would say that it's like finding a good lawyer or a good plumber. With some due diligence, ask around, look if you really respect and trust that person, if they have expertise. A plumber needs a certificate to show their expertise. For a meditation teacher, it might be who taught them, how long they have been doing it, whether they have done any retreats themselves.
Are retreats absolutely necessary in order to make progress in meditation?
Retreats are an indication that people made more progress on a hard measure. For example, if a long term meditator, who for instance has a day job and meditates everyday, does a full day of retreat, then their genetic information alters. It may not happen in your daily meditation and we suspect there are many other benefits that a full day of meditation gives you rather than a short daily practice.
How long does it take until one gets to these altered states?
Short term benefits show up at the beginning, in just a session or two. They are already measurable - one's ability of coping with stress and attention improve immediately. It is a base response relationship as they call it in medicine. The more you do it the better it gets. There's no particular threshold.
Can face-to-face online guidance be as effective?
From other research I've done on the social brain, online face-to-face is as good as in-person face-to-face. Telephone is not bad either. Text alone, or email, is horrible. That's something I researched in my previous book Social Intelligence.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Mindfulness Works Better than a Nap or a Walk

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of 14 books on emotional intelligence and mindfulness, including three consisting of dialogues with the Dalai Lama, is interested in the science behind meditation. This has been the subject of his latest book, Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body, co-authored with Richard J.

# data[].attributes.body
The Vagus Nerve is Key to Well-Being | Elemental

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The mysterious nerve network that quiets pain and stress - and may defeat disease

T ake a deep breath. Hug a friend. Reach for the ceiling and stretch your limbs. Each of these simple acts bestows a sense of calm and comfort. And each works its soothing magic in part by activating a complicated system of nerves that connects the brain to the heart, the gut, the immune system, and many of the organs. That system is known collectively as the vagus nerve.

The vagus nerve is one of the twelve cranial nerves, which sprawl out from the brain and into the body like an intricate network of roots. These nerve networks act as lines of communication between the brain and the body's many systems and organs. Some of the cranial nerves interpret sensory information collected by the skin, eyes, or tongue. Others control muscles or communicate with glands.

The vagus nerve, also called the "10th cranial nerve," is the longest, largest, and most complex of the cranial nerves, and in some ways it's also the least understood. Experts have linked its activity to symptom changes in people with migraine headaches, inflammatory bowel disease, depression, epilepsy, arthritis, and many other common ailments. The more science learns about the vagus nerve, the more it seems like a better understanding of its function could unlock new doors to treating all manner of human suffering.

Vagus is Latin for "wandering," which is apt when one considers all the different parts of the body the vagus nerve reaches. "It seems like every year somebody finds a new organ or system that it talks with," says Tiffany Field, PhD, director of the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine.

"There's a massive bioelectrical and biochemical series of events that the vagus nerve is responsible for, and all that is almost impossible to map."

Field says that branches of the vagus nerve are connected to the face and voice. "We know that depressed people have low vagal activity, and this is associated with less intonation and less-active facial expressions," she explains. A separate branch of the vagus nerve runs down to the gastrointestinal tract. Here, low vagal activity is associated with slowed gastric motility, which interferes with proper digestion, she says.

Still other branches of the vagus nerve are connected to the heart, the lungs, and the immune system. The vagus nerve's activation or deactivation is tied to the ebb or flow of hormones such as cortisol and the digestive hormone ghrelin, the amount of inflammation the immune system produces, and many other internal processes that shape human health and experience. "There's a massive bioelectrical and biochemical series of events that the vagus nerve is responsible for, and all that is almost impossible to map," Field says.

How could one nerve system control so much? While some aspects of vagal activity are inscrutable, it's clear that the nerve is the governor of the parasympathetic nervous system, which helps control the body's relaxation responses. In simple terms, heightened vagal activity counteracts the stress response, which involves the sympathetic nervous system. "The sympathetic nervous system is fight or flight, while the parasympathetic nervous system is more chill out," says Stephen Silberstein, MD, a professor of neurology and director of the Headache Center at Philadelphia's Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals.

Silberstein co-wrote a comprehensive 2016 review of the research on the vagus nerve. He says that heightened vagal activity slows heart rate and also switches off inflammation, in part by triggering the release of immune system calming chemicals. There's also evidence that activating the vagus nerve through electronic stimulation can produce a range of health benefits. "Depending on the frequency of the stimulation, we know it can turn off an asthma attack or an epileptic seizure," Silberstein says. "It can turn off a migraine or cluster headache, and it can decrease the perception of acid reflux."

