Thanks to the science more and more benefits are being documented and meditation is now becoming increasingly popular in our daily lives. The advances in research backing the benefits obtained by a regular practice are allowing patients to be given meditation on the NHS, and large corporations making classes available to employees in the workplace.
Techniques to demonstrate the physiological changes in the brain are done using machines such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Electroencephalography (EEG) and Regional Cerebral Blood Flow (rCBF). A MRI scanner uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce detailed images of the brain. The magnetic field temporarily realigns the water molecules in your brain which causes the atoms to produce faint signals. The EEG is a test that measures electrical activity in the brain using small discs that attach to the scalp. The brain cells send electrical impulses that are then monitored to detect changes in brain activity during meditation. A Regional Cerebral Blood Flow measures brain activity because it picks up on areas of brain where there is an increase in blood flow, using a dye that’s injected into a vein in the arm. This then allows scientists to see which parts of the brain are being used in a meditation session. Through neuroscience these techniques prove that meditation can change the way the brain works and alter the structure in a positive way.
Like a workout at the gym when we work on a muscle, over time that muscle grows and gets stronger. Through a term called neuroplasticity the brain, which is malleable and adapts to its environment, therefore through a regular meditation practice is strengthened and new neuron connections are forged. “Everything you see, hear, touch, taste and smell changes your brain, and every thought causes microscopic changes in its structure. In a sense, thoughts leave physical traces in the brain in much the same way as we leave footprints in the sand on a beach.”- David R. Hamilton PhD How your mind can heal your body. The main brain waves altered are;
Gamma – high frequency brain waves, functioning to allow the brain to assimilate information from different places therefore allowing us to make sense of the world we live in.
Beta – often referred to as ‘the monkey mind’, this brain wave is active during waking hours and often ends up being the state we end up living in. However, the more stressed we become the more intense these beta waves become.
Alpha – can be referred to as the ‘meditation state’, the alpha waves have a lower frequency than the Beta. The best way to access this state is by closing your eyes and focusing your attention inwards.
Theta – associated with creativity, this brain wave is present when we dream or while in a deep meditation. Most predominant brain wave during ages two to five
Delta – can be experienced in a deep meditative state for skilled meditators or when we are in a deep dreamless sleep.
The above outline how with a regular meditation practice you can change the brain waves in a positive way to help you lead a more relaxed and optimistic life. It can strength areas of your brain responsible for memory and attention, helping to calm down your sympathetic nervous system.
There are so many positive physiological changes that can happen to the body with a regular meditation schedule, from stress relief, lowered blood pressure, improving the immune system to addiction and relaxed body. Studies have shown that the amygdala which is in the brain’s limbic system and governs our emotions and how we react to life, shrinks in response to meditating, but if under immense stress and pressure the amygdala can no longer regulate itself. While the amygdala shrinks, the prefrontal cortex, which is the front part of the brain that governs our decision making thickens, as the grey matter increases boosting our ability to make rational decisions lending itself to a more relaxed body and decrease in anxiety. The ‘Relaxation Response’ (1975) was bought to us by Dr. Herbert Benson, where he identified a series of physiological and emotional changes produced by meditation. He identified that our personal ability to encourage the body to release chemicals and brain signals to increase blood flow to the brain was achievable through meditation when the fight-or-flight response could be turned off or reduced.
One interesting benefit to health and well-being through mediation is its ability to help beat addiction. Through a mindful meditation style, treatment for addiction has been proven to help relapse and ease withdrawal symptoms. A study by Dr. Sara Lazar, a neuroscientist at Massachusetts General Hospital dated 2005, found meditation stimulates and trains the brain to feel a natural high without substances. The evidence showed that meditation relieved anxiety, reduced stress and supressed the withdrawal symptoms. Regardless of substance of choice, if taken regularly enough, inevitably changes in the brain occur leading to addiction. To rewire an addicted brain, they need to undergo a treatment that heals the mind, not just the body as there will continue to be triggering situations. Meditation was seen to be successful at managing and eliminating addiction due to producing a sense of self-awareness and training one’s brain to receive mental clarity.
To conclude a habitual meditation practice can change your brain wave activity for years to come. Research indicates that meditation tends to lead to an increase in the production of theta and alpha waves, which are the brain wave frequencies associated with enhanced learning abilities and overall mental well-being, which means over time meditation can increase cognition, memory, attention, and general feeling of wellness. Meditation is an important tool and finding the time to maintain a regular practice is proven to help both mentally and physically and thanks to an abundance of scientific studies, we now know exactly how malleable the brain is and how we are all capable of controlling more than we thought was possible through activities such as meditation.
Bibliography
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rightasrain.uwmedicine.org
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Hamilton, Dr. David (2012) How Your Mind Can Heal Your Body.
Pearson, M.(2011) Meditation the stress solution.
Salzburg, S.(2011) The Power of Meditation.
Hamilton, Dr David (2021) Why Woo-Woo Works
Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. and Cameron Strauth (2002) Meditation as Medicine
