Meditations Are Not the Meditations Are Not the Same:Same:

Three Categories of MeditationThree Categories of Meditation

Brain and Brain and ConsciousnessConsciousness

Sun Monday Tuesday Wed Thursday Friday Sat

Sept 11: Paradigms 13: Brain Develop-ment

Sept Mongolia Conference

Sept Yom Kippur 27: Sleeping

28: TM and TC

Oct 2: Science and Pseudoscience

4: Other Meditations

Oct 9: Cosmic Consciousness

Timeline: 7:45 – 9:00

Drfredtravis.com-> Presentations and Videos-> Power Points->Brain and Consciousness for lecture power points

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

Class Reading Class Reading

IntroductionIntroduction

““Focused Attention, Focused Attention, Open Monitoring and Open Monitoring and

Automatic Self-Automatic Self-Transcending” Transcending”

Travis and Shear, 2010, Consciousness and Cognition, 19:1110-1119.

Delta 0-4 Hz Deep sleep. During waking, if brain is strongly inhibited.

Theta1 4-6 Hz DreamingTheta2 6-8 Hz Memory processes and

general internal processesAlpha1 8-10 Hz Inner wakefulness –higher

cerebral metabolic rate (paradoxical alpha)

Alpha2 10-12 Hz Brain modules primed but not active (idling)—lower CBR

Beta1 16-20 Hz General processingGamma 20-50 Hz Focused processing

Highest

Lowest

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lGamma (20-50 Hz)

Focused Focused AttentionAttention

Theta (6-8 Hz)

Open Open MonitoringMonitoring

Alpha1 (8-10 Hz)

Automatic Self-Automatic Self-TranscendingTranscending

• Zen

• Compassion Meditation

• Zazen

• Mindfulness

• Vipassana

•Transcendental Meditation

• Qicong

Travis and Shear, 2010, Consciousness and Cognition, 19:1110-1119.

Phases within TM practice: Inward stroke versus pure

consciousness

30 Subjects

Inward Stroke

Pure Consciousness

30

30

Three Bell

Rings

Travis and Wallace, 1997

Travis and Wallace, 1997

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

Highest

Lowest

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TM is Procedural Knowledge TM is Procedural Knowledge

Class Reading Class Reading

DiscussionDiscussion

““Focused Attention, Focused Attention, Open Monitoring and Open Monitoring and

Automatic Self-Automatic Self-Transcending” Transcending”

Travis and Shear, 2010, Consciousness and Cognition, 19:1110-1119.

SCI 18SCI 18

““Any system that Any system that doesdoes transcend its emotional, transcend its emotional, intellectual, or perceptual intellectual, or perceptual activity will be activity will be Transcendental Meditation.”Transcendental Meditation.”

Maharishi, 18-8Maharishi, 18-8

Meditation procedures Meditation procedures differ and associated EEG differ and associated EEG

patterns differ;patterns differ;So effects from different So effects from different meditation should also meditation should also

differ.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 AnxietyEffectiveness in Reducing Trait AnxietyMeta-AnalysisMeta-Analysis

TM Placebo

Relaxation Response

0 1.05

Concentration

Other Relaxation

Other Meditation

PMR

EMG-Biofeedback

Mantra Meditation

Journal of Clinical Psychology. 1989; 45:957-974

Effectiveness in Reducing BPEffectiveness in Reducing BPMeta-AnalysisMeta-Analysis

TTMM

Other Meditation

Relaxation Response

0 -15-5

Mm Hg

-10

Bio- feedbac

k

All others5

Systolic BP

Diastolic BP

.American Journal of Health Promotion. 1998:(5)297-298

Meta-analysis on Self-Actualization

Main PointMain Point

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

Group ExerciseGroup Exercise

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

How might you respond? How might you respond?

Sedlmeier et al, 2012, Psychological Bulletin

Effects of TM and MBSR on PTSDEffects 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