Pick almost any common medical condition that's made worse by stress or inflammation - everything from arthritis to inflammatory bowel disease - and there's research showing that vagus nerve stimulation can help treat it or relieve its symptoms.

In the past, this stimulation required a surgical implant in the chest that transmits electrical pulses directly into the vagus nerve. But some newer, noninvasive devices - including one that has FDA approval for the treatment of migraine and cluster headaches - are capable of stimulating the vagus nerve when pressed against the skin of the neck. Silberstein says doctors are exploring the use of vagus nerve stimulation for a wide range of diseases and disorders, including afflictions of the mind.

"More and more, we're learning how critical vagal activity is to attention and mood," says Field. Already, there's evidence that stimulating the vagus nerve may improve working memory or help people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. And since the early 2000s, the FDA has approved vagus nerve stimulation for the treatment of some forms of depression.

While electronic stimulation holds promise - and, in some cases, is already providing relief - for people with a range of ailments, Field says there are plenty of ways to stimulate vagal activity without a device or implant. "We know that massage and yoga promote parasympathetic nervous system activity, which is vagal activity," she says.

Her research has shown that these and many related activities increase vagal activity via pressure receptors buried beneath the surface of the skin - receptors located throughout the body, and ones that only firm pressure or a deep stretch can reach. She points out that light touching or stroking is arousing, while a bear hug or powerful handshake are inherently soothing. "A strong hug or a handshake promote parasympathetic activity," she says.

Silberstein says that almost anything people find relaxing - meditation, deep breathing - is also associated with heightened vagal activity and parasympathetic nervous system activity. "We did studies in the past showing that patients with migraine have impaired vagal activity," he says. "We tried to fix that by doing yoga or deep-breathing meditation, and we found a lot of those things enabled us to activate the vagal nerve." On the other hand, stress and anxiety are associated with depressed vagal activity, which may help to explain why these conditions are linked with an increased risk for other maladies.

There's still a lot about the vagus nerve science doesn't understand. But as doctors uncover more of its secrets, these discoveries are revealing new and more effective ways to relieve pain, inflammation, sadness, and disease.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Science Confirms That the Vagus Nerve Is Key to Well-being

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The mysterious nerve network that quiets pain and stress - and may defeat disease T ake a deep breath. Hug a friend. Reach for the ceiling and stretch your limbs. Each of these simple acts bestows a sense of calm and comfort.

# data[].attributes.body
MIT Studies Reveal Practicing 'Mindfulness' Can Be Beneficial to a Student's Performance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mindfulness is one of those terms you see thrown around nowadays on the Internet paralleling the current rise and interest in meditation. Now you may be skeptical about western culture's recent obsession with the "power of mindfulness," yet there is some great science behind it supporting its potential benefits.

Even research conducted by Harvard Medical School has illustrated that practicing mindfulness can change the brain in depressed patients for the better.

Continuing with this trend, two recent studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology has revealed that mindfulness has the potential to improve the mental health of students as well as their academic performance. The studies further the idea that implementing mindfulness has the potential to be very beneficial to our daily lives.

The power of mindfulness

For the uninitiated, mindfulness is defined as the psychological process of bringing all your attention to your current experiences in the present. One of the best paths to the mastery of mindfulness is the practice of meditation. The MIT study demonstrated there was an obvious correlation between mindfulness in schools and better overall academic performance, better behavior, and less stress.
RECENT: MEDITATION CHAPEL OFFERS PEACE OF MIND IN A STUNNING DESIGN
As mentioned and defined in the MIT press release by Gabrieli, the Grover M. Hermann Professor in Health Sciences and Technology, a professor of brain and cognitive sciences, "By definition, mindfulness is the ability to focus attention on the present moment, as opposed to being distracted by external things or internal thoughts."

"If you're focused on the teacher in front of you, or the homework in front of you, that should be good for learning."

Divining further into the study

Conducted and leading charter schools in Boston, the MIT team of researchers looked at 100 sixth graders for their project. Half of the students were asked to take coding classes, while the other half was given mindfulness training every day for eight weeks. During the student's mindfulness classes, students were asked to pay attention to their breath and to, of course, focus all of their energy on the present rather than the past or the future.

The students who participated in the course would go on to report having less stress compared to the students in the control group. These same students would go on to report feeling fewer negative emotions. The overall study further illustrated how schools could benefit from implementing mindfulness training.

Second study

In the next study, researchers took a much larger sample size evaluating the mindfulness of 2,000 students ranging from elementary school to middle school. Students who demonstrated high levels of mindfulness produced higher test scores and better overall performance at school.

