Psychological Impact from mindful meditation 1

Christy Christensen
Salt Lake Community College
Psy.1100-028 Assn. #10 Article Review
Impact on Psychological well-being from mindful meditation for depression and anxiety
April 26, 2014







Psychological Impact from mindful meditation 2


I chose to review the article Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on
intrinsic brain connectivity. This article by Kilpatrick and co-authors was published in the
Neuroimage Journal volume 56 issue 1 in 2011. The findings from the research conducted
therein suggest that 8 weeks of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) training positively
alters intrinsic functional connectivity in the brain. Kilpatrick explains Intrinsic connectivity
fMRI allows for an examination of the functional connectivity of basic brain processing systems
during meditation states (2011). The data indicates better attentional resource allocation with
more consistent attentional focus. The research further indicates greater reflective awareness for
sensory experience, and enhanced sensory processing.
I further reviewed the article Self-related awareness and emotion regulation. This article
by Herwig and co-authors was also published in the Neuroimage journal volume 50 in 2010.
Within this article, neurobiological aspects of self-referential awareness were investigated in the
context of mindful introspection. The data presents evidence that an easily applicable strategy of
being conscious or aware of ones own emotions may reduce emotions associated with high
arousal such as anger, fear or depressiveness. Herwig explains The associated neural pattern
may provide an explanation for mindfulness associated psychotherapeutic effects.and result in
regaining prefrontal control over dysfunctional emotion circuits. (2010)
Berger lists these statistics concerning mood disorders: About one-quarter of mood
disorders begin in adolescence, and another quarter begin in young adulthood. Before age 30
15% of US residents suffer from a mood disorder such as major depression. Also, Untreated
mood disorders are one reason why suicides are twice as high in emerging adulthood as in
adolescence and Although effective treatment has been found for almost all types of
depression, this disorder remains a leading cause of impairment and premature death
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worldwide. Lastly, Anxiety disorders occur in about one-fourth of all emerging adults in the
United States. These include post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive-compulsive
disorder (OCD), panic attacks, and eating disorders (2014, p.407).
Mindfulness
Mindfulness has positive effects on mental health and psychological wellbeing. Mindful
meditation consists of purposeful attention to and awareness of the present moment, approached
with an attitude of openness, acceptance, and non-judgment. Kilpatrick says Meditation is
associated with changes in attention and perceptual processing circuits, perhaps reflecting the
emphasis on conscious direction and redirection of attention to present moment experience and
increased awareness of sensory stimuli (2011).
Considering Past Memories
Meditation can teach you to respond to what is actually occurring in the present as well as
heal the past. Berger explains, physiological measures of stress reflect past events as well as
current stressors, including diseases that have been overcome or discord, hunger, and
neighborhood violence that were experienced in childhood (2014, p.486). Past memories are
stored in the very receptors of your cells. We know the immune system, like the central nervous
system, has memory and the capacity to learn, Thus, it could be said that intelligence is located
not only in the brain but in the cells that are distributed throughout the body, and that the
traditional separation of mental processes, including emotions, from the body is no longer valid
(Pert, 1999).
Emotional blockages. Emotions may be blocked due to emotional trauma resulting in
chronically constricted blood flow and a deprived frontal cortex. Emotional trauma is likely to
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foster a habit of ruminating. Rumination is repeatedly thinking and talking about past
experiences and can contribute to depression (2014, p.366).
Full Consciousness. Only when there is enough blood flow to bring plentiful supplies of
blood to the brain will neurons and glial cells be able to carry their functions and ensure full
consciousness. Pert describes; acting as cleaner-up cells, the glials are peptide factories that
move around macrophage-like, sometimes destroying and sometimes nurturing nerve endings in
an ongoing sculpting of connections. Pert further explains; the brains only food is glucose, which
is carried to the brain in the blood (1999).
Emotional Peptides. Blood flow is closely regulated by emotional peptides, influencing
the amount and velocity of blood flowing through vessels. Pert explains however, that if your
emotions are blocked due to denial, repression, or trauma, then blood can become chronically
constricted, depriving the frontal cortex, as well as other vital organs of vital nourishment (1999
Mindful Meditation
Mindful meditation increases attentiveness by consciously regulating physiological
mechanisms such as blood flow, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
