Page 78 - Javanan Magazine Issue # 1914

PSYCHOLOGICAL
PSYCHOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVES
PERSPECTIVES ISSUE No. 1914
ISSUE No. 1856
JAVANAN
JAVANAN
Dr. Alan A.
Modarressi CAN WE REWIRE OUR BRAIN
Clinical and
Neuro-Psychologyst According to Research, the Answer is Yes

A recent Harvard University put herself through a “a six-week awry. This is where repetitive think- ing – had reduced in volume,” pos-
publication reviewed the efficacy of brain-altering course.” The first seg- ing comes in, where ruminative think- sibly because the practice “buffers
mindfulness on changing our brain. ment of the series finds her entering ing comes in, where worry comes in. stress seen in the amygdala.” It also
It explores a recently published study into a meditation program she de- Those are the factors which in- revealed growth in her cingulate cor-
where, researchers at the University of
the Sunshine Coast, Australia set out
to investigate exactly how mindful-
ness can improve your ability to pay
attention. To do this, they analyzed
data from 81 healthy adults over age
60 who participated in a random-
ized controlled trial to assess both
the immediate effects of an eight-
week mindfulness intervention, and
long-term effects six months later
on attention and brain physiology.
They found that the older adults
randomized to the mindfulness inter-
vention showed improvements in sus-
tained attention — improvements that
were maintained at the six-month fol-
low-up visit. They also found changes
in brain physiology that correlated
with the improvement in attention.
If you suspect that your brain isn’t
quite suited for modern life, you’re
not alone. In fact, that state of mind
has probably been closer to the rule
than the exception throughout mo-
dernity itself. It’s just that the mix of scribes in this article: “For 30 minutes crease stress,” increasing the pres- tex, “part of the limbic system that
things we have to think about keeps a day, either as one single session or ence of hormones like cortisol. And is involved in our behavioral and
changing: “The school run. Work two 15-minute sessions, I practiced “if levels of cortisol remain high, emotional responses,” which indi-
calls. Inflation. Remember your a guided mindfulness meditation by that can actually become toxic for cates “increased control of that area.”
lines,” says BBC science reporter Me- listening to a recording.” In addition, your brain, for regions of your brain
lissa Hogenboom. “Our brain never she had a weekly session with Uni- which are very plastic.” Stress, as It used to be thought that compo-
evolved for any of this, and yet here versity of Surrey professor of clini- Hogenboom sums it up, “is a di- nents of thinking that make up your
we are, getting on with it as best we cal psychology Thorsten Barnhofer. rect inhibitor of neuroplasticity.” IQ, such as attention, were relatively
can, and it’s all thanks to our brain’s Can meditation, and the oft-dis- Research has found that after only fixed because they are based upon
incredible capacity to adapt, to learn, cussed “mindfulness” it emphasizes, a few months of mindfulness train- your brain's function. However, from
to grow” — the very subject she in- keep our minds from wandering away ing, certain depression and anxiety studies like this one, we now under-
vestigates in this series, Brain Hacks. from what we really need to think symptoms can ease. A brain scan per- stand that is an old-fashioned idea.
In search of neuroscientifically about? “Mind-wandering is some- formed after her meditation course By practicing cognitive skills such as
sound “hacks to help strengthen cru- thing that, of course, might be help- found that “one half of my amyg- mindfulness, you can literally change
cial connections and keep our minds ful in many ways,” says Barnhofer, dala – an almond-shaped structure your mind, your brain, and your IQ.
younger in the process,” Hogenboom “but it’s also something that can go important for emotional process-

DANESH FOROUGHI, PH.D. Alan Modarressi, PhD, QME
Licensed Clinical Psychologist, PSY13680 Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Licensed Marriage, Family & Child Psychotherapist, MFC23455 Qualified Medical Evaluator
Certified National Board of Addiction Examiners #4974 Certified Psychophsychologist
Tel: (310) 940-3642 Diplomat, American Academy of Pain Management

15720 Ventura Blvd., Second Fl. #224 Encino CA 91436 (818) 501-6080 (562) 861-7226

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