Though both studies have demonstrated strong correlations between mindfulness and academics, the biggest challenge of practicing mindfulness is consistency. Sure, you can teach classes on mindfulness, but for it to be truly effective, you need to learn how to turn it into a daily habit.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
MIT Studies Reveal Practicing 'Mindfulness' Can Be Beneficial to a Student's Performance

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mindfulness is one of those terms you see thrown around nowadays on the Internet paralleling the current rise and interest in meditation. Now you may be skeptical about western culture's recent obsession with the "power of mindfulness," yet there is some great science behind it supporting its potential benefits.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Live with intention.

Intention refers to the underlying motivation for everything we think, say, or do. In our brain, when we act in unintended ways, there's a disconnect between the faster, unconscious lower brain and the slower, conscious, higher brain like the pre-frontal cortex.

The unconscious brain is in charge of most of our decision-making and behaviors. So the following practice can help you align your conscious thinking brain with the more primal parts of that drive impulse.

The practice below is best done in the morning, before you connect yourself to the day ahead.

1. Upon waking, sit in your bed or in a chair and relax. Close your eyes and connect with the sensations of your seated body. Just be.

2. Take three long, deep, breaths - breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Let your breath settle into a rhythm. Simply follow it in and out, notice the rise and fall of your chest and belly as you breathe.

3. Say out loud: "What is my intention today?" Use the following examples to help you answer this question. Think about what today might bring and what will happen in your world.
Ask yourself:

How can I show up today and have an impact?

What quality of mind do I want to strengthen and develop?

How can I take better care of myself?

In the face of challenge today, how might I be more compassionate to others?

How can I feel more connected and fulfilled today?

4. Now set your intention for the day. For example, "Today, I will be kind to myself; I will be patient with others; I will give 100% at work; I will stay grounded; I will have fun; I will nourish my body," Make and keep these intentions today.

5. As the day moves along, check-in with yourself. Take a pause, and revisit your intention. Become conscious of your intentions for each day and note how the quality of your communications, relationships, and mood shifts.

It's easy to reduce eating to the sensation; bite, chew, swallow - repeat.

When was the last time you ate and were conscious of what you were eating? Most likely at a nice restaurant where the food awakened your senses, right?

Eating is one of the most pleasurable experiences we engage in as human beings. But doing it mindfully can turn eating into a far richer experience. Engaging the senses while eating or drinking can awaken your brain. Next time you're enjoying your coffee, savor the smell. When you taste food, enjoy the flavors someone worked hard to put together. Let them dazzle and delight your taste buds. Eat with purpose.

It's estimated that 95% of our behavior runs on autopilot. We do, and we rarely think.

That's because neural networks underlie all of our habits. They reduce our sensory inputs into easy shortcuts so we can function in this crazy world.

These default brain signals are like signaling superhighways, so efficient that they often cause us to relapse into old behaviors before we remember what we meant to do instead.

Mindfulness is the exact opposite of these processes; it slows the brain down. It's about taking back control of your sensory inputs and living in the moment. Doing so takes practice, but the more you activate that slower, wiser brain, the better you become at it. When you are deliberate with your intentions, you stimulate neuroplasticity. This is where new neural pathways can be laid down, and a new way of thinking is born.

Shifting the balance to give your slow brain more power takes some work, though. Here are some ways to get started.

1. Put what you want to do in your path. Whatever you want to do, put that in your daily path. If you're going to do yoga today, put your mat in front of your bedroom door. If you're going to eat well, put the good food in the front of your fridge, so you see it first.

2. Create new triggers. Our brains learn fast, so you have to trick it. If you set reminders for something new, you are trying? Change the way you tell yourself to do them. Be creative. Put a sticky note somewhere one day. Then create a phone reminder one day. Next, send an email to yourself. Variety keeps the brain guessing.

3. Develop new patterns. You might come up with, "If cut off in traffic, take a deep breath," as a way to shift into mindfulness as you are about to handle such an event. Or, "If phone rings, inhale and exhale before answering." Be intentional with these patterns. Set them, perform them, live them.

Riding a bike, yoga, running in the park - what do such exercises have in common? Each can be a mindfulness practice.

Whatever the physical activity, remember that it not only invigorates every cell in your body, but it also shifts you from feeling busy and distracted to feeling healthy and capable.

Start to synchronize your body and mind as one. As you do, you will strengthen your capacity to bring all of your energy to the task at hand.

1. Be clear about your goal. As you tie your laces for your run, bring purpose to your activity by consciously envisioning how this run is going to feel. As you start running, say to yourself, "I am going to notice the sensation of the breeze, the sun, and the passing scenery." I will see all the beauty that has been laid out in front of me.