Perceptions
Learned perceptions can override genetically programmed instincts (Lipton 2008). Kabat Zinn
warns that The habit of ignoring our present moments in favor of others yet to come leads
directly to a pervasive lack of awareness of the web of life in which we are embedded (p.5). As
we practice mindfulness we become more self-aware. Self-awareness is defined as a persons
realization that he or she is a distinct individual whose body, mind, and actions are separate from
those of other people (Berger, 2014, p.126). Kabat Zinn explains that Awareness is not the same
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as thought. It lies beyond thinking, although it makes use of thinking, helping us to see and know
our thoughts as thoughts rather than getting caught up in them as reality (p. 93).
Managing perceptions. Attention management is even more important than time management.
A diminished awareness of the present moment inevitably creates other problems for us as well
through our unconscious and automatic actions and behaviors, often driven by deep-seated fears
and insecurities. (Kabat-Zinn, 2005, p.4)
HPA axis
The technical details of how stress stimuli engage the HPA axis follow a simple
cascade: in response to perceptions of stress registered in the brain, the hypothalamus secretes
corticopin- releasing factor (CRF) which travels to the pituitary gland. CRF ACTIVATES
SPECIAL pituitary hormone secreting cells causing them to release andrenocorticopic hormones
(ACTH) into the blood. The ACTH then makes its way to the adrenal glands, where it serves as
the signal to turn on the secretion of the fight-flight adrenal hormones. (Lipton, 2008) When
the HPA axis mobilizes the body for fight or flight response, the adrenal hormones directly
suppress the action of the immune system to conserve energy reserves.
Emotional Regulation
Emotional regulation is defined as the ability to control when and how emotions are
expressed (Berger 2014). Emotional regulation in depression and anxiety often lack an actual
external trigger but can be characterized by internally elevated emotional arousal states (Herwig
2010).
Methods and strategies. The initial step for emotional regulation is to become aware of
the actual emotional state. This awareness will require effortful control. Berger defines effortful
control as the ability to regulate ones emotions and actions through effort, not simply through
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natural inclination (2014). Awareness of and self-regulation in context with emotionally signaled
experiences are fundamental for the coping with the resulting emotional consequences and for
managing associated behavioral impulses. Berger offers that problem focused coping is a
strategy often used by younger adults to deal with stress in which they tackle a stressful issue
directly. Older adults are more likely to use emotion-focused coping, changing their feelings
about a situation rather than changing the situation itself (2014, p.487)
Conclusion
Even in traits that originate with genes, such as depression, plasticity is evident says
Berger. There is no doubt that depression is partly genetic- a matter of brain chemicals that make
some people feel sad and uninterested in life. There is also no doubt that depression is
developmental, with rates of depression increasing and decreasing at certain points of the life
span. She further understands that every persons genes are set at conception and basic brain
structures are formed prenatally, beginning in the third week after conception. Research on
human genes and brain development find that nutrition, education, and child rearing are crucial;
(concluding that) epigenetic factors enhance or dampen the effect of every gene. (2014, p.16)
Awareness to past experiences and conditioning can release yourself from bring
emotionally stuck. Neural pathways can be developed at any time in life to help the pre-frontal
cortex do its job of regulation. Depression and anxiety symptoms can be relieved through
Mindful Meditations and promote a better sense of psychological well-being. For as Jon Kabat-
Zinn (2007) observed, The bell of mindfulness tolls in each moment, inviting us to come to our
senses, reminding us that we can wake up to our lives, now, while we have them to live (Lesson
#105).

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Works Cited
Herwig, U., Kaffenberger, T., Jncke, L., & Brhl, A. B. (2010). Self-related awareness and
emotion regulation. Neuroimage, 50(2), 734-741. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2009.12.089
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life.
New York, NY: MJF Books.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2007). Arriving at your own door: 108 lessons in mindfulness. New York:
Hyperion.
Kilpatrick, L. A., Suyenobu, B. Y., Smith, S. R., Bueller, J. A., Goodman, T., Creswell, J., & ...
Naliboff, B. D. (2011). Impact of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on intrinsic brain
connectivity. Neuroimage, 56(1), 290-298. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.02.034
Lipton, B. H. (2008). The biology of belief: Unleashing the power of consciousness, matter &
miracles. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.
Pert, C. B. (1999). Molecules of emotion: Why you feel the way you feel. New York: Touchstone.