Focused and Self-Compassion Meditation Have Different Effects on Attention, Well-Being and Classroom Performance By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “There is no good or bad meditation — there is simply awareness or non-awareness. To begin with, we get distracted a lot. Over time, we get distracted less. Be gentle with your approach, be patient […]
Improve Attention in Older Individuals with Exercise and Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “engaging in mindfulness meditation training improves the maintenance of goal-directed visuospatial attention and may be a useful strategy for counteracting cognitive decline associated with aging.” – Peter Malinowski One of the primary effects of mindfulness training is an improvement in the ability to […]
Improve Attention and the Brain Systems Underlying Attention with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “the primary outcome of meditation may be to control attention and internal state in the face of the barrage of stimuli, negative and otherwise, that we experience everyday.” – Aaron D. Nitzkin One of the primary […]
Improve Attention and Memory with Closed-Loop Digital Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “The good news is that its possible to train your attention and gain the associated benefits, and practicing mindfulness offers one of the most accessible and effective approaches.” – Deborah Schoeberlein David There has accumulated a large amount of […]
Improve Brain Processing of Negative Emotions with Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditation physically impacts the extraordinarily complex organ between our ears. . . . meditation nurtures the parts of the brain that contribute to well-being. Furthermore, it seems that a regular practice deprives the stress and anxiety-related parts of the […]
Improve Attentional Monitoring of Others Emotions with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “experience with mindfulness meditation is associated with distinct reactions to emotional provocations in attention and social decision-making tasks, and have implications for understanding the relationship between mindfulness meditation and emotion regulation.” – Deidre Reis Mindfulness practice has been […]
Improved Executive Attention with Mindfulness is Mediated by Brain Processing By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “With practice, we can strengthen the part of our brain that helps focus and sustain attention. Building that strength has enormous payoffs in performance, relationships and a sense of well-being.” – Laurie Cameron One of the primary […]
Improve Creativity with Cyclic Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Stillness is where creativity and solutions to problems are found.” – Eckhart Tolle Problem solving most frequently involves logic and reasoning, sometimes along with mathematics. In this case focused attention is the key. The mind wandering off topic interferes with the concentration required […]
Improve Response Inhibition to Quit Smoking with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness home practice significantly predicted reduced smoking behavior, even after controlling for initial craving and cigarette use. In fact, every day the participants meditated meant 1.2 fewer cigarettes, and every day they were mindful with their cravings and in […]
Improve Emotional Responding in Adolescents with School-Based Mindfulness Training By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness has many benefits for students, including better sleep, increased focus, reduced stress and reduced challenges related to depression and anxiety,” – Patricia Lester Adolescence should be a time of mental, physical, social, and emotional growth. It […]