2. Get into a rhythm. Coordinate your breath and movement. As you exercise, develop a rhythm with your body. How does your breath match your feet moving? How does your stride relate to your heartbeat? Listen to your body.

3. Challenge yourself. Try faster speed, more repetitions, or heavier weights, depending on what you are doing. Notice how alert and alive you feel when pushing yourself.

4. Cool off. Slow down your pace just before you stop exercising. Take notice of the way your body feels. Is it tired? Is it energized? Drink in your surroundings and savor the work you just did.

5. Rest. Quietly recognize the symphony of sensations flowing in and around you. Name what you feel and sense. Be witness to the way your body is alive at that very moment.

Bumper-to-bumper traffic is the bane of our existence, and rude, impatient drivers trigger our "fight or flight" response.

That's why road rage erupts, we get crazy, and act outside ourselves.

But it doesn't have to be like that. The terrible traffic jam can provide an excellent opportunity to build your mindfulness. It can also increase your sense of connection to others, and restore some balance and perspective.

Here are the steps to take the next time you're in traffic hell.

1. Take a deep breath. Get into your car and breathe deep. We tend to carry our day's events into the car and take it out on one another. Stop. Breathe. Relax. Then drive. In this space lies perspective and choice.

2. What do you need? It may be at that moment that you need to feel safe, at ease, or you need some relief. Understanding what you need will bring balance.

3. Look around - Everyone else is just like You. Everyone next to you wants the same thing - to feel safe, be at ease, and be happy. You're not the only one who hates the traffic and wants to get home. Give everyone what you just offered to yourself - say out loud: "May you be at ease, may you feel safe, may you be happy."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Live with intention. Intention refers to the underlying motivation for everything we think, say, or do. In our brain, when we act in unintended ways, there's a disconnect between the faster, unconscious lower brain and the slower, conscious, higher brain like the pre-frontal cortex.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
TEDx is an international community that organizes TED-style events anywhere and everywhere -- celebrating locally-driven ideas and elevating them to a global stage. TEDx events are produced independently of TED conferences, each event curates speakers on their own, but based on TED’s format and rule…

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Becoming more aware of where you are and what you’re doing, without becoming overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Copy of Secondary Mindfulness Training 6%2F7%2F2017

# data[].attributes.body
(63) the power of mindfulness- WHat you practice grows stronger shapiro - YouTube.htm

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In her current work, she is exploring meditation's effects on the brains of clinically depressed patients, a group for whom studies have shown meditation to be effective. Working with patients selected and screened by Shapero, Desbordes is performing functional magnetic resonance imaging scans before and after an eight-week course in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, or MBCT.

During the scans, participants complete two tests, one that encourages them to become more aware of their bodies by focusing on their heartbeats (an exercise related to mindfulness meditation), and the other asking them to reflect on phrases common in the self-chatter of depressed patients, such as "I am such a loser," or "I can't go on." After a series of such comments, the participants are asked to stop ruminating on the phrases and the thoughts they trigger. Researchers will measure how quickly subjects can disengage from negative thoughts, typically a difficult task for the depressed.

The process will be repeated for a control group that undergoes muscle relaxation training and depression education instead of MBCT. While it's possible that patients in the control part of the study also will have reduced depressive symptoms, Desbordes said it should occur via different mechanisms in the brain, a difference that may be revealed by the scans. The work, which received funding from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, has been underway since 2014 and is expected to last into 2019.

Desbordes said she wants to test one prevalent hypothesis about how MBCT works in depressed patients: that the training boosts body awareness in the moment, called interoception, which, by focusing their attention on the here and now, arms participants to break the cycle of self-rumination.

"We know those brain systems involved with interoception, and we know those involved with rumination and depression. I want to test, after taking MBCT, whether we see changes in these networks, particularly in tasks specifically engaging them," Desbordes said.

Desbordes is part of a community of researchers at Harvard and its affiliated institutions that in recent decades has been teasing out whether and how meditation works.

In the 1970s, when transcendental meditation surged in popularity, Herbert Benson, a professor at Harvard Medical School and what was then Beth Israel Hospital, explored what he called "The Relaxation Response," identifying it as the common, functional attribute of transcendental meditation, yoga, and other forms of meditation, including deep religious prayer. Benson described this response - which recent investigators say is not as common as he originally thought - as the opposite of the body's adrenalin-charged "fight or flight" response, which was also identified at Harvard, by physiologist Walter Cannon Bradford in 1915.

