Science of Meditation
Meditation and the Physical Transformation of the Brain: Part 1
One of the key structures in the brain that has been found to be physically changed through long-term meditation is the thalamus. Long-term meditation also affects the prefrontal cortex, the parietal lobe, and the middle prefrontal areas, but here I will focus on the changes to the thalamus and their implications. The thalamus is a…
Read MoreGetting into the Zone with Eric Thompson and Shawn Phillips
Eric: There’s a Canadian trainer by the name of Thomas Hawes who has developed a concept he calls zone minutes; he has found among the athletes he has worked with, that the more minutes they accrue of being in the zone—of being in that place where they’re totally relaxed and totally connected to everything that’s happening around…
Read MoreUsing Our Minds to Change Our Brains
How can we, as meditators, use our attention to direct the flow of energy and information in our brains? In effect, how can we use our minds to change our brains? There are many different types of meditation. One person’s definition of meditation may differ from another’s. We can loosely say that one thing meditation has…
Read MoreCombining PMP Meditations with Unassisted Meditations
Q: In the ILP literature, Ken Wilbur does endorse the use of “auditory meditation aids” such as this, but also emphasizes the need for an onging meditation practice without such aids. With only so much time in a day to meditate, since I am a householder and not a monk, what is your perspective? My…
Read MoreA Common Misconception About Carrier Frequency in Binaural Brainwave Entrainment
Because the lowering of carrier frequency—or pitch—is capable of providing more of a sense of “fullness” and “drive” to a binaural brainwave entrainment stimulus, it is often mistakenly assumed that such lowering of carrier frequency actually increases the ability of the entrainment stimulus to attract neural activity into its train of influence. This is not so. Scientific research has…
Read MoreConsumerism and the Brain
A short presentation on the proposed neural correlates of consumerism. Because this presentation was originally offered as a live talk, much of the pertinent information was spoken in person and therefore not included in print form in the PowerPoint. As such, the visual presentation, when viewed by itself, may seem to be lacking in information.
Read MoreKeys to Meditation Part 1 – Letting Go
Have you ever noticed how the mind wants to focus on solving problems during meditation? It can seem daunting to quiet its incessant chatter. The objective of meditation is to connect with our spirit, the part of our nature that transcends and includes the busy mind. The key to meditating effectively is to remember that…
Read MoreSpace and the Art of Letting Go
In the moment just before the Zen archer releases the arrow to strike the bull’s-eye, all inner static vanishes with the emergence of effortless clarity. Before any action has begun, the martial arts master stands poised in infinite silence, completely centered and ready for anything. Scientific research reveals an interesting neurological phenomenon correlated with inner…
Read MoreThe Deeper Meaning of Entrainment
The Tao never does anything, yet through it all things are done. If powerful men and women could center themselves in it, the whole world would be transformed by itself, in its natural rhythms. ~ Lao Tzu If you “Google” the term “entrainment,” you’ll find dozens of responses, many of them pertaining to brainwave entrainment, which has…
Read MoreDelta Meditation in Tradition and Science
Delta Meditation Q: Is delta meditation really that important? Isn’t gamma more important? Why do some people focus on delta meditation when there is virtually no scientific evidence for it? A: The reason I tend to focus on delta meditation is in part because of its significance in the major meditative traditions. Vedanta, for example,…
Read MoreAction Of Nerves Is Based On Sound Pulses, Anesthetics Research Shows
Danish scientists challenge the accepted scientific views of how nerves function and of how anesthetics work. Their research suggests that action of nerves is based on sound pulses and that anesthetics inhibit their transmission. Every medical and biological textbook says that nerves function by sending electrical impulses along their length. “But for us as physicists,…
Read MoreThe Object of Your Attention Becomes Your Meditation
The scientific literature generally defines meditation as a form of attentional training, either active or passive in nature. In its active form, meditation concentrates on a single object until the subject-object duality of the observation collapses in on itself, giving rise to nonduality. Meditation can also take on a more passive quality in which, instead…
Read MoreThe Brain in Your Gut: Gut health linked to brain health
The Brain in Your Gut: Gut health linked to brain health by Carolyn C. Ross, M.D., M.P.H You may already know that different parts of the body communicate and send signals back and forth. Researchers have recently discovered that “cross-talk” between gut bacteria and the brain may reduce your risk for a variety of health issues, including psychiatric illness,…
Read MoreKen Wilber’s “Big 3” – A Graphic Presentation
I, We and It. Ken Wilber’s “Big 3” in graphic form. The first-person, second-person and third-person pronouns used in the world’s major languages.
Read MoreResponse To A Question About Carrier Frequency
The following is a 2-part response I offered for the following question regarding carrier frequency: “The only problem with this (and with Bill Harris’s similar assertions) is that in physics: With a constant amplitude, a lower frequency has LESS energy than the higher frequency of that amplitude. I suspect that what REALLY is happening is that…
Read MoreAcute Optogenetic Silencing of Orexin/Hypocretin Neurons Induces Slow-Wave Sleep in Mice
Orexin/hypocretin neurons have a crucial role in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. To help determine how these neurons promote wakefulness, we generated transgenic mice in which orexin neurons expressed halorhodopsin (orexin/Halo mice), an orange light-activated neuronal silencer. Slice patch-clamp recordings of orexin neurons that expressed halorhodopsin demonstrated that orange light photic illumination immediately hyperpolarized membrane…
Read MoreMeditation and The Brain: A Video Series
These videos are the first three in a series Eric Thompson is developing on Meditation and the Brain. This first video in the series looks at Dr. Daniel Siegel’s writing on meditation and the brain. Meditation and the Brain, Part 2: A fun introduction to the scientific study of meditation and the brain that looks at…
Read MoreDifferences in neurological activity in advanced meditators
The following post was originally part of a presentation Eric Thompson gave on the Neuroscience of Meditation at the MindHive event at Naropa University in March, 2010. It is based on the research of Newberg and d’Aquili. Stage 1 Attention Association Area (AAA) in the right hemisphere is activated Eventually spreads to AAA in…
Read MoreWelcome To the iAwake Technologies Blog
Dear Profound Meditation Friends & Community, Welcome! This is an initial blog to which your iAwake Technologies Team intends to add to regularly, to inspire, inform and support the transformational journey that you have begun, by using the Profound Meditation Program on a daily basis. I find it very easy to speak about this, as…
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