Meditation has Long-term Effects on the Brain

According to scientists from Harvard and Boston University, meditation produces enduring changes in emotional processing in the brain according to an article published in November of 2012 in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience.
Researchers trained people with one of two different types of meditation, mindful meditation and compassionate meditation over an 8 week period. They measured activity in the brain using functional MRIs 3 weeks before the study and at 3 weeks after and noted what happened to areas of the brain related to compassion. They found the those people who learned compassionate meditation had a different and more loving response 3 weeks after the course even when not meditating.

About RichardB

I am trained and work as a Creative Arts Therapist specializing in group therapy. I have passionately studied, worked, and taught as a hands-on practitioner of the Creative/Expressive and Healing Arts since 1983 integrating various modalities working in a variety of clinical and non-clinical settings. I currently provide Creative Arts and Counseling services to nonprofit agencies as well as occasionally teaching classes and workshops in communities of faith. I use compassion and acceptance to create an environment that is safe and nurturing for all individuals and groups. In my spare time I engage in research and write articles on a variety of subjects, create: poems, music, abstract artwork, and photograph nature.

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