Other MGH researchers also are studying the effects of meditation on the body, including Sara Lazar, who in 2012 used fMRI to show that the brains of subjects thickened after an eight-week meditation course. Work is ongoing at MGH's Benson-Henry Institute; at HMS and Brigham and Women's Hospital's Osher Center for Integrative Medicine; at the Harvard-affiliated Cambridge Health Alliance, where Zev Schuman-Olivier directs the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion; and among a group of nearly a dozen investigators at Harvard and other Northeastern institutions, including Desbordes and Lazar, who are collaborating through the Mindfulness Research Collaborative.

Among the challenges researchers face is defining mindfulness itself. The word has come to describe a meditation-based practice whose aim is to increase one's sense of being in the present, but it has also been used to describe a nonmeditative state in which subjects set aside their mental distractions to pay greater attention to the here and now, as in the work of Harvard psychologist Ellen Langer.

Another challenge involves sorting through the many variations of meditative practice.

Recent scientific exploration has largely focused on the secular practice of mindful meditation, but meditation is also a component of several ancient religious traditions, with variations. Even within the community practicing secular mindful meditation, there are variations that may be scientifically meaningful, such as how often one meditates and how long the sessions are. Desbordes herself has an interest in a variation called compassion meditation, whose aim is to increase caring for those around us.

Amid this variation, an eight-week mindfulness-based stress reduction course developed in the 1970s by Jon Kabat-Zinn at the University of Massachusetts Medical Center has become something of a clinical and scientific standard. The course involves weekly two- or 2½-hour group training sessions, 45 minutes of daily work on one's own, and a daylong retreat. The mindfulness-based cognitive therapy used in Desbordes' current work is a variation on that program and incorporates elements of cognitive behavioral therapy, which involves talk therapy effective in treating depression.

Ultimately, Desbordes said she's interested in teasing out just what in mindful meditation can work against depression. If researchers can identify what elements are effective, the therapy may be refined to be more successful. Shapero is also interested in using the study to refine treatment. Since some patients benefit from mindfulness meditation and some do not, he'd like to better understand how to differentiate between the two.

"Once we know which ingredients are successful, we can do more of that and less, maybe, of the parts that are less effective," Desbordes said.
Research funding includes the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. For more information about the Mindfulness & Meditation program at Harvard University, visit its website.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Harvard researchers study how mindfulness may change the brain in depressed patients

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School are examining how mindfulness meditation may change the brain in depressed patients.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
To me, neurodiversity is the idea that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal, natural variation in the human genome. This represents new and fundamentally different way of looking at conditions that were traditionally pathologized; it's a viewpoint that is not universally accepted though it is increasingly supported by science. That science suggests conditions like autism have a stable prevalence in human society as far back as we can measure. We are realizing that autism, ADHD, and other conditions emerge through a combination of genetic predisposition and environmental interaction; they are not the result of disease or injury.

At the same time, we are identifying diseases and injuries (physical and environmental) that will produce brain injuries whose effects look very similar to autism and other differences. Acceptance of neurodiversity certainly does not include passive acceptance of such injury and insult, though we should unconditionally accept individuals who are so impacted.

Smallpox is a disease that attacks healthy people; one can seek its eradication by understanding its foundations and planning an attack at that level. Autism - as a lifelong part of otherwise healthy person - may be understood at that basic level but if it's an innate part of the person it's not subject to attack and cure in the same simplistic manner. That's why the remediation of its medical complications is such an incredibly complex challenge.

Indeed, many individuals who embrace the concept of neurodiversity believe that people with differences do not need to be cured; they need help and accommodation instead. They look at the pool of diverse humanity and see - in the middle - the range of different thinking that's made humanity's progress in science and the creative arts possible. At the edges they see people who are functionally crippled by being "too diverse." When 99 neurologically identical people fail to solve a problem it's often the 1% fellow who's different who holds the key. Yet that person may be disabled or disadvantaged most or all of the time. To neurodiversity proponents, people are disabled because they are at the edges of the bell curve; not because they are sick or broken.

As an adult with autism, I find the idea of natural variation to be more appealing than the alternative - the suggestion than I am innately bad, or broken and in need of repair. I didn't learn about my own autism until I reached middle age. All those (pre diagnosis) years I assumed my struggles stemmed from inherent deficiencies. Asserting that I am different - not defective - is a much healthier position to take. Realizing the idea is supported by science is even better.

To many neurodiversity proponents, talk of "cure" feels like an attack on their very being. They detest those words for the same reason other groups detest talk of "curing gayness" or "passing for white," and they perceive the accommodation of neurological differences as a similarly charged civil rights issue. If their diversity is part of their makeup they believe it's their right to be accepted and supported "as-is." They should not be made into something else - especially against their will - to fit some imagined societal ideal.

