Mindfulness Therapies PDF

Mindfulness Therapies I. Mindfulness therapies A. MBSR, MBCT, DBT, and ACT B. Changing habits C. Mindfulness and physical pain II. Integration of body and mind A. Yogic practices B. Relation to EMDR and somatic therapies III.How mindfulness therapy is conducted IV.Mindful schools programs V. R...

Mindfulness Therapies I. Mindfulness therapies A. MBSR, MBCT, DBT, and ACT B. Changing habits C. Mindfulness and physical pain II. Integration of body and mind A. Yogic practices B. Relation to EMDR and somatic therapies III.How mindfulness therapy is conducted IV.Mindful schools programs V. Research findings A. Psychological effects of mindfulness − Potential risks B. Physical effects of meditation 1. Mortality rates 2. Gene expression C. Neurological effects of mindfulness − Traditional vs. modern mindfulness ✧ Since the pioneering research 20 years ago by Richard Davidson described in the previous lectures, interest in mindfulness and mindfulness research has exploded • A plethora of studies have been published supporting its effectiveness in enhancing emotion regulation (Chambers, Gullone, & Allen, 2009; Roemer, Williston, & Rollins, 2015) • This interest has been further fueled by the development of mindfulness therapies for the treatment of psychological disorders ➜ Mindfulness became “evidence-based” for a wide array of psychological disorders, as well as physical conditions, like chronic pain • However, a 2014 meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine called into question the validity of much of this research (Goyal, Singh, Sibinga et al., 2014) − The meta-analysis examined 47 randomized controlled trials of mindfulness meditation programs, which included a total of 3,515 participants − Found that meditation programs resulted in only moderate reductions in anxiety and depression and inconsistent improvements in mood ✧ This lecture will begin with a general overview of the main types of mindfulness therapies • We will then move to a discussion of research in this field, problems that have been identified, and the current state of the field • Overall, the effects of mindfulness as it is generally practiced today in the U.S. are probably quite modest, but mindfulness therapy is still considered evidence-based Mindfulness Therapies In the last few decades, Western clinical psychologists have incorporated mindfulness into a number of different types of therapies, including: • Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) • Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) • Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) As mentioned earlier, all mindfulness therapies share a common aim of cultivating an attitude of awareness of the present moment with acceptance • This is an attitude we have toward whatever is arising at the moment in terms of thoughts, feelings, and experiences of contact with the outer world • Stabilization of the mind through calm-abiding practice and connection with the non-moving mind and the “suchness” of the meditation object is what makes awareness with acceptance possible - We are able to just stop - This does not mean that you need to stop all thoughts - Rather, you do not allow your mind to run with or elaborate on thoughts and emotion Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) ² Established by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979 after studying with Zen Buddhist teachers ² Uses mindfulness to alleviate pain and improve physical and psychological well-being in individuals suffering from a variety of diseases and disorders - One of the most popular programs for stress reduction and treatment of chronic pain in hospitals across the country ² Program lasts 8-10 weeks and consists of 2.5 hour weekly classes along with a single allday class ² Participants are taught through practice to pay attention to the present moment - Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as moment-to-moment non-judgmental awareness - Viewing thoughts, feelings, sensations, actions, other people, external objects, etc. as guests in your home – no rejection - Not worrying about the past or future as much can help increase acceptance and decrease stress ✧ Incorporates a number of different exercises that are not strictly “mindfulness” practices, including lovingkindness meditation, mountain meditation, and mindful eating ☛Mountain Meditation Therapies like MBSR also incorporate many different exercises that are not strictly speaking mindfulness practices. One example is the Mountain Meditation: 1. Find a time when you can sit for half an hour without interruption. 2. Assume a comfortable erect position with back erect, chin slightly tucked in towards the chest, both feet flat on the floor (if sitting in chair), and hands quietly resting on thighs. 