Science

Scientific Background

Neuroscientists are now confirming what wise people have known for a long time – that the mind has a deep connection to the body. This connection is through the brain and peripheral nervous system, and our

endocrine and immune systems.

Through scientific investigation, we are now discovering the brain and body mechanisms of time-honored practices including mind-body movement exercises, visualization, interior awareness, acupuncture, and meditation.

Following are some of the fundamental scientific understandings

which inform our program offerings:

1. Inappropriate or chronic activation of the human stress

response system is injurious to the brain and body.

Scientists have found that excess exposure to stress hormones can damage or destroy brain cells, and promote unhealthy changes in the way our bodies regulate energy. Our bodies’ response system for stressful situations evolved eons ago, when physical danger was a major aspect of our daily existence. Today, knowledge, culture, and social systems are much more present in our lives than physical dangers. Yet these non-physical influences still activate a stress response which prepares us for physical danger. This mismatch – between the modern, information-based world, and the ancient, physical stress-reaction mechanisms of the body – is a significant source of disease in

modern societies.

2. The brain has an innate system for regulating the stress response,

but the power of this system declines with aging.

The autonomic nervous system is the portion of our nervous system which regulates our internal organ functioning, without our conscious control. Most of us understand that we have a “fight or flight” (sympathetic) response, which causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, stress hormone release, inhibition of digestion, sweaty palms, etc. What fewer appreciate, however, is that we also have a “rest and digest” (parasympathetic) system, which decreases heart rate, promotes digestion and energy storage, and related functions. Effectively, this “rest and digest” system plays a crucial role as our body’s own innate stress-manager. Importantly, the power of the “rest and digest” system seems to decline with aging.

3. There are simple and effective ways to augment the power of our

innate healing systems, without use of drugs or supplements.

Many studies have shown that it is possible to augment the power of our “rest and digest” system, without drugs or surgery. For example, the simple act of exhalation can activate the rest and digest response. Mind-body exercises, acupuncture, and biofeedback have all been shown to help tilt the balance between “fight or flight” and “rest and digest” toward the latter.

4. Internal awareness – a feeling for one’s own body -

is critical for effective executive functioning.

The pioneering studies of Dr. Antonio Damasio showed that without sensory awareness of the body, individuals are impaired in their decision-making capacity. That is, neuroscientists have now confirmed the wisdom that there is no such thing as a “pure reasoning.” Our reasoning and decision-making are colored by our sensory awareness. To be able to use our reasoning effectively, we need to be able to identify and use our sensory awareness of the body, including our “gut instincts.”

5. Our concentration, mental clarity, emotional well-being, social habits, and other behaviors are related to specific types of brain wave patterns

in different parts of the brain.

Our brains are composed of around 100 billion neurons. When regional collections of neurons activate together, they create a weak electrical field. This field of electricity has an automatic tendency to pulse in a rhythmic fashion – creating the phenomenon of brain waves. Like other kinds of waves,

brain waves can be deep or shallow, fast or slow.

For a long time, psychologists and brain scientists have known that different types of brain waves correspond to different mental states or behaviors. For example, our brain waves slow down in sleep or meditation. They speed up when we are concentrating or feeling anxious. In addition, they have found that there may be a connection between brain waves and health disorders. For example, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) seems to be associated with too much slow-wave activity in the brain’s frontal cortex. And there is evidence suggesting that depressive moods are associated with an imbalance of brain wave activity in left and right hemispheres – too little activation

in the left compared to the right frontal areas.

6. There are simple and effective ways to change and manage our brain wave patterns, to improve concentration, mood, other mental faculties,

and our behaviors.

Meditation, exercise, rhythmic movements – all of these can

affect our brain wave patterns. There are also computer-guided technologies

which allow us to retrain our brain waves so that they may return to more stable or healthy states. In the late 1960s, the neuroscientist Barry Sterman of UCLA showed that with biofeedback technology, cats could be trained to have more stable brain waves, making them more resistant to seizures when exposed to noxious chemicals. Subsequent studies have shown that brainwave biofeedback can effectively reduce seizure frequency in persons with epilepsy, reduce symptoms of ADHD without medications, and positively impact anxiety, substance abuse, mood disorders, sleep disorders, chronic pain,

and other conditions.

7. Contact with nature is good for our health.

Human beings are creatures of the earth, and again, scientific evidence confirms what wisdom always held – that exposure to natural environments is good

for our health. In a pioneering study published in Science in 1984,

Dr. Roger Ulrich found that among patients recovering from gall bladder surgery, those with a window facing a natural scene had markedly better outcomes than those who were facing a brick wall. Although we do not know all the mechanisms for the health benefits of nature, there is evidence to suggest that

natural settings may also activate the “rest and digest” nervous system

response, and even improve attention. A 2008 study publicized by the

New York Times found that children with attention deficit disorder had significantly increased attention and concentration after

walking in a natural setting, compared to walking in a

residential neighborhood or downtown area.

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