Mindfulness…here we have that X factor, that mind over matter, that idea that attitude really does affect your day. This practice has been around for over four thousand years [1] and recently the practice has exploded into the traditional medicine scene as they have finally been able to quantify and image the physical benefits of meditation by using modern technology. We know mindfulness helps prevent destruction our DNA (specifically the telomeres) [2] and it thickens our pre-frontal cortex, the area associated with concentration and higher thinking.
Meditation and mindfulness are similar in the fact that you are focusing your attention single pointedly but mindfulness does not incorporate spirituality. Think of it more like a tool for you to control your uncontrolled mind. We know from placebo medication trials that the mind is truly powerful and can affect the body in many profound ways.
A simple explanation:
The mind is a sky and the clouds are thoughts floating by. In real life, you can choose to follow the cloud as it floats by and watch it morph and change shape or you can simply gaze at the sky and observe the clouds but not let your attention be drawn to any one cloud. This is like mindfulness, observing but not grasping. Another example is a child, let us use the example of a one year old. This child will simply try to grab any object that comes into his or her field of view. There is no rhyme or reason, the child will grab a toy, as well as a hot pan. The child has no differentiation or method to the grasping.
There is much more to mindfulness, think of it as practice, a skill to hone. It is a mental exercise. We know the mind is like a muscle. The brain can deteriorate and it can also be built up. Through training we can increase our awareness and unlock many physical and mental benefits by incorporating mindfulness in our routine.
The Facts about Mindfulness
“According to archeological and scientific data, we know that recorded evidence of meditation has been in existence for over 4,600 years, and that recorded history has been around for 6,000 years in Mesopotamia.” [1] http://ancientexplorers.com/blog/meditation-the-mysterious-origins-of-the-worlds-most-popular-ancient-practice/
“Among its many benefits, mindfulness meditation has actually been proven to increase telomerase, the ‘caps’ at the end of our genes, which, in turn, can reduce cell damage and lengthen our lives. In addition, research demonstrates that mindfulness bolsters our immune system, making us better able to fight off diseases, from the flu to cancer. Mindfulness helps improve our concentration and reduce ruminative thinking that contributes to the high levels of stress that is so prevalent in our society.” [2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/compassion-matters/201303/benefits-mindfulness
“MRI scans show that after an eight-week course of mindfulness practice, the brain’s “fight or flight” center, the amygdala, appears to shrink. This primal region of the brain, associated with fear and emotion, is involved in the initiation of the body’s response to stress. As the amygdala shrinks, the pre-frontal cortex – associated with higher order brain functions such as awareness, concentration and decision-making – becomes thicker. The “functional connectivity” between these regions – i.e. how often they are activated together – also changes. The connection between the amygdala and the rest of the brain gets weaker, while the connections between areas associated with attention and concentration get stronger. The scale of these changes correlate with the number of hours of meditation practice a person has done, says Adrienne Taren, a researcher studying mindfulness at the University of Pittsburgh. ‘The picture we have is that mindfulness practice increases one’s ability to recruit higher order, pre-frontal cortex regions in order to down-regulate lower-order brain activity,’ she says. In other words, our more primal responses to stress seem to be superseded by more thoughtful ones.” [3] https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/what-does-mindfulness-meditation-do-to-your-brain/
“Clinical improvement in the group receiving placebo as part of an inpatient study is consistent with the well-recognized effect that altering the therapeutic environment may significantly contribute to reducing clinical symptoms.” [4] http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/doi/abs/10.1176/appi.ajp.159.5.728
“Research has identified many types of placebo responses driven by different mechanisms depending on the particular context wherein the placebo is given. Some placebo responses, such as analgesia, are initiated and maintained by expectations of symptom change and changes in motivation/emotions. Placebo factors have neurobiological underpinnings and actual effects on the brain and body. They are not just response biases. Other placebo responses result from less conscious processes, such as classical conditioning in the case of immune, hormonal, and respiratory functions. The demonstration of the involvement of placebo mechanisms in clinical trials and routine clinical practice has highlighted interesting considerations for clinical trial design and opened up opportunities for ethical enhancement of these mechanisms in clinical practice.” [5] http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.psych.59.113006.095941
“The Journal of Happiness Studies (12(4): 575-589), there were five key ways that mindfulness training increased physical and mental health: It strengthened immune system and physiological responses to stress and negative emotions. It improved social relationships with family and strangers. It reduced stress, depression, and anxiety and increased well-being and happiness. It increased openness to experience, conscientiousness, and agreeableness and reduced negative associations with neuroticism. It led to greater psychological mindfulness, which included an awareness that is clear, non-conceptual, and flexible; a practical stance toward reality; and present attention to the individual’s consciousness and awareness.” [6] https://nau.edu/research/feature-stories/mindfulness-training-has-positive-health-benefits/