Meditations Are Not the Same: Three Categories of Meditation Brain and Consciousness

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Wholeness The procedures of different meditations are different, and so activate different brain areas. Experience of wakefulness at the basis of all experiences during TM practice activates the total brain. The procedures of different meditations are different, and so activate different brain areas. Experience of wakefulness at the basis of all experiences during TM practice activates the total brain.

Class Reading Introduction “Focused Attention, “Focused Attention, Open Monitoring and Automatic Self- Transcending” Travis and Shear, 2010, Consciousness and Cognition, 19:

Delta0-4 HzDeep sleep. During waking, if brain is strongly inhibited. Theta14-6 HzDreaming Theta26-8 HzMemory processes and general internal processes Alpha18-10 HzInner wakefulness –higher cerebral metabolic rate (paradoxical alpha) Alpha HzBrain modules primed but not active (idling)—lower CBR Beta HzGeneral processing Gamma20-50 HzFocused processing

Highest Lowest Cognitive Control Gamma (20-50 Hz) Focused Attention Theta (6-8 Hz) Open Monitoring Alpha1 (8-10 Hz) Automatic Self- Transcending Zen Compassion Meditation Zazen Mindfulness Vipassana Transcendental Meditation Qicong Travis and Shear, 2010, Consciousness and Cognition, 19:

Phases within TM practice: Inward stroke versus pure consciousness 30 Subjects Inward Stroke Pure Consciousness 30 Three Bell Rings Travis and Wallace, 1997

"Meditation is not easy. It takes time and it takes energy. It also takes grit, determination, and discipline. It requires a host of personal qualities that we normally regard as unpleasant and like to avoid whenever possible. We can sum up all of these qualities in the American word gumption Meditation takes gumption." —Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English." Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2002"Meditation is not easy. It takes time and it takes energy. It also takes grit, determination, and discipline. It requires a host of personal qualities that we normally regard as unpleasant and like to avoid whenever possible. We can sum up all of these qualities in the American word gumption Meditation takes gumption." —Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, "Mindfulness in Plain English." Wisdom Publications, Boston, 2002

Highest Lowest Cognitive Control

TM is Procedural Knowledge

Class Reading Discussion “Focused Attention, “Focused Attention, Open Monitoring and Automatic Self- Transcending” Travis and Shear, 2010, Consciousness and Cognition, 19:

SCI 18 “Any system that does transcend its emotional, intellectual, or perceptual activity will be Transcendental Meditation.” Maharishi, 18-8 Maharishi, 18-8

Meditation procedures differ and associated EEG patterns differ; So effects from different meditation should also differ.

13 Tibetan Buddhists, 15 QiGong, 14 Sahaja Yoga, 14 Ananda Marga Yoga, 15 Zen A = Initial rest vs meditation (All) B = Final rest vs meditation (All) Higher Connectivity Lower Connectivity

Meta analysis (Overvew): Psychological Measures Sedlmeier et al, 2012, Psychological Bulletin

18 Effectiveness in Reducing Trait Anxiety Meta-Analysis TM Placebo Relaxation Response Concentration Other Relaxation Other Meditation PMR EMG-Biofeedback Mantra Meditation Journal of Clinical Psychology. 1989; 45:

Effectiveness in Reducing BP Meta-Analysis TM Other Meditation Relaxation Response Mm Hg -10 Bio- feedback All others 5 Systolic BP Diastolic BP.American Journal of Health Promotion. 1998:(5)

Meta-analysis on Self- Actualization

Main Point Meditation practices differ in procedure, resulting EEG patterns, resulting neural imaging patterns and benefits. Thus, different meditation pracatices have different impacts on our life and our evolution. Meditation practices differ in procedure, resulting EEG patterns, resulting neural imaging patterns and benefits. Thus, different meditation pracatices have different impacts on our life and our evolution.

Group Exercise The Mayo Clinic website describes TM as: “… you use a mantra, such as a word, sound or phrase repeatedly silently, to narrow your conscious awareness and eliminate all thoughts from your mind. You focus exclusively on your mantra to achieve a state of perfect stillness and consciousness. How might you respond?

Sedlmeier et al, 2012, Psychological Bulletin

Effects of TM and MBSR on PTSD Not for publication or distribution until the final meta-analysis is published. Copyright David Orme-Johnson, Ph.D, 2012 Effect Size