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 […]
Change the Brain to Improve Fibromyalgia with Tai Chi By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “tai chi appears to be as effective or better for managing fibromyalgia . . . and patients are more likely to attend tai chi classes than aerobic exercise sessions.” – NCCIH Fibromyalgia is a mysterious disorder whose […]
Improve Brain Systems Underlying Sustained Attention in Sixth Graders with Mindfulness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “research suggests that mindfulness meditation can increase awareness of our thoughts, or meta-cognitive awareness, as well as regulate emotion, enhance attention and reduce stress. These changes can also be detected in the brain.” – B. Grace Bullock Childhood is […]
Improve Attention with Short-Term Loving Kindness Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “meditation practice is associated with enduring improvements in sustained attention,” – Anthony Zanesco There has accumulated a large amount of research demonstrating that mindfulness has significant benefits for psychological, physiological, and spiritual wellbeing. It even improves high level thinking known as executive function […]
Yoga Changes the Brain to Improve Body Awareness, Attention, and Present Moment Awareness By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Similar to the effects of meditation, yoga is a neurological vacation – but it also awakens parts of the brain that are typically inactive during normal day-to-day activity. . . The mind becomes deeply […]
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 […]
Improve Working Memory in Adolescents with Mindful Movement By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Mindfulness meditation causes structural changes in the brain. It actually alters connections between brain cells. That is how adults end up with an enlarged cortex. And that may explain why meditation improved memory in the teens.” – Alison Pearce […]
Improve Major Depressive Disorder with Psilocybin and Mindfulness Meditation By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “mindfulness training enhances the positive effects of a single dose of psilocybin, and can increase empathy and permanently reduce ego-centricity. This opens up new therapeutic avenues, for example for the treatment of depression.” – Franz Vollenweider Psychedelic substances […]
Improve Emotion Regulation and Reduce Pain with Mindful Acceptance By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “Individuals with minimal mindfulness meditation experience can quickly learn how to moderate their brains’ responses to painful experiences and negative images using a technique called mindful acceptance’” – Christopher Berglund There is an accumulating volume of research findings to demonstrate that mind-body […]
Improve Mood with Tai Chi or Qigong Practice By John M. de Castro, Ph.D. “adding a mind-body exercise like tai chi that is widely available in the community can improve the outcomes of treating depression in older adults. . . With tai chi, we may be able to treat these conditions without exposing […]