May2012

UpBeatCaf

Embodiment &The Brain

Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, let me sow forgiveness. Where there is doubt, let me sow faith. Where there is despair, let me give hope. Where there is sadness, let me give joy. Where there is self-obsession, let me sow humility. May I not so much demand compassion, as seek to offer compassion to others.
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Training Your Brain

by Dr. Winston McCullough

Neuroplasticity
Richie Davidson, professor of psychology and psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is the worlds leading expert on emo;ons and the brain. His The Emo-onal Life of Your Brain: How Its Unique PaDerns Aect the Way You Think, Feel, and Liveand How You Can Change Them (2012) is a fascina;ng read that invites us to assess where we fall on six emo;onal styles: resilience, outlook, social intui;on, self-awareness, aXen;onal style and sensi;vity to context. Neuroscien;c research has iden;ed the neural basis for these emo;onal styles, which impact our quality of life, our rela;onships with others, and even our physical health. The good news comes via neuroplas;city, the ability of our brains to develop throughout adulthood by genera;ng new neurons, strengthening the connec;ons of exis;ng neural connec;ons and forming new neural connec;ons. Based on insights into our personal prole of emo;onal styles and how our brains reinforce these condi;oned behavioral paXerns, we can deliberately train our brain to enhance eec;ve ways of naviga;ng the important arenas of life and reduce destruc;ve cogni;ve, emo;onal and behavioral paXerns. Via neuroplas;city, we can follow personally relevant prescrip;ons for modifying our brain in posi;ve ways, because the brain operates in this sense like a muscle: if we give it a posi;ve work-out each day we can build responses to life that enable us to thrive as the saying goes, use it or lose it.

We all have a basic understanding of how our home equipment works our refrigerator, telephone, TV. But do you know how your brain works?

Spiritual Evolution

George Vaillant, M.D., has directed the unprecedented Harvard Study of Adult Development for over 35 years. His Spiritual Evolu-on: A Scien-c That piece of equipment is kind of important to us, yes? Can we train our Defense of Faith (2008) uses the latest neuroscience research to explain brain to produce greater happiness human nature and spiritual experience and sa;sfac;on with life? Are there as an expression of our posi;ve social reliable tested methods to enhance our cogni;ve and emo;onal styles, so emo;ons: love, hope, joy, forgiveness, we can deal with lifes challenges more compassion, faith, awe and gra;tude. eec;vely? Is there any truth behind He shows that through the evolu;on of the brain structures in our limbic the special spiritual moments we system, we humans come hard-wired experience from ;me to ;me? This to be inclined toward these pro-social month were looking at what new emo;ons, and that evolving human neuroscien;c research can tell us spirituality predicts a hopeful future about how our brain works, focusing for humanity. We can freely access on three the neuro-poten;als that come researchers, and complete in our physical body to how to use that experience life in a fuller more joyful knowledge to way. Its all right there inside your increase our head. well being.
www.UpBeatCafe.org

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The Spiritual Cortex?

Andrew Newberg, another na;onally prominent neuroscien;st, directs the Center for Spirituality and the Mind at the University of Pennsylvania. He researches, authors and teaches at the intersec;on of neuroscience and spirituality and is a founder of a new interdisciplinary eld called neurotheology. His books include Why God Wont Go Away: Brain Science and the Biology of Belief (2001) and How God Changes Your Brain (2009). His work is packed with empirical evidence for the neurological reality of human spiritual experience and its posi;ve impact on our well being. He oers twelve empirically supported exercises that can enhance the neural func;oning of our brain and improve our physical, emo;onal and cogni;ve health, adding years of happiness to our lives. Heres a par;cularly intriguing nding from Newbergs research: The orienta;on associa;on area of the brain (technically, the posterior superior parietal region of the cortex) is located a bit behind the crown/top of our head. Heightened neural ac;vity in this brain region is associated with our experience of loca;ng ourselves in the three- dimensional physical environment through which we move. Its what enables us, for example, to not bump into things or other people as we walk through our house or a crowded building, as we make a dis;nc;on between the loca;on of our body and

other objects in space. Brain scan research shows that when experienced prac;;oners have entered a deep state of concentra;on whether Buddhist meditators or Franciscan nuns prac;cing centering prayer/contempla;on neural ac;vity in this orienta;on associa;on area of the brain is deaerented, meaning it is suppressed or reduced. At such moments, the meditators experience feelings of union with God (language expressed by the Chris;an meditators) or dissolu;on of the ego (in Buddhism terms). While signicant dierences in the theology or philosophy of each group result in dierent language to express the experience, the interes;ng common theme is the diminishment of a separate sense of me, of ego, of myself standing apart from and in opposi;on to what is not me, to my environment. In general terms we could call this a unitary experience, a sense of connec;on, of mys;cal self- transcendence or Oneness with our environment, along with an associated reduc;on in our ego- awareness. We could also call this state humility (self-forgedulness) or ec-stasy (literally standing outside my self). And as the brain scans conrm, these states are reliably, biologically, observably, scien;cally real. Furthermore, research demonstrates that people who experience genuine mys;cal states enjoy above average levels of psychological health: more meaningful interpersonal

rela;onships, higher self-esteem, less anxiety, a clearer self-iden;ty, greater empathy for others, and a more posi;ve overall outlook on life. Whatever the philosophical or theological implica;ons of such experiences may be ques;ons that ul;mately transcend sciences ability to measure there is liXle doubt that they carry an empirically validated value for producing a more ourishing human life.

Some interes;ng reading sources are referenced for the topics men;oned above. You can also explore these themes in more depth, with lively discussions, self-assessment and self- development exercises in our Paths to Happiness program. Get the details at www.pathstohappiness.org.

Dr. Winston McCullough

A prac;;oner and professor of posi;ve psychology and Indo-Tibetan philosophy, Dr. Winston McCullough is dedicated to discovering, experiencing and sharing fundamental truths that empower people to live happier lives. Winston received his PhD in psychology from NYU, and taught for several years at Columbia University. In parallel with his 25-year business career, Winston immersed himself in rigorous study and prac;ce of yoga and Tibetan Buddhism. Dr. McCullough now teaches at Oregon State University: The Science of Happiness, Psychology of Medita;on and World Religions. His adult educa;on program, Paths to Happiness, illuminates connec;ons between modern psychology and enduring wisdom [3] tradi;ons.