Improve Doctors’ Empathy and Communication Skills with Loving-Kindness Meditation

Improve Doctors’ Empathy and Communication Skills with Loving-Kindness Meditation   By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.   “Medicine and meditation, etymologically, come from the same root: to consider, advise, reflect, to take appropriate measures,” – Ronald Epstein   Stress is epidemic in the western workplace with almost two thirds of workers reporting high levels of […]

Brief Guided Meditations Improve Empathy

Brief Guided Meditations Improve Empathy   By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.   “Empathy is the understanding and sharing of someone else’s feelings. It’s not to be confused with compassion, which is a feeling of concern for others that we feel we need to act on. Empathy goes that step further; by putting yourself in the place […]

Focused and Self-Compassion Meditation Have Different Effects on Attention, Well-Being and Classroom Performance

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 […]

Meditation Experience is Associated with Increased Concern for and Impact on the Environment

Meditation Experience is Associated with Increased Concern for and Impact on the Environment   By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.   “Mindfulness . . . promotes environmental sustainability. It helps individuals disengage from automatic thoughts and become more open to behavioral change and freedom to make different choices. Examples of mindful behaviors include bringing a […]

Meditation Strengthens Brain Attentional Networks

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, […]

Meditation Reduces the Brain’s Empathetic Response

Meditation Reduces the Brain’s Empathetic Response   By John M. de Castro, Ph.D.   “mindfulness’s most profound benefit may not be the one that’s most often touted—adapting to a stressful, competitive, even unkind 24/7 world. Instead, meditation might fundamentally alter how we treat those around us.” – David Destino   Humans are social animals. This […]