The difference - and this is a big sticking point for neurodiversity opponents - is that racial or sexual orientation differences do not functionally disable a person whereas neurological differences can. That reality makes this situation much more complicated.

It's also worth noting that neurodiverse people generally look just like anyone else. Therefore, when we act in unusual or unexpected ways we may elicit unwanted negative responses from an unaware public. For that reason it's important for all of us who are different to learn the basics of getting along in neurotypical society. Some see this as unacceptable compromise but I see it as recognition of an unchanging (or very slow to change) reality.

There is no question that neurodiverse people have brought many great things to human society. If those achievements were indeed facilitated by neurology it logically follows that an attempt to "cure" future disability by eliminating our differences would be tremendously harmful to humanity.

There's also no question that groups homes and other institutions are filled with people whose gifts remain hidden, and whose differences prevent them from living on their own. Some of those people have differences that make them act self destructively, or act aggressively toward others. The roots of their problems remain poorly understood but we cannot deny their existence alongside those who are gifted by another version of what may be called "the same difference."

Those folks deserve more than understanding. They deserve meaningful help. I don't think that's inconsistent with the ideals of neurodiversity.

Neurodiversity opponents look at those who are disabled by difference and say it's wrong to attribute that to "normal variation." They demand a cure. Unfortunately, as the evidence for neurodiversity accumulates, it seems increasingly likely that an overall cure for neurological difference is not possible, and if the diversity is at the root of certain people's achievements, it's not desirable either.

So what's a progressive society to do? How do we help?

I believe we can relieve the burden of neurological disability without altering the essence of the person. Early intervention for speech and behavior is a prime example of this today. In some situations, society can change to make homes, parks and workplaces more accommodating. At the same time we can develop therapies to help us live our best possible lives. Finally we can change attitudes toward people who are different so that they are respected, valued, and made to feel part of the community of man.

If we accept that a neurodiverse world is a good world we will have made much forward progress in our thinking. If only it were that easy!

However you feel about neurodiversity as a concept, neurological disability is very real. There is no question in my mind that society has a duty to relieve the suffering that disability causes, and help disabled people to live their best lives. I like to think most people agree with that general ideal. The real question is how best to get there.

We have made very little progress developing treatments or therapies to remediate the worst effects of neurological difference. We still don't know much about how different neurology impacts the rest of our body systems, or our overall quality of life as we age. That - to me - is a great tragedy for our generation. By thinking of conditions like autism as "diseases that need to be cured" we have followed a research path that has led to greater understanding of certain details but precious little that actually helps the broader autistic population.

I think it's time for a change of direction. Instead of spending most of our budget on basic genetic and biological research let's shift the priority toward applied research to help the people living with neurological difference today. Those people have a tremendous range of concerns and problems to address so the scope of needed work is broad.

At the same time let's put more effort into environmental research - studies that will help us understand how we may be poisoning people and creating damage that mimics (but worsens) natural variation.

If neurological differences are indeed naturally occurring, research into foundation level cures for those differences will not be terribly productive. Having said that, we should acknowledge some real breakthroughs in identifying genetic variations that lead to major disability with no known corresponding benefit.

The identification of those mutations and exploration of causes is a major scientific achievement. We have not yet translated that work into beneficial therapies but I see the promise it holds. I certainly believe research like that should be continued though I also believe our priorities must shift.

Previous campaigns to accept diversity in race or orientation were simpler in comparison to the upcoming struggle for neurological equality. In them, all we had to change were beliefs and attitudes. With neurodiversity we must change beliefs at the same time we find ways to solve significant functioning problems.

After many years of struggle it's against the law to discriminate against someone because of race or faith anywhere in America. Unfortunately we have not come that far in other areas. It's still legal to fire someone for being gay in many states. People who act different by virtue of their neurology have no protections other than those general ones afforded under the Americans With Disabilities Act.

The task of changing societal attitudes is complicated by the fact that neurological difference is invisible. It's hard for the general public to embrace an unseen thing that produces unexpected behavior with no obvious explanation beyond "acting bad." Some people think neurodiversity acceptance means accepting what are otherwise socially unacceptable behaviors in the name of embracing difference. I don't agree with that idea at all. All of us need to act right (ethically, morally, humanely) toward one another.

I think much opposition to neurodiversity stems from the (misguided) notion that acceptance of neurodiversity implies opposition to basic scientific research, or opposition to developing tools to make the lives of disabled people better. I don't think either thing is meant or implied.

We can accept that neurological difference is a natural part of us while still working hard to minimize or eliminate its negative effects. At the same time we should recognize and celebrate the very real benefits difference confers on many of us, and embrace people as they are because that is reality. As with any disabling difference, a parent may wish things were otherwise, but they're not and unconditional acceptance of our loved ones is the healthiest way forward.

