mindfulness Archives | Linden and Arc

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is a set of interacting brain structures first described in 2001 by the Washington University neuroscientist Marcus Raichle. It’s called that because it is most active when the brain is in a resting state. This network links parts of the cerebral cortex (thinking, decision making, higher brain functions) with deeper and evolutionarily older structures of the brain involved in emotion and memory.

The Default Mode Network influences and inhibits, other parts of the brain, especially those involving emotion and memory. It prevents signals from being interrupted or interfering with each other. Neuroimaging studies suggest that the DMN is involved in higher-order “metacognitive” activities. Activities such as self-reflection, mental projection, cognitive time travel, and the ability to interpret others’ mental states. (Sheline, Barch, Price, et al., 2009).

The Default Mode Network and Ego Connection

What is especially interesting is the connection between the DMN and the Ego. We believe the DMN is the part of our brain that is responsible for judgment, tolerance, reality testing, and a sense of self. Freud called this the “ego.” Author, Journalist, and experiential researcher Michael Pollan, in his book How to Change Your Mind (2018), referred to this area of the brain as the “me” network. This area lights up when given a list of adjectives relative to one’s self-identity. It also reacts similarly during daydreams, magical thinking, self-reflection, and when we receive Facebook likes (Pollan, 2018). Subsequently, the Default Mode Network activates “by default” when there is no task at hand.

Freud said that the ego keeps anarchic forces of the id in check, and Pollan compares this to the DMN maintaining strict connections on brain function developed over the course of our adult lives. “It appears that when activity in the DMN falls off precipitously, the ego temporarily vanishes, and the usual boundaries we experience between self and world, subject and object, all melt away,” Pollan said.

Coming From A Place of Ego

Noticing when we are coming from a place of ego instead of a place of mindful awareness can drastically change our interactions with the world. Other schools of thought sometimes refer to it as ‘getting out of your own way’ to allow your destiny or Dharmic path to unfold. This was so eloquently put by British philosopher who popularized Eastern philosophy in the west, Alan Watts (1944), “Ego, the self which he has believed himself to be, is nothing but a pattern of habits” (1966). Mindfulness and Art Therapy are ways for us to create new habits and awareness that involves the world around us instead of only ourselves.

Why Mindfulness Is So Important

What is mindfulness?
Paying attention to the present moment, on purpose, non-judgmentally.
Jon Kabat-Zinn

Current research is finding is when we try to silence the interminable flow of opinions and thoughts in our head when meditating (what some Buddhists refer to as the ‘monkey mind’) is actually the Default Mode Network! It’s the DMN flaring up when the brain has nothing better to do. Through mindfulness and meditation, we are able to silence this ‘monkey mind’ chatter and thus switch the DMN offline to bring a greater sense of calm and peace. Being in a mindful state of mind also keeps the frontal lobes on line and helps integrate experiences and feelings rather than dissociate from them (Ogden, 2019).

Using Art Therapy coupled with mindfulness, we are working to reroute our neural networks to change patterns, habits, and behaviours in the brain. If our DMN kicks in during this process, it inhibits this change from taking place. As expressed by neuroscientist and best selling author Dan Siegel, “Your mind can change your molecules”. This is why staying present and recognizing when we go “offline” is so important. Be gentle with yourself as learning anything new is a process. Then, come back into the present moment with ease. Know that the more often you do this, the more engrained these new neural networks will become, and the easier it will be to come to clarity.

Stress

When we’re stressed, our judgments become impaired and our prefrontal cortex goes offline. “Mindfulness keeps the frontal lobes online and helps integrate (information) rather than dissociate”. (Ogden, 2019). Staying mindful means tapping into the body, noticing your physical sensations, and how they come and go. Our physical sensations are not permanent; we notice this when we become mindful. We become aware that our current state of being is impermanent. This can bring us hope when the stresses of life feel awful and overwhelming.

