The Science of Meditation
Setup
Published studies have documented the many physical and mental health benefits of meditation, including decreased pain, better immune function, less anxiety and depression, a heightened sense of well-being, and greater happiness and emotional self-control. Google Scholar turns up almost 700,000 research documents on meditation, among them imaging studies that show increased activity in brain regions associated with attention, a higher volume of grey matter, and lessened amygdala response to emotional stimuli. What actually happens in the brain when we meditate? Why is meditation so nourishing to the mind, body and spirit?
There are three distinct types of meditation
Though there’s a lot of junk out there claiming the mantle of meditation, science has pinpointed three methods that show clear therapeutic effects. Each of these has its own effect on a different type of brain waves, and they can be complementary.
Types of Meditation
1. Focused Attention Meditation
2. Open Monitoring Meditation
3. Transcendental Meditation
Science tells us how meditation works
Big IdeaReducing anxiety, depression, increasing wellbeing, sleep, all of these things that are claimed for meditation… What is the science? How do you know these things are actually happening?Perri Peltz
Big IdeaOne of the first things that happens when they learn TM [Transcendental Meditation] is they start sleeping for the first time because this mediation gives the body a state of rest two to three times deeper than just sitting with your eyes closed and in some regards deeper than sleep. And that alone, it’s an amazing experience for me to teach a veteran who hasn’t literally slept for months and then they learn the mediation and they sleep 18 hours a night for three or four nights in a row.Bob Roth
Try it!
Learn More
Additional Information
Explore More
Health
From the Supreme Court's ruling on abortion rights to public health's role in addressing gun violence to the devastating human toll of the war in Ukraine, this year's Aspen Id...
In America, millions of people struggle with mental health including depression, anxiety, and more — all further exacerbated by living through a pandemic. The National Allianc...
What do Sherlock Holmes and an internist have in common? Meet Lisa Sanders, the doctor reimagining the way medical mysteries are diagnosed. She explains why providers struggl...
The "Great Resignation" has impacted nursing and created a healthcare crisis for us all. What can be done to drive real change and create a supportive work environment where n...
From the "War on Cancer" to the "Cancer Moonshot", extraordinary progress continues to be made in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Research is driving life-...
The nature of beauty, and whether it’s objective or subjective, is the subject of timeless philosophical debate. Do perceptions of beauty vary culturally and generationally, o...
In the wake of transformative biopharmaceutical innovation and breakthroughs, Americans need a health care system that ensures these life-saving breakthroughs reach all patien...
A silent epidemic of chronic illnesses, including autoimmune disease, post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome, and long COVID, afflicts tens of millions of Americans. Best-sellin...
Achieving vaccine equity requires authentically communicating with and listening to all communities. As healthcare leaders, we must go where the community is to hear their sto...
Psychologist Marisa Franco explains the biggest misconceptions that are hurting our friendships, how relationships shape our personalities and sense of self, and why friendshi...
Health workers often face grueling working conditions. They regularly confront trauma, work long hours, are exposed to physical danger, and must keep pace with the demands of...
Today's kids are coming of age against a backdrop of political, social, technological, and economic upheaval. While these circumstances are shaping a precocious generation tha...
For people with post-traumatic stress disorder, therapy assisted by the drug MDMA may provide lasting relief, with a new way of seeing their trauma and themselves. Rachel Yehu...
The highest court often seems distanced from our day-to-day lives, but the rulings that come out of the Supreme Court are woven into the fabric of the nation. Though it aims t...
Gen-Z for Change's Aidan Kohn-Murphy on youth-led movements, his advice for young activists, and why it's impossible to lose hope.
Monkeypox has now been declared a public health emergency in the US and a global emergency by the World Health Organization. What do we know about this virus and the current o...
On a weekly basis, 32 million Americans spend 2 hours at one of 30,000 laundromats across the country. What if that time and space could be used to meet people where they are...
