The practice of Mindfulness has become progressively well-known over the last few years. Whereas in the past mindfulness meditation was often associated with spirituality, it has become increasingly seen as a way of managing the stresses of our modern lives. Now, it is used not only to reduce stress though also has been used in mental health settings to help people manage chronic depression and anxiety. However mindfulness is not just for people with problems, it has also been found to enhance overall quality of life.
What does mindfulness actually offer us? In the last 20 years a considerable amount of research has been done into mindfulness, both in terms of benefits to our health and also into how it actually changes the structure of our brains and the resulting advantages this has to our sense of well-being. One of the earliest findings in terms of our physical health was that mindfulness helps improve our immune system. Perhaps this is not so surprising, in that we know that our immune system is impaired by stress and that mindfulness is an approach that seeks to change our relationship with our stressors and thus reduce the their impact. However, studies on the impact of mindfulness on the brain have come up with some interesting findings. Here I will briefly outline 3 of these findings and their proposed implications:
Reacting versus responding – mindfulness has been discovered to change the structure of 2 areas of the brain that our linked with our ability to respond appropriately to a given situation. The Amygdala (involved in emotional memory and the flight/fight response) has been shown to reduce in its density, whereas the hippocampus (involved in long-term memory) has been shown to increase in density. The implication here is that rather than being hijacked by emotional reaction to a given situation, we can take a more considered response based on our past experience.
Managing relationships – the above implication is also supported by this second finding. Here, there is a thickening in the pre-frontal cortex. This is an area of the brain that is associated with our planning and reasoning capacities, including the ability to think before we act. However, this area is also associated with social abilities. This includes our capacity for intuition, to attune and empathise with others and ourselves, and manage our own emotions. All of which help in creating harmonious relationships with others.
Shift towards happiness – the last finding is concerned with the activity in the brain rather than its structure. Here mindfulness has been shown to shift the brain activity towards the left – known as the “left shift”. Such activity is associated with a greater sense of happiness, as well as creating an “approach” mind set, where people move towards their challenges rather than seeking to avoid them.
At this time our understanding of the brain is just beginning, however, these initial findings regarding mindfulness and the brain indicate that mindfulness has far reaching effects in terms both how we are in the world and our sense of wellbeing.
“Paying attention in a particular way, on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgementally”
Wriiten by Mark Head MSc (TA Psychotherapy), BSc Hons (Psychology), CTA (P), UKCP Reg. Psychotherapist, TSTA (P), Chair of the Accreditation and Assessment Committee for UKATA (United Kingdom Association for Transactional Analysis ). Mark is an internationally qualified trainer, supervisor and Psychotherapist and a Mindfulness trainer, he is Director of the Link Centre www.thelinkcentre.co.uk a training centre based in Newick, Sussex that offers courses in personal and professional development as well as longer term courses in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Mark’s passion is to facilitate people’s self-awareness to enhance their quality of life.
The Link Centre are running an 8 week course in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, commencing on 28th October. For more information please email leilani@thelinkcentre.co.uk or visit thelinkcentre.co.uk/189.html
