Enhance Creativity and Flow with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Flexibility of thought is essential to creativity and studies show that mindfulness practice is positively correlated with cognitive flexibility.” – Wendy Ann Greeenhalgh Creative solutions are unusual but appropriate and useful solutions to a problem. Problem solving most frequently involves logic […]
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 […]
Mind Wandering is Negatively Associated with Attention and Academic Success By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mind-wandering–related deficits in performance have been observed in many contexts, most notably reading, tests of sustained attention, and tests of aptitude.” – Sara Briggs We spend a tremendous amount of waking time with our minds wandering […]
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Mind Wandering is Associated with Poorer Mental Health and Greater Creative Thinking By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mind-wandering in the sense of the mind moving freely from one idea to another has huge benefits in terms of arriving at new ideas. It’s by virtue of free movement that we generate new ideas, […]
Support Creativity with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness meditation and other mindfulness practices enhance three essential skills necessary for creative problem solving. First, mindfulness switches on divergent thinking. In other words, meditation opens your mind to new ideas. Second, mindfulness practice improves attention and makes it easier to register the novelty and usefulness […]
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 […]
High Mindfulness and Low Anxiety is Associated with High Level Cognitive Ability By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness meditation has been found to elicit a positive impact on cognitive performance and abilities such as attention, memory, cognitive flexibility, and quality of task performance.” – Integrative Therapeutics There is a tremendous amount […]
Reduce Mind Wandering with Mindfulness Training Including both Attention and Acceptance Training. By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “being in a mind-wandering state – instead of aware of present moment activities – is not such a happy state. We are generally happier when we are not mind-wandering. “ – Susan L. Smalley We […]
Improve Creativity with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness meditation is a great technique to learn to help improve creativity. There have been studies done specifically to measure the cognitive rigidity of people who meditate and their ability to solve problems in novel ways. The research shows non-meditators had greater cognitive rigidity than […]