The Defense Mechanism of Disassociation

We disassociate as a defense mechanism. The DMN is engaged. Although this behavior served humans in the past, this is an ineffective way to cope. We develop and grow through conscious awareness in the here and now. which makes disassociation no longer required. Personal growth has a lot to do with creating new habits and neural pathways in the brain instead of relying on old ways of being that do not serve our highest consciousness.

Depression and Anxiety

What is especially interesting in the study of the Default Mode Network is its correlation with depression and anxiety. Studies have shown that people who experience depression and anxiety have a more active DMN than those who don’t (Wise, Marwood, Perkins, et al., 2017). “The baseline imaging findings are consistent with those found in patients with major depressive disorder and suggest that increased connectivity within the DMN may be important in the pathophysiology of both acute and chronic manifestations of depressive illness” (Posner, Hellerstein, Gat, et al., 2013). One can imagine how ruminating over a specific issue that does not hold our body and mind’s highest good could lead to a downward depressive spiral. Mindfulness and coming into the present moment can actually help stop the rumination of upsetting circumstances and life events. Mindfulness literally makes us happier! What a wonderful tool to keep close.

References

Fisher, J., Ogden, P. (2015). Sensorimotor psychotherapy: Interventions for trauma and attachment. W.W. Norton & Company.

Kabat-Zinn, J. (2005). Wherever you go, there you are: Mindfulness meditation in everyday life. Hachette books

Ogden, P. (2019). Treating trauma faster series. Retrieved on April 24, 2019 from https://www.nicabm.com/program/treating-trauma-master-4/?del=homepagepopular

Pollan, M. (2018). How to change your mind. Penguin Press.

Posner, J., Hellerstein, D.J., Gat, I., et al. (2013). Antidepressants normalize the default mode network in patients with dysthymia. JAMA Psychiatry 70(4), 373-382. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.455

Sheline, Y.I., Barch, D.M., Price, J.L., et al. (2009). The default mode network and self-referential processes in depression. Retrieved on May 3, 2019 from https://www.pnas.org/content/pnas/106/6/1942.full.pdf

Watts, A. (1966). The book: On the taboo against knowing who you are. Random House Inc.

Wise, T., Marwood, L., Perkins, A. et al. (2017). Instability of default mode network connectivity in major depression: a two-sample confirmation study. Translational Psychiatry 7, e1105. https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2017.40

Author

Charmaine Husum, DKATI, RTC, CT

The breath is a powerful source of transformation for brain health and breathwork is a practice that improves it. The rate and rhythm of the breath are intimately connected to our mental & emotional states (Brown & Gerbarg, 2012). Just as the emotions and the mind cause the breath to vary, by consciously controlling the breath, we gain control over our mind and our emotions (Trinity College Dublin, 2018).

Anxiety and Stress Eased by Breathwork

Combining this modality of breathwork with the eye gaze by noticing ten things in the room and mentally or aloud saying their colour and what they are, as well as pressing the feet into the floor, will activate your parasympathetic nervous system and bring you into a feeling of calmness (McKay, Wood, & Brantley, 2007).

Depression

On the other hand, when a person is feeling the depths of depression and despair, they may sigh a lot with almost a sense of defeat. The breath here is usually more in the belly. To bring more life force or prana into the body, it is recommended to sit up straight, lengthen the spine, and with an open mouth – breathing deep and forcefully into the upper chest. This activates the sympathetic nervous system and creates a sense of alertness and aliveness (Levine & Frederick, 2005). Taking breathwork one step further, raise both arms above the head as you inhale, allowing the eye gaze to follow the hands while keeping the chin level (Rosenberg, Rand, & Assay, 1987). Five to ten of these breaths and one will feel a tingling in the whole body, with the eye focus becoming clearer and a sense of elation.

How and why does this happen?

The respiratory system is one of the only major systems in the body which is usually involuntary but can be voluntarily controlled via attention (Levine & Frederick, 1997). The rhythm of our heart is thought to be another involuntary system, but if we want to, we can change the speed of our heart by modifying our breath. Should we slow down our breath, for example, this brings the body and mind into a state of calmness and relaxation, thereby slowing the heart rate.

