By TRACY RYDZY, MSW, LSW
Published: Psych Central News
Emotional pain can be more excruciating than physical pain. Having been going through a very difficult time, I have realized that the pain in my body is a welcome change to the one in my heart and mind. But what kind of toll can the stress of emotional upset take on the body?
When you are stressed out or very upset, the ...
Continue Reading →By GEORGE HOFMANN
Published: Psych Central News
Mindfulness meditation has been unequaled in helping me navigate the stressors that can rob me of the beauty of each moment. It has helped me manage a serious mental illness, and it has helped me confront major and minor roadblocks that threaten to derail all of my plans.
In fact, I believe that anyone can benefit from this practice. And therein lies the problem.
Mindfulness should be about fully ...
Continue Reading →By TRACI PEDERSEN Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on June 23, 2013
Published: Psych Central News
Meditation affects a person’s brain function long after the act of meditation is over, according to new research.
“This is the first time meditation training has been shown to affect emotional processing in the brain outside of a meditative state,” said Gaelle Desbordes, Ph.D., a research fellow at the Athinoula A. Martinos Center ...
Continue Reading →Since the day about two years ago that he truly committed to the practice, George Stephanopoulos, anchor of Good Morning America, hasn’t missed a day of meditating. Watch the video
Continue Reading →In the high-pressure environs of Bethesda, the ‘plague’ of our generation is claiming plenty of victims
By Stacy Colino
Published: Bethesda Magazine – May-June 2013
In the 1990s, Jennifer Stein was a litigation associate at a large D.C. law firm, working long hours, traveling extensively and “experiencing tons of pressure to be at the top of my game,” she recalls. “Then I got a great opportunity to argue an appeal in front of the U.S. Court ...
Continue Reading →by Rebecca Gladding, M.D.
This Is Your Brain on Meditation
The science explaining why you should meditate every day
Published on May 22, 2013 by Rebecca Gladding, M.D. in Use Your Mind to Change Your Brain
I realized today that in all my posts regarding the brain and how to sculpt it with mindfulness, I’ve never actually explained how and why meditation works. Specifically, ...
Continue Reading →It’s a piece of advice yogis have given for thousands of years: take a deep breath and relax. Watch the tension melt from your muscles and all your niggling worries vanish. Somehow we all know that relaxation is good for us.
Now the hard science has caught up: a comprehensive scientific study showing that deep relaxation changes our bodies on a genetic level has just been published. What researchers at Harvard Medical School discovered is that, in long-term practitioners of relaxation ...
Continue Reading →By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on April 2, 2013
Published: Psych Central News
In a number of religious traditions, it is believed that meditation can improve compassion. Now, a study in the journal Psychological Science finds hard evidence to back that claim.
Recent research has already suggested meditation can help individuals lower stress and ease physical disorders such as hypertension or arthritis. The new study extends ...
Continue Reading →A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Published: American Heart Association 22 April 2013
Many antihypertensive medications and lifestyle changes are proven to reduce blood pressure. Over the past few decades, numerous additional modalities have been evaluated in regard to their potential blood pressure–lowering abilities.
However, these nondietary, nondrug treatments, collectively called alternative approaches, have generally undergone fewer and less rigorous trials.
This American Heart Association scientific statement ...
Continue Reading →By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on July 27, 2011
Published: Psych Central News
A new study suggests practicing transcendental meditation (TM) improves brain function and reduces symptoms among students diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Researchers investigated the effects of the meditation practice on task performance and brain functioning in 18 ADHD students, ages 11 to 14 years old.
The study was conducted over a period ...
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