"The world can be a stressful place, and that is most likely not going to change anytime soon.

The solution is to get to a state where we are not affected much by things that cause most people to react with anxiety.

Is that possible or just wishful thinking?

 

According to the following research it is possible with practice.

In this study, participants who practiced Loving-Kindness Meditation were compared with a group new to meditation (Chen C, et.al., 2018).

Both groups were exposed to anxiety provoking images as well as images to evoke happiness. They had their anxiety scores assessed and their amygdala scanned for a reactivity response.

This is what the researchers found.

The participants that had practiced meditation longer had a weaker amygdala response to fear and also lower anxiety scores.

The same group also had a stronger positive functional connectivity with the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex to happiness.

The vagus nerve may be a part of the neurophysiological response to meditation (Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH, 2018).  It is well worth it to take time to regularly practice meditation.

 

References

Chen C, Chen YC, Chen KL, Cheng Y. Atypical Anxiety-Related Amygdala Reactivity and Functional Connectivity in Sant Mat Meditation. Front Behav Neurosci. 2018 Dec 4;12:298. Gerritsen RJS, Band GPH, Breath of Life: The Respiratory Vagal Stimulation Model of Contemplative Activity. Front Hum Neurosci. 2018 Oct 9;12:397.  

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  • Category: News
  • Author: Didrik Sopler, Ph.D., L.Ac.
  • Published: 2020-03-31
  • Comments: 0
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