The Breath: A Life Force

Breath is the life force that keeps us going; if we didn’t breathe, we would die. When we are able to control the breath with breathwork, we are able to moderate the way we feel in the moment and develop a sense of control over stress levels.

Your rate of breathing and state of mind are inseparable. Using a full yogic breath or other pranayama techniques reprograms your whole cellular memory (Khalsa & Lumpkin, 2015).

History of The Breath

For thousands of years, ancient wisdom techniques from the east have exalted the virtues of breath-focused practices, such as pranayama and meditation for their numerous cognitive benefits, including an increased ability to focus, decreased mind wandering, improved arousal levels, more positive emotions, decreased emotional reactivity, and many other benefits (Yates & Immergut, 2017).

What did they know that we are just now validating scientifically? Well, a new study by researchers at Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity, Dublin explains for the first time the neurophysiological link between breathing, cognition, and emotion. The research shows that the way we breathe directly affects the chemistry of our brains in a way that can enhance our attention and improve brain health. This study focuses on changes in the levels of noradrenaline in response to the breath. Noradrenaline is a chemical messenger released in the brain when we are challenged, curious, focused, or otherwise emotionally aroused, and when we exercise. If produced at the right levels, it is essential to help the brain grow new connections (Trinity College Dublin, 2018).

Breathwork: A Scientific Study

Outlined here by a Ph.D. candidate at the Trinity College Institute of Neuroscience and lead author of the study, Michael Melnychuk: “Practitioners of yoga have claimed for some 2,500 years, that respiration influences the mind. In our study, we looked for a neurophysiological link that could help explain these claims by measuring breathing, reaction time, and brain activity in a small area in the brainstem called the locus coeruleus, where noradrenaline is made. Noradrenaline is an all-purpose action system in the brain. When we are stressed we produce too much noradrenaline and we can’t focus. When we feel sluggish, we produce too little and again, we can’t focus. There is a sweet spot of noradrenaline in which our emotions, thinking, and memory are much clearer. This study has shown that as you breathe in, locus coeruleus activity is increased slightly, and as you breathe out it decreases. Put simply this means that our attention is influenced by our breath and that it rises and falls with the cycle of respiration. It is possible that by focusing on and regulating your breathing you can optimize your attention level and likewise, by focusing on your attention level, your breathing becomes more synchronized.”

Breathwork and Brain Aging

Even more exciting in this area of research was the understanding and uncovering of how breathwork and meditation may have an effect on the aging of the brain. Ian Robertson, Co-Director of the Global Brain Health Institute at Trinity College, Dublin, writes:

“Our findings could have particular implications for research into brain ageing. Brains typically lose mass as they age, but less so in the brains of long-term meditators. More ‘youthful’ brains have a reduced risk of dementia and mindfulness meditation techniques actually strengthen brain networks. Our research offers one possible reason for this — using our breath to control one of the brain’s natural chemical messengers, noradrenaline, which in the right ‘dose’ helps the brain grow new connections between cells. This study provides one more reason for everyone to boost the health of their brain using a whole range of activities ranging from aerobic exercise to mindfulness meditation.”

In sum, breathe deep! It’s good for your brain health.

References

Brown, R., & Gerbarg, P. (2012). The healing power of the breath: Simple techniques to reduce stress and anxiety, enhance concentration, and balance your emotions. Shambala Publishing.

Khalsa Kaur, J., & Lumpkin, N. (2015). Enlightened bodies: Exploring physical and subtle human anatomy. Kundalini Research Institute

Levine, P., & Frederick, A. (1997). Waking the tiger: Healing trauma. North Atlantic Books.

Levine, P., & Frederick, A. (2005). Healing trauma: A pioneering program for restoring the wisdom of your body. Sounds True Inc.

