It seems that MBSR has the money and acceptance to get the studies and grants. Thanks to the great work of Jon Kabat-Zinn the clinic at UMASS, the power of these simple practices has been put under a microscope. This is a verification study that backs up earlier studies and shows stronger causality between the MBSR practice and the results.
Even though it has it’s origins in Buddhism, the idea of mindfulness can be thought of as completely secular. There is no need for religion at all to benefit from the practices of mindfulness. Increasingly in the west, the core practices psychological practices are being teased out of the religious context. Thay are being taught through Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and now Mindfulness-based Mind Fitness Training (MMFT).
If you needed any more proof of the possibility of using mindfulness in a completely non-religious way, look no further than this article. Meditation here, is seen as a workout for the brain. A part of a regimen for mental fitness.
This shows the non-religious nature in two ways. 1. From the secular angle – if it was religious the government would have a difficult time implementing it in the military. I’m sure there would be lot’s of objections. and 2. From the religious angle – Buddhism itself can be very anti-military. In the eightfold path, one of the specific jobs prohibited is the manufacture of weapons. If this was being pushed by some religious agenda, my feeling is it wouldn’t be pushed towards the military for that very reason.
It is still very early in the military experimentation with this. It will be interesting to see their results.
And now this – Chronic inflammation. I need to get off the internet, stop posting this stuff, and get on the cushion.
This is a wonderful article that covers a lot of what has already been posted, but summarizes it well. The brain structures that change as a result of meditation are legion.
Neuroplasticity is all the rage now in neuroscience and psychology. Meditation seems to be the king of neuroplasticity tools. If you want to change your life, change your brain. If you want to change your brain, meditate!