3. Tense and release the muscles from your toes to your head. 4. Observe your breath and remain in tune with feeling the air pass in and out of your nostrils as with each inhalation and exhalation as you continue the meditation. (Continued on next slide) 5. Visualize a mountain and then become that mountain - Imagine yourself as being that majestic mountain with your summit in the clouds. Imagine how solid and strong and how connected to the earth you are, for you, the mountain, have stood for thousands of years. Breathing in, I see myself as a mountain Breathing out, I feel solid and strong. - The weather has always been in a state of flux around you. The views change from blue sky views with gentle breezes and showers to mighty banks of storm clouds, dispensing heavy downpours, to sleet and snow. Yet, you have stood firm and immovable, and the winds of change have whirled for centuries around you without any noticeable effects. Breathing in makes me calm. Breathing out helps me settle. - Just as changes in weather whirling about outside of you, the mountain, provoke no angst, the emotions, activities and situations that whirl around you in your every day life shall not disturb you when your meditation ends. You shall remain tall and strong and connected. Breathing in, I feel secure. Breathing out, I feel grounded. - You shall remain upright, firmly grounded and connected to the earth, regardless of the weather whirling around you. So now just sit and continue to follow your breath as you sink deeply into your majestic mountain base without collapsing your spine. Become one with the feelings of solidity, strength and connection. Breathing in, I feel still and connected. Breathing out, I reflect things as they are. - End your meditation when you feel it is time to do so. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) ² Derived from MBSR ² Combines cognitive therapy with mindfulness techniques as a treatment for major depressive disorder ² Involves acceptance of thoughts and feelings without judgment rather than trying to push them out of consciousness - This frees participants from tendency to get drawn into automatic reactions to thoughts, feelings, and events - Enhanced awareness enables them to respond to things rather than react to them - Clients also learn that holding onto certain thoughts and feelings are ineffective and mentally destructive v Evidence-based treatment for preventing relapse into major depressive episode Ø Ex: Using mindfulness to work with depression: • Become more aware of your positive and negative thoughts − As you do so, you start to see that the depression isn’t really just one giant unmovable monolith of negative thoughts, but that you are actually selecting, feeding, preferring each negative thought • See this simply as data collection - You are selecting a negative thought this moment not because you are “bad” or “weak” but because Smerdley made a negative comment about you, which triggered an old memory, etc. Ø Ex: Using mindfulness to work with anxiety: • Worry is a coping strategy to avoid feeling the negative emotions associated with uncertainty • Become aware of the uncertainty/fear and how it manifests in your body Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) ✧ System of therapy developed by Marsha Linehan to treat people with borderline personality disorder ✧ Combines standard cognitive-behavioral techniques for emotion regulation and reality-testing with concepts of distress tolerance, acceptance, and mindful awareness derived from Buddhist mediation practice - Includes many innovative techniques ✧ DBT involves several different “dialectics” or oppositions, including: • Acceptance and openness to change − Therapist aims to accept and validate the client’s feelings at any given time while also informing the client that some feelings and behaviors are maladaptive, and showing them better alternatives “Each of you is perfect the way you are ... and you can use a little improvement.” – S. Suzuki • You don’t have to like it – you may not want to change, but you need to change in order to get what you want v First therapy that has been empirically demonstrated to be effective in treating borderline personality disorder; also used to treat spectrum mood disorders, including self-injury Clients are taught to practice mindfulness to enhance distress tolerance • DBT focuses on helping clients to recognize and accept in a non-evaluative, nonjudgmental way, negative situations and their impact, rather than becoming overwhelmed or hiding from them • Individuals can then make wise decisions about whether and how to take action, rather than falling into the intense, desperate, and often destructive automatic emotional reactions that are part of borderline personality disorder ➜ Once