We know meditation can change the brain, but can just one month of meditation really make a difference?
Surprisingly, the answer is yes.
Yi-Yuan Tang, PhD and his research team from Texas Tech University looked at the impact that short-term meditation has on the brain’s white matter.
White matter is fatty tissue that covers brain axons and helps neurons communicate with one another.
The better our neurons communicate, the better our brain functions.
Researchers randomly assigned college undergraduates to one of two groups: an integrative mind-body training group, and a relaxation group. Brain scans were taken before and after the training to measure the amount of white matter.
Integrative mind-body training is a type of meditation that involves body relaxation, guided imagery, mindfulness, and the use of background music to help promote a balanced state of calm awareness.
After 11 hours of training over a 4-week period, brain scans showed that the mind-body group had significantly more white matter in the neurons around the anterior cingulate cortex, the part of the brain responsible for self-regulation, compared to the relaxation group (who did not show any brain changes).
Not only did their brains change, but the mind-body participants also scored significantly lower on tests for anger and hostility, confusion, depression, fatigue, and total mood disturbance compared to the relaxation group.
This study presents interesting findings, but I see a potential problem with the research. Because the integrative mind-body training intervention involved so many elements – guided imagery, background music, and body relaxation – we can’t be sure exactly what made the difference.
Maybe the music alone caused the effect – or maybe some idiosyncratic combination of the different treatments worked together. We can’t know for sure.
So this study has limitations (in my view), but it presents a platform for further research to build on. For instance, I can imagine a stronger study that isolates the effect of meditation alone.
As we grow more and more familiar with the effectiveness of new styles of treatment, our patients can benefit from better health outcomes and have greater peace of mind.
Have you ever noticed results from short-term meditation? And if you’ve been meditating for a longer period of time, what’s the number one benefit you’ve received from meditating? Leave a comment below.
Mention made above regarding Dr Ainslie Meares. In 2017 there is a new book that outlines his method – Ainslie Meares on Meditation- includes:
1. an occupational biography of Ainslie Meares.
2. Relief without Drugs Distilled by Meares (with summaries of the Relaxing Mental Exercise and Notes on Pain prepared by the Editor (OB) that were not in the original book)
3. The Refinements After Relief Without Drugs – Stillness Meditation – includes information on learning Stillness, experiencing Stillness Meditation outside the classroom and living calm – bring the calm into daily life. How Meares’ poetry fits into his method and how he intended it to be used.
4. 30 Sample Poems by Ainslie Meares (to help chose which of Meares’ poetry books to get)
5. Ainslie Meares’ Teaching Protocol and Personal Practices.
6. Information about his books. A list of ALL his books together with the Editor’s recommendations. This includes the names of the poetry books and approximate number of poems in each book. Meares’ own recommendations as to which of his books his readers should get.
7. A summary of Meares’ final method.
8. around 200 footnoted references – in some cases the footnotes refer to several articles.
The books is available from major book sellers and internet retailers. cheers
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After meditating, I feel more at peace with myself and others. It makes me slow to get angry or anxious.
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I am not at all surprised by the research you have described. I am very new to meditation and I have found it to be so powerful alongside chakhri healing, yoga, bowen therapy, aromatherapy, and relaxing music. After reading the book, ‘The brain that changes itself’ by Michael Dodge I am convinced that strengthening the connections between our brain neurons (i.e: changing the mind) is the way to combat depression etc and maintain emotional and physical well being. I am new to all this but researching thoroughly and trying to establish regular meditation sessions because this for me is a ‘happy’ pill .