I believe acceptance of neurodiversity backed up by support for solid research into how we can be our best (least disabled, most productive, etc) is the most positive position those of us who are different can take. I celebrate all the people who fight for the rights of people who are different, and I look forward to the further fruits of those efforts. Meanwhile, I will use my own differences as I always have - to make a living doing those odd things I do better by virtue of my neurology.

John Elder Robison is an adult on the autism spectrum, and parent of an adult son with autism. He's currently Scholar In Residence at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, VA. He's a member of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and he serves on many other neuroscience related boards. The words expressed here are his own. He's the author of three books - Raising Cubby, Be Different, and Look Me in the Eye and numerous articles. Find him online at www.johnrobison.com

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Neurodiversity-the idea that conditions like autism and ADHD are natural parts of humanity and not diseases to be cured-is a contentious topic. In this essay I offer what neurodiversity means to me-an adult with autism-and ask what it means for you.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
The brain's complex anatomy, with its nested structures whose boundaries blur into one another, can be somewhat bewildering at first. This complexity is the result of the long process by which the brain develops as humans grow from embryos into adults. And this process in turn has resulted from the evolution of all animal species.

Cross-section of meninges

VENTRICLES AND MENINGES

The brain is the best protected organ in the body. The first layer of protection is the skull, which acts as armour shielding the brain from blows. Next come the meninges, three membranes that surround the brain to keep it from being damaged by contact with the inside of the skull. It is these membranes that become infected when someone gets meningitis, and it is because the meninges are in direct contact with the brain that meningitis is so dangerous.

For even more protection, the brain (and the spinal cord) are bathed in cerebro-spinal fluid. This fluid circulates through a series of communicating cavities called ventricles. Cerebro-spinal fluid also circulates between the pia mater and the arachnoid mater of the meninges. In addition to cushioning blows, this fluid reduces the pressure at the base of the brain by causing the nerve tissue to "float". Cerebro-spinal fluid is secreted by the choroid plexus in the upper ventricles and absorbed by the venous system at the base of the brain. As this fluid flows downward, it carries away toxic wastes and moves hormones between widely separated regions of the brain.

The parts of the central nervous system that contain grey matter (composed of neuron cell bodies) are often called nuclei or ganglia. Certain groups of axons found in the brain's white matter are called pathways or bundles.

THE SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

These nerves participate in the organism's relationship with its external environment. They send information to the brain from the body's various sensory detectors. These nerves also enable us to respond to these stimuli by moving through our environment.

THE AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

These nerves are more involved in regulating vital internal functions. They help to maintain internal equilibrium by coordinating such activities as digestion, respiration, blood circulation, excretion, and the secretion of hormones. The autonomic nervous system in turn is divided into two categories.

In the central nervous system, the "grey matter" is composed of the neurons' cell bodies and their dense network of dendrites. The grey matter includes the centre of the spinal cord and the thin outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres, commonly known as the cortex. The white matter consists of the myelin sheathing that covers the axons of these same neurons to enable them to conduct nerve impulses more rapidly. These myelinated axons are grouped into bundles (the equivalent of nerves) that make connections with other groups of neurons.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The brain's complex anatomy, with its nested structures whose boundaries blur into one another, can be somewhat bewildering at first. This complexity is the result of the long process by which the brain develops as humans grow from embryos into adults. And this process in turn has resulted from the evolution of all animal species.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mindful awareness can be considered as a way of being, more than something that involves our "doing" something. Engage a certain "state of mind" that has the range of qualities we have heard repeatedly even though there is no fixed and final definition of mindfulness: How we pay attention (different from awareness), on purpose (but it doesn't have to be done with active effort, it can in fact be an intention that happens Continue reading

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
pocket guide to interpersonal neurobiology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mindful awareness can be considered as a way of being, more than something that involves our "doing" something.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Mindful awareness can be considered as a way of being, more than something that involves our "doing" something. Engage a certain "state of mind" that has the range of qualities we have heard repeatedly even though there is no fixed and final definition of mindfulness: How we pay attention (different from awareness), on purpose (but it doesn't have to be done with active effort, it can in fact be an intention that happens "automatically" as a habit of being, not a consciously thought out plan of carrying out a way of focusing attention) to the unfolding of present moment experience (but, in fact, we can pay attention to memories of the past or plans for the future-but do so...) with a sense alertness, attention to detail, and with kindness and compassion.

And so there is quite a healthy and active discussion about what mindfulness actually is, even though the overall feeling is that we know what is.