clients become aware of negative emotional state, they can then effect a repair by engaging in some activity they enjoy, forcing themselves to think about something else, or doing something that has an intense feeling, e.g., taking a hot shower, snapping a rubber band against their wrist, or holding ice in their hand when they feel the urge to cut Therapy also incorporates boundary setting, e.g., client has option of calling therapist but only before they cut Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) ² Cognitive behavioral therapy that aims to - Identify what is truly important to the individual at a values level - Help clients act on those values while abandoning the struggle with problematic thoughts and emotions − Lead a values focused life: values are now; goals are future ² Values are used to guide, motivate and inspire the client to make behavioral changes consistent with them, and they help clients to let go of struggles by remembering a larger purpose ² ACT also teaches mindfulness skills designed to reduce the impact and influence of painful thoughts and feelings - Self-monitoring is used to bring awareness to the inner experiences, offering a choice or opportunity to change directions in one’s thinking ² The mindfulness component also aims to “access a transcendent sense of self, a continuity of consciousness which is unchanging” « Evidence-based treatment for chronic pain and depression Using Mindfulness to Break Habits To change behavior, it’s important to become more aware of the emotions that underlie the behavior • People may smoke, overeat, drink too much, abuse substances, watch too much TV, spend too much time on the Internet, etc. as a way to cope with difficult emotions Ø Research has found that people who are feeling unhappy eat larger amounts of foods they consider tasty but unhealthy than do happy people − Cornell University Food and Brand Lab found that people watching Love Story (tearjerker) ate about 28% more buttered, salted popcorn than those watching Sweet Home Alabama (romantic comedy) − Vicarious defeats experienced by fans when their favorite football team loses lead them to eat more and to consume less healthy food (Cornil & Chandon, 2013) ☛ Using Mindfulness to Break Habits ² Develop greater awareness of how you are feeling immediately before you engage in the problematic behavior ² Develop greater awareness of how you feel during the activity ² Devise an alternative behavior • Note how you feel when you utilize the replacement activity instead ² If you are unable to implement the replacement activity, simply note how you feel as you continue to engage in the old habit and in particular, how you feel when you finally stop ➜ That will reduce the odds or your engaging in the behavior again in the future « The promise of happiness from cravings often misleads, so one strategy for overcoming addictions is to mindfully focus attention on the actual experience when indulging a craving or temptation, so as to compare it with the expectation of reward that preceded it. – Kelly McGonigal Ø Ex: Binging on hot cheetos and YouTube videos • Become more aware of how you feel physically and emotionally as you sit there munching, watching video after video − Perhaps you are feeling tired or hopeless − Once you recognize that, you can see if you can devise some other activity that will more effectively alleviate the tiredness or sense of hopelessness, e.g, going to bed or talking to a friend • Again, note that this is simply data collection − It’s not about beating yourself up for being “bad” or “lacking in discipline.” − Just be fully aware of what you are experiencing • Also, become more aware of exactly how you feel when you finally do turn off the computer and consciously note those feelings − This will increase your chances of being able to prevent a repetition of the behavior in the long run • Mindfulness might also allow you to notice things that help stop the behavior, e.g., only taking small portions so that you would need to get up to obtain more hot cheetos Mindfulness and Physical Pain ² A large component of “physical pain” is actually mental − The mind reacts to pain with fear, rejection, despondency, or a feeling of powerlessness, dramatically compounding the pain − These are the mental elaborations mentioned earlier − “This pain means that my body is suffering injury and I’m going to DIE!!” ² Pain is actually just sensations – it’s the aversion response that causes most of the suffering Ø Sort of like little kid screaming about getting shots, when the punches they get roughhousing on the playground are actually many times more painful − As you focus on your bodily sensations, you begin to realize that what you thought was pain is just a cluster of sensations − The mind learns to recognize