SCIENCE SUPPORTING MINDFULNESS

This document has been writing based on research, so I am including the sources for readers to verify the info.

Gaelle Desbordes is an Instructor (research faculty) at Harvard Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. Before joining the field of human brain imaging, she was a postdoctoral fellow in computer neuroscience, and she is a member of the Harvard Mindfulness Research. She has conducted several studies to measure the impact of mindfulness training related to medical regimen. Because she practiced mindfulness and found it beneficial decided to demonstrate its benefits scientifically. She uses functional magnetic resonance imaging as an MRI does and also record brain activity in subjects who have learned to meditate even when they are not meditating. Desbordes took before and after scans of subjects who learned to meditate over the course of two months. The scan detected:

Source: News Harvad Edu.

• Changes in brain activation patterns from the beginning to the end of the study. Is the first time that a change in the part of the brain called the Amygdala, has been detected.
• Actually, she is exploring mindfulness meditation effects on the brain of clinically depressed patients performing functional magnetic  resonance imaging scans after an 8-week course in Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy with promising outcome.

Other findings:

Source: Greater Good Magazine

• Mindfulness meditation sharpens your attention
• It helps mind and body bounce back from stress and stressful situations.
• According to neuroscience research mindfulness practices dampen activity in our amygdala and increases the connection between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.
• Mindfulness meditation does seem to improve mental health but it’s not necessarily more effective than other steps you can take.
• Loving kindness meditation help you feel more connected to others

Source: Mindful School.org

                Research has proved:

• Mindfulness improve attention
• Improves emotional regulation. It creates changes in the brain that correspond to less reactivity and better ability to engage in tasks even when emotions are activated
• Greater Compassion
• Reduction of stress & anxiety

Source: Evidence Based Mindfulness

                Research shows:

• Brain/Immune health: Research has probed that meditators show increases in left-side anterior activation (associated with positive affect) and changes in gray matter concentration within the left hippocampus.
• Research supports improvements in neural processing related to attentional processes with only 10-15 minutes of mindfulness meditation a day. It may also impact our immune system. Individuals completing mindfulness-based training programs show reductions in inflammatory cytokines AUC concentration.
• Mindfulness  may be a tool to enhance emotional health and reduce stress. Studies made on 2011 successfully demonstrated improvement in overall mental health.
• Mindfulness based approaches demonstrate a positive impact on chronic pain
• Mindfulness based interventions offer promise to improve sleep. Controlled trials have demonstrated decrease in insomnia severity.