Mindfulness & the Brain: the Neuroscience of Meditation November 27, 2007

Once reserved for Tibetan monks, meditation has become popular especially here in the Bay Area. This practice of bringing one's attention to the present has been said to provide tremendous well-being and emotional balance. Scientists have also begun to bring their attention to meditation for its affects in "re-wiring" the brain. This area of research has been named "Mindfulness". Based on the positive results of Mindfulness research, many therapists have begun to use meditation as a treatment for patients with mild anxiety and depressive tendencies. In a time when the therapeutic medication and surgery have become standard treatments, this research is novel.

Dr. Phillipe Goldin, of Stanford University, will discuss his research in mindful meditation including:
- how various neurological systems are "re-wired" through meditation
- the effects on neural substrates associated with emotional reactivity, emotional regulation, and attention regulation
- the effect of child-parent mindfulness meditation training on anxiety, compassion, and quality of family interactions.
.....And he has the pictures to prove it! He even believes that someday a simple exam can identify the types of brains that will respond well to mindful meditation.

NPR ran a story on "Mindfulness" a couple years ago. Listen to the story here: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4770779

FREE.

Official Website: http://www.sciencecafesf.com