those sensations simply as sensations (“Oh, that’s my feet tingling or my knees burning”) − Rather than thinking about the pain, how to get it to stop, what to do about it, etc., over time, one is able to just be with the sensations and not try to fix it Ø Research on neurophysiological response to pain in meditators vs. non-meditators (Grant, Courtemanche, Rainville et al., 2011; Lutz, McFarlin, Perlman et al., 2013) • Used hot laser to create pain in the foot/arm Results: • In comparison with the non-meditators, the Zen practitioners - Showed significantly greater activity in the somatosensory cortex, as well as in the insula, the part of the brain involved in proprioception (noticing body sensations) o Reported that the pain sensations were very, very vivid - Showed significantly less activity in parts of the prefrontal which are involved in evaluating the pain - Rated the pain very low, as a 1, 2, or 3, as opposed to the non-meditators who rated their pain as a 8, 9, or 10 • Meditators with the most experience showed the largest reductions in prefrontal and amygdala activation • In addition, the lower pain sensitivity in meditators was strongly predicted by reductions in functional connectivity between executive (prefrontal) and pain-related cortices ☞ Results suggest a functional decoupling of cognitive-evaluative and sensory-discriminative dimensions of pain, allowing practitioners to view painful stimuli more neutrally Integration of Body and Mind ✧ A number of modern-day teachers have emphasized that inclusion of some sort of practice that integrates the physical body with the mind, such as various types of yoga, is critical for mindfulness to be effective for modern laypeople who do not have luxury of spending 12 hours a day meditating ✧ To a large extent, becoming more mindful or aware of one’s thoughts and emotions means becoming more aware of one’s body • Meditation can help us “physicalize the mind,” so that when we have a negative thought, we can actually feel it almost as something physically pulling us off center ➜ This can make it vastly easier to control negative thoughts and emotions in daily life ✧ A meta-analysis of 78 fMRI studies of meditation found that one of the main commonalities among various different styles of meditation was changes in activity of the insula (Fox, Dixon, Nijeboer et al., 2016) − The insula specializes in body awareness Some yogis have demonstrated quite remarkable control over body functions, such as breathing, heart rate, body temperature and other vital function Ø Tummo practice Yogic practices are based on the assumption that there is a body-energy-mind dimension in each of us • Most Westerners assume that, energetically, we stop at the skin, but that’s our cultural assumption – not all cultures assume it - It’s not true at the level of quantum physics - It’s not true experientially Ø Energy exploration exercises v Many of us (especially academics!) are completely in our heads and disconnected from the body and energy dimensions of our being − Yogic exercises can help with that In the some meditative traditions, it is said that there are three main energy pathways: one in the center, one on the right, and one on the left • The right and left energy pathways represent the male and female elements, respectively • Optimal functioning requires a balanced flow of energy through these channels • Each of these channels is associated with particular patterns of thinking and feeling • According to this viewpoint, EMDR might work in large through balancing the flow of energy through the channels and bringing the energy from the side channels to the central channel • From a neuropsychological standpoint, EMDR may work through “broaden-andbuild” where increased activation of disparate regions of the brain may broaden the scope of one’s thinking, thereby inducing more positive emotions Use of mindfulness in treatment of trauma also emphasizes the mind-body connection and is similar in many ways to somatic therapies for treatment of PTSD (Daniel Siegel) • These therapies are based on the theory that trauma experience entails a tremendous urge to take action (fight or flight), at the same time that one is paralyzed by a sense off helplessness - Research suggests that it is the element of helplessness that makes a given event subjectively overwhelming - The sense of horror then gets “frozen” in the body and the person dissociates • Somatic therapies like bioenergetics, sensorimotor psychotherapy, EMDR focus on helping clients reconnect with those emotions that got frozen in the body and express them as a way to foster emotional release and heal trauma Ø Pat Ogden case Ø Case examples of traumatic memories becoming lodged in body How Mindfulness Therapy Is Conducted ² Starts with a clinical interview • Background info on presenting problem and client history • Find out client’s dominant needs and potential risks • Establish therapeutic alliance « It’s generally not a good idea to do meditation in a first session ➜ Clients coming for therapy expect a conversation, to be understood ² Therapist decides whether mindfulness-based therapy should be used • Mindfulness therapy would probably not be appropriate if… - Client has negative associations with meditation for religious/spiritual reason - It might threaten the therapeutic alliance because client needs to be held through a more conversational approach If therapist decides to try mindfulness-based therapy… • Can introduce it as an experiment (e.g., “Let’s see what we might discover”) • Asks client to sit in straight but comfortable position, take a few deep breaths, and relax • Can have her close her eyes and pay attention to her breath or body - If attention is directed more towards breath or heart, may lead to more intense, and possibly uncomfortable emotions - On the other hand, if attention is directed to the feet or a more external object, tends to promote more of a sense of stability and safety ☞ Need to check in with client regularly throughout the session • Then client sits with whatever feelings are arising in the present moment • She is encouraged to attend to negative emotions she may have been avoiding and how those emotions feel in body - From the perspective of the mindfulness traditions, much of the distress we humans experience is exacerbated by trying to get away from discomfort or pain - Client should be judge of how far to push - Can always take refuge in the physical sensations of the present moment • When ending a meditation in which client has been exploring emotions, therapist will generally have client return to less charged emotions, to ground them in the safety of the present moment Mindfulness Schools “Mindfulness” programs for children have also become very popular, particularly in the Bay Area • These programs primarily focus on development of emotion regulation skills • There is some limited evidence of their effectiveness Ø Meta-analytic study found that mindfulness based interventions in primary and secondary schools significantly improved cognitive and socio-emotional outcomes, though not academic achievement (Maynard, Solis, Miller et al., 2017) Mindful Schools Workbook Mindfulness and the Treatment of Psychological Disorders Research has indicated that mindfulness practices are useful in the treatment of a wide array of psychological/physical disorders, including: • Anxiety and depression (Hofmann, Sawyer, Witt, & Oh, 2010) • Substance abuse (Garland, Froeliger, & Howard, 2014) • Eating disorders (Kristeller & Hallett, 1999) • Stress (Grossman, Niemann, Schmidt & Walach, 2004) • Chronic pain and heart disease (Gotink, Chu, Busschbach et al., 2015) v Effects of meditation on these psychological, as well as physical, conditions are probably mediated at least in part by reduction in cortisol levels v Research by Herbert Benson in the 1970s (primarily on transcendental meditation) found that meditation is associated with“a wakeful, hypometabolic state of parasympathetic activity” Research on use of mindfulness in treating psychological disorders in children and adolescents: • 14-18 year olds who took an MBSR class reported a decrease in anxiety, depression, and somatic complaints, as well as an increase in sleep quality and self-esteem, compared with controls (Biegal, Brown, Shapiro, & Schubert, 2009) • Meta-analysis of 15 studies on children and adolescents found that mindfulness was effective in treating anxiety disorders, ADHD, substance abuse, sleep disorders, and conduct disorder (Burke, 2010) • More recent reviews have found that meditation enhances ability to regulate emotions and attention in children (Meeiklejohn, Phillips, Freedman et al., 2012; Cairncross & Miller, 2016) Mindfulness and Subjective Well-being Research on mindfulness practice and subjective well-being (self-reported happiness) • Brown (2009) found that a large discrepancy between financial desires and financial reality was correlated with low subjective well-being but that the accumulation of wealth did not tend to close the gap • Mindfulness practice however was associated with a lower financial-desire discrepancy and thus higher subjective well-being ➜ Mindfulness may promote the perception of “having enough” Meditation and Mortality Rates Ø Experimental study in which patients with mild hypertension were trained in meditation and followed for 19 years ➜ Meditation group showed a 23% decrease in overall mortality, a 30% decrease in rate of cardiovascular mortality and a 49% decrease in the rate of mortality due to cancer compared with controls (Schneider, Alexander, Staggers, et