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The neuroscience of meditation… this is where the meeting of science & spirituality gets really exciting… I can’t believe how far we’ve come.. and more and more of these scientists keep ‘coming out of the closet’ to step up and in to a much needed conversation about prescribing meditation over medication…

The following is an excerpt from an interview with Dr. Richard Davidson (internationally renowned for his research on the neural substrates of emotion and emotional disorders):

“… Our work indicates that there are signals in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which can be recorded, that reflect an individu- al’s overall level of happiness or well-be- ing. Individuals with greater left side pre- frontal activation, on average, tend to be individuals who report themselves to be happier, more energetic, and more opti- mistic. These are the kind of people who jump out of bed in the morning and are ready to embrace the world. They are approach oriented. It’s not a laid back type of happiness. It’s an active, involved happiness. And that’s what my index reflects…”

How cool is it that our brain’s are built for to be trained and re-trained… and we can ‘learn’ happiness, compassion, love, peace… and interesting that this activity is predominantly occurring in the left hemisphere…

And not only can meditation bring you happiness, and peace, but it also brings you a stronger immune system, more focus, greater vigilance… so what would happen if we started teaching our children and soldiers and physicians and politicians all to meditate? What would the world look like then? well.. at least our country…

And not only does it affect us, but it also affects the people around us… here’s the closing note of the interview:

“…To be succinct, we can influence other people’s health simply by the way we act.

EXPLORE: So we know that, if I medi- tate, I can affect my brain. Do we have any data that, if I meditate, I can affect the brains of the people that I am in- teracting with? If you are in the presence of an enlightened person, are you up- lifted?

DAVIDSON: Yes, I have no doubt in that. And, again, I don’t think it requires any nonstandard theoretical framework to un- derstand. It’s not as if there is a transmis- sion of some unknown energy, but, rather, simply by the demeanor of an individual, by what they say and how they say it, by
their gestures, they can affect, unquestion- ably, the mind and brain of those with whom they interact.
For instance, there is a lot of nonspe- cific healing that occurs in the ordinary course of a doctor-patient relationship. A doctor can make his or her patients feel more at ease, well cared for and attended to, and that can actually promote real bi- ological change that is beneficial.
When I am in the presence of the Dalai Lama, I am affected. There is no question about it, and it is very powerful. For in- stance, one interaction I had with the Dalai Lama occurred during a break in the meeting. He was sitting in a chair, and I was kneeling beside him, talking to him. We were close, and the whole time he had his hands on my ear lobe and was rubbing my ear. This went on for fifteen minutes. It was completely natural, and the impact of touch in that way can be very powerful. I had the experience of feeling very deeply secure and comforted by the Dalai Lama’s presence. But I don’t think it requires these crazy theories that there is some kind of energy that we really have not identified scientifically. It can be explained using the principles that we understand. I have yet to be confronted by new and compelling evidence that cannot be subsumed within the rubric of conventional scientific un- derstanding. But the fact that we can affect each other is very important, and having a scientific understanding of it doesn’t at all diminish its importance.

EXPLORE: So you would say that a per- son’s mind can affect other people?

DAVIDSON: Yes, and we should pay at- tention to this in our culture. That’s an- other issue that is addressed in the ethical framework of many of these traditions— the interdependence that all beings have on this planet. There is a level of interde- pendence that is very profound, and, when you actually begin to understand this scientifically, it makes perfect sense. The way we think, how we behave, the qualities that we exhibit, very directly af- fect those around us. We can affect their brains, and we can affect their bodies. To be succinct, we can influence other peo- ple’s health simply by the way we act.”

AHO! Well said Dr. Davidson! And thank you for stepping out of your spiritual closet and stepping up to lead a revolution in our way of thinking, feeling, and being!

If you would like to read this entire interview, here’s the reference:

EXPLORE, September 2005, Vol. 1, No. 5