McKay, M., Wood, J.C., & Brantley, J. (2007). The dialectical behavior therapy skills workbook: Practical DBT exercises for learning mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, and distress tolerance. New Harbinger Publications Inc.

Melnychuk, M.C., Dockree, P.M., O’Connell, R.G., Murphy, P.R., Balsters, J.H., & Robertson, I.H. (2018). Coupling of respiration and attention via the locus coeruleus: Effects of meditation and pranayama. Psychophysiology, 55(9). DOI: 10.1111/psyp.13091

Rosenberg, J.L., Rand, M, & Assay, D. (1987). Body, self, and soul: Sustaining integration. Humanics Publishing Group.

Trinity College Dublin. (2018). The Yogi masters were right — meditation and breathing exercises can sharpen your mind: New research explains link between breath-focused meditation and attention and brain health. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/05/180510101254.htm

Yates, J., & Immergut, M.. (2017). The mind illuminated: A complete meditation guide integrating Buddhist wisdom and brain science for greater mindfulness. Hay House Publishing.

Author

Charmaine Husum, DKATI, RTC, CT

Breaking Bad Habits and Addictions Using the Functional Medicine Approach

Functional medicine is the only approach to breaking bad habits and addictions that doesn’t rely on a magic drug. There is no magic drug because pharmaceutical drugs have the potential to create other health issues. Instead, functional, or integrative medicine, coaches on methods of healing thyself. We continue from part 1 in the Mindfulness Series focusing on how our brain works and the actual creation of habits. Part 2 will explore the origins of, and motivation behind pattern behavior and understand how to change these ‘bad’ habits and addictions.

Pain: Conception of Patterned Behaviour

Life is painful, and there isn’t any person alive that’s exempt from trials and tribulations of life. Just the mere thought of a looming divorce, disease, job stress, or financial issues can send your blood pressure through the roof! This is the conception of behavioural patterns and the birth of bad habits. We then consume an externally sourced painkiller to relieve our pain and by consuming it regularly, we create a bad habit that can become an addiction.

Whether your ‘drug of choice’ is alcohol, chocolate, television, social media, sugar, or any catalyst to your feel-good hormones, it serves to divert attention temporarily from life’s difficulties. Making use of this pleasurable effect isn’t inherently bad unless we rely solely on external aid to ease the pain. It’s then that we are at the mercy of these temporary diversions with no tools to actually process and transform what’s troubling us. We paralyze ourselves from in moving forward and the transient pain turns to lasting suffering. We aim to avoid confronting what needs changing and are masters at practicing avoidance.

Overstimulation or Avoidance of Pain

Our society prizes instant gratification and encourages the avoidance of pain. It plays upon our biological drive to maximize pleasure and minimize discomfort. Our bodies are actually built to look externally for comfort. With time, cues and triggers develop which initiate learned response, like eating the chocolate or turning on the TV. The last post, explains how each repetition reinforces this habit pattern and modifies our perception to be continually seeking reward. Though this may lessen the immediate discomfort, it is a “band-aid solution” that often leads to both the consequence of not processing the pain and the fallout of the habit itself. We do ourselves a double injustice by not trying to find inner and lasting healing to the pain.

Finding Inner Sweetness To Heal the Pain

What then, is a better remedy to healing life’s pain? After taking the time to be consciously aware of the discomfort (as we practiced in part 1), become aware of what exists beneath that discomfort. What lies beyond the pain or emotional turmoil? Quietude. Peace. That is the inner sweetness we all desire and it can be achieved. In conclusion, let’s explore now how to find freedom from bad habits and addictions and change our lives for the better.

Changing Bad Habits and Addictions

You’re on your way to changing your bad habits for good! The first 2 steps below were discussed in Part 1 of the Mindfulness Series. Let’s continue with the remaining steps to finding freedom from addictions!

Functional Medicine Approach to Freedom From Addiction

Take five deep breaths
Observe & note the state of your body and