al., 2005) Ø 73 residents of homes for elderly were assigned either to daily meditation (transcendental meditation or mindfulness), a relaxation group, or a no-treatment group ➜ After three years, survival rate was 100% for TM, 87% for mindfulness, 65% for relaxation, and 77% for no-treatment group − Only differences between meditation and nonmeditation groups were significant (Alexander, Langer, Newman et al., 1989) v In general, there are more similarities than differences between psychological effects of different types of meditation Mindfulness and Gene Expression Ø Just one day (8 hours) of intensive practice of mindfulness meditation resulted in significant modulation of expression of pro-inflammatory genes (Kaliman, Alvarez-Lopez, Cosin-Tomas et al., 2014) Potential Risks of Meditation Practice Potential meditation-related problems • Meditation, like psychotherapy, tends to release unconscious material • Reported adverse effects of meditation have included uncomfortable kinesthetic sensations, depression, relaxation-induced anxiety and panic, paradoxical increases in tension, impaired reality testing, mild dissociation, feeling “spaced out,” and, in extreme cases, psychosis-like symptoms • There may be other psychological risks as well, such as increase in passivity • Meditation might cause serious side effects, even among long-term practitioners (Shapiro, D.H., 1982; Cebolla, Demarzo, Martins et al., 2017) Situations in which meditation may be contraindicated: • Meditation may exacerbate problem with reality-testing in people with psychotic tendencies, causing them to become overly absorbed in inner realities • Those in acute emotional states or who have trauma histories may be too agitated (or become too agitated) to meditate ➜ Starting off with very short meditation session (e.g., 5 min) is best in these cases Neurological Effects of Mindfulness Ø MRI study on Western lay practitioners who incorporated meditation practice into their daily lives (Lazar, Kerr, & Wasserman, 2005) • Meditators averaged 6.2 hours of practice a week for 9.1 years ➜ Compared to control participants, showed thickening in parts of prefrontal cortex and the right anterior insula − These regions of the brain are involved in attention, sensory processing, and empathy − Cortical growth was not due to the growth of new neurons, but resulted from: o Wider blood vessels o More supporting structures such as glia and astrocytes o Increased branching and connections ☞ Between-group differences in prefrontal cortical thickness were most pronounced in older participants, suggesting that meditation might be particularly important in preserving cognitive functions as people age Ø VBM study on long-term meditators found similar effects • Lay practitioners who had practiced meditation for 10-90 min daily for an average of 24 years ➜ Meditation was associated with increased gray matter volume in areas important in emotion regulation and memory, including − Orbitofrontal cortex − Hippocampus ☞ Meditation increases density of gray matter in frontal and temporal in much the same way that physical exercise increases the size of muscles (Luders, Toga, Lepore et al., 2009) Traditional Versus Modern Mindfulness Differences between modern mindfulness practice and traditional mindfulness practice discussed in previous lecture • Modern version is greatly simplified and stripped of its religious context • Pioneered by Western psychotherapists, such as Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein, and Sharon Salzberg, in the 1970s Traditionally, mindfulness practice was not used to treat psychological disorders • Practitioners would try to take care of those with these disorders as best they could • Some Eastern meditation traditions (e.g., Tibetan Buddhism) also provided physical treatments, like acupuncture, for these psychological conditions • However, if you showed up at the temple and said you had all these issues you needed to work through, you would have been turned away at the door… Strengths of modern mindfulness • Makes meditation practice much more widely accessible since it does not require years of retreat practice and is not identified with a particular religion • Effective for treating relatively severe psychological problems (anxiety, depression, PTSD, etc.) unlike traditional mindfulness practices, which were not developed with that intention Drawbacks: • Mindfulness practice is not preceded by extensive calm-abiding practice to stabilize the mind, so it principally involves a kind of guided rational inspection of what is going on in our minds, rather than direct insight obtained through a connection with a broader consciousnesss • Makes it much more difficult to − Connect people with their own true nature − Transform their conceptions of who