Mindfulness Training Alters the Brain to Improve Internally Oriented Attention By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Regular practice of mindfulness can help you grow a wiser, more connected, and stress-proof brain.” – Melanie Greenberg There has accumulated a large amount of research demonstrating that meditation practice has significant benefits for psychological, physical, and spiritual […]
Improve Chronic Fatigue Syndrome with Tai Chi By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Tai chi does not mean oriental wisdom or something exotic. It is the wisdom of your own senses, your own mind and body together as one process.” – Chungliang Al Huang Myalgic encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) occurs in about […]
Meditation and Mind Wandering Alter Brain Network Activity Differently By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “in addition to altering specific functional connectivity, meditation leads to reconfiguration of whole-brain network architecture.” – Shogo Kajimura There has accumulated a large amount of research demonstrating that meditation practice has significant benefits for psychological, physical, and spiritual wellbeing. […]
Change the Brain to Increase Sustained Attention with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “as the popularity of mindfulness grows, brain imaging techniques are revealing that this ancient practice can profoundly change the way different regions of the brain communicate with each other – and therefore how we think – permanently.” – […]
Meditation Strengthens Brain Attentional Networks By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditation practice appears to positively impact attentional functions by improving resource allocation processes. As a result, attentional resources are allocated more fully during early processing phases which subsequently enhance further processing.” – Peter Malinowski The nervous system is a dynamic entity, […]
Increase Relaxation with Focused Meditation while Increasing Activation with Open Monitoring Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness meditation consists of focused attention meditation (FAM) and open monitoring meditation (OMM), both of which reduce activation of the default mode network (DMN) and mind-wandering.” – Masahiro Fujino Meditation training has been shown […]
Improve Brain Processing in Mood Dysregulated Adolescents with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness-based interventions—practices that promote non-judgmental attention to the present—can help individuals respond with acceptance to challenging circumstances or emotions and is a promising approach to treatment of mood lability.” – D. M. Hafemann Adolescence is a time […]
Meditation Increases Functional Connectivity of Brain Networks By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “It seems the longer you do meditation, the better your brain will be at self-regulation,” – Bin He Mindfulness training has been shown through extensive research to be effective in improving physical and psychological health and particularly with reducing the physical and […]
Improve Brain Function and Mental Health in Chronic Pain Patients with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “With the ACT approach, learning to let go of behaviors, memories, thoughts, and emotions creates space to explore new experiences, including acceptance of chronic pain sensations.” – Rosemary Black We all have to deal with […]
The Default Mode Network of the Brain Underlies Mind Wandering By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “the brain appears to support mind wandering by disrupting some of the brain processes that are involved in responding to our surrounding external environment.” – Julia Kam We spend a tremendous amount of waking time with […]