Let's start with this distinction: We can have a mindful state of being, and a mindful trait of being. A state is in the moment. A trait is a habitual and repeated way of being over time and over various situations. We intentionally carry out a mindfulness practice-like walking meditation or mindfulness of the breath-to create, on purpose, and repeatedly, an intentional state of taking in what is, without judgment, and with presence to whatever arises. That's called a mindful awareness practice, or what we call a "MAP" at our UCLA center. MAPs come in many varieties, from yoga and tai' chi as moving forms of MAPs, to sitting forms such as mindfulness meditation.

For myself, each morning I try to do (or intend to do, it doesn't always work out that way!) a comprehensive practice that is called the Wheel of Awareness. This WoA practice was created to integrate consciousness as it differentiates and then links a wide array of elements of being aware. Within the metaphoric hub is the sense of knowing; within the rim is that which is known-such as the first five senses, the sixth sense of the sensations from the interior of the body, the seventh sense of our mental life of emotions and thoughts, and even an eighth sense of our relations to people and the planet. Moving a spoke of attention from hub to rim around the various elements of the rim enables hub and rim to be differentiated and then linked. This is how consciousness can be integrated.

We've had hundreds of thousands of people download the Wheel practice from our site, and I've had the privilege of teaching the Wheel to people in a variety of seminar settings. The feedback we've received about the experience of the wheel have been deeply gratifying, from decreasing ruminations to decreasing bodily pain. Overall, the freedom from the tyranny of being "lost on the rim" can be experienced by people across the lifespan. Even kindergarteners have found this a powerful way to strengthen their mind.

And while the WoA practice was initially designed to be an integrative practice, it has been declared to be a "mindfulness practice" as well. And from an interpersonal neurobiology perspective, this makes sense as we see mindfulness as a way of integrating one's life-from the brain to interpersonal relationships. On the brain side we see that the "connectome" is more interconnected along with the growth of regions of the brain such as the insula and anterior cingulate which are those "middle prefrontal cortical" regions that I discuss as part of the "resonance circuitry" in The Mindful Brain. On the relational side, we can see that the increase in self-compassion and other-directed compassion and empathy are a result of how mindfulness can be considered a form of attunement-focusing attention on the internal mental life of one's self or of other-to create internal and interpersonal attunement in mindfulness practice.

In these ways we can state that mindfulness is an integrative practice that promotes integration in mind, in relationships, and in body. And as integration can be seen as the heart of well-being, having a regular (hopefully near daily) intentional practice of creating an integrated state of mindful awareness can then become an automatic habitual trait of being mindfully aware and fully present for life. To help teach this to others, we need to practice and be this way ourselves. So yes, we need to walk the walk as well as talk the talk! It's worth the time to take "time-in" each day, for a minute, or ten, or twenty, to focus on the unfolding nature of our inner mental life. Seeing the sea inside develops the capacity to see beyond what is in front of our eyes, to have more than eyesight, and to develop mindsight for the energy and information flow that is the nature of each of our inner mental seas. Seeing this sea inside is the basis of emotional and social intelligence, the foundations of mindful awareness, and the gateway toward integrating our internal and relational lives!

This was previously published on Psychology Today.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.keywords[]
pocket guide to interpersonal neurobiology

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mindful awareness can be considered as a way of being, more than something that involves our "doing" something.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The ultimate guide to the research on the effects of mindfulness and meditation for our health, psyche, and overall quality of life.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
치유 명상음악 연속듣기 | 마음이 편안해지는 음악 | 스트레스 해소 음악 | 이완 효과가 있는 음악 | 잠잘때 듣는 음악 휴식을 위한 명상음악연속듣기

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why Aren't We Teaching You Mindfulness | AnneMarie Rossi | TEDxYouth@MileHigh

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Ganglia Nervous System _ _.. Nervous System - Somatic nervous system Autonomic nervous system

# data[].attributes.body
Free Guided meditations from UCLA Meditation Center

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Activate Your Brain For Wealth | Dr Joe Dispenza

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"What You Should Know About Your Brain" by Judy Willis Read Aloud - 7:18:16, 3.52 PM

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Judy Willis 'Want children to pay attention? Make their brains curious!' at Young Minds 2012

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Neuroscience Pathways From Lab To Classroom: Dr. Judy Willis at TEDxEnola

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Judy Willis on the Science of Learning: Big Thinkers

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Dr. Judy Willis - Change from neurology to teaching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Game MODEL for Motivated Learning : Dr. Judy Willis at TEDxASB

# data[].attributes.body
Free meditations available

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Guided Meditiation with Dan Siegel (Wheel of Awareness)