they are in a fundamental way − Open them to radical new possibilities ★ Research findings on traditional mindfulness practice in general seems to be stronger − Reasons probably includes difference in sheer number of hours of meditation logged in and amount of instruction received Ø 2014 meta-analysis published in JAMA Internal Medicine called into question the effectiveness of mindfulness training programs in improving mental health and reducing stress-related behavior • The meta-analysis examined 47 randomized controlled trials of mindfulness meditation programs, which included a total of 3,515 participants • Studies were primarily 8-week-long mindfulness training programs that used psychological and behavioral assessments, rather than neuroimaging • Along with mindfulness, meta-analysis included meditations that emphasized use of a mantra − Mantra: repetition of a word or phrase in such a way that it helps one transcend to an effortless state where focused attention is absent (Goyal, Singh, Sibinga et al., 2014) Results: • Meditation programs resulted in − Only moderate reductions in anxiety, depression, pain, and stress/distress • These small effects were comparable with what would be expected from the use of antidepressants but without the associated toxicities ✧ Problems identified in review: − Use of outcome measures that can be easily biased by participants’ beliefs in the benefits of meditation − Control participants that received less time and attention from the teacher or the group than those in meditation program − Few mantra programs met inclusion criteria (for adequate controls, sample size, etc.) ✧ Reviewers pointed out that effectiveness of programs may depend in part on − Amount of training − Use and qualifications of instructor − Type of meditation practice − Degree of emphasis on religion or spirituality − Whether program integrated dietary regimens and/or movement exercises (e.g., yoga) ☞ Most forms present meditation as a skill that requires expert instruction and time dedicated to practice The modest psychological effects found in studies of short-term mindfulness contrasts with the much larger effects of neuroimaging and reaction time studies on long-term meditation practitioners (much of which was discussed in the previous lecture) • This suggests that − Results of meditation studies depend in part on amount of practice and amount of training/teaching received by practitioner − Changes in brain function and structure may precede noticeable psychological and behavioral changes Ø Even novice meditators showed increase in gamma waves during compassion meditation but effects endured past period of meditation only in long-term practitioners (Lutz, Greischar, & Rawlings, 2004) Ø Study comparing how short- and long-term mindfulness meditation changed how brains (Kral, Schuyler, Mumford et al., 2018) responded to emotional stimuli • Long-term meditators had an average of 9081 lifetime hours of meditation practice • Short-term meditators simply completed an 8-week MBSR course Results: • Relative to non-meditating control participants, short-term meditators showed decreased amygdala response to positive photos but not to negative photos • For more experienced meditators, however, the more hours of practice they had completed, the less activity their amygdala showed in response to negative pictures • In addition, short-term training increased functional connectivity between the amygdala and the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC), an area involved in emotion regulation • This increased functional connectivity was not seen in long-term meditators v Why might this be? − Researchers suggested that long-term training makes the reduction in reactivity to emotional stimuli more automatic so that it doesn’t require as much activity in cognitive control areas − This explanation aligned with subjective reports from practitioners Ø Similarly, recent study (in preparation) found that total lifetime hours of meditation practice predicts faster amygdala recovery after exposure to negative images (Schuyler, Kral, Perlman et al.) AUC = area under the curve Video References Videos excerpted from: • Healing and the Mind - Healing from Within https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nb0WMGd2hhc • Ashtanga yoga demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hu9Sq1RvuoA • Healing and the Mind: The Mystery of Chi, by Bill Moyers https://www.learnoutloud.com/Free-Audio-Video/SelfDevelopment/Healing/Healing-and-the-Mind-The-Mystery-of-Chi/79748 • Integrating mindfulness into Counseling and Psychotherapy with Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD https://www.psychotherapy.net/video/mindfulness-psychotherapycounseling-siegel • Prashad, N. (2005). On Life and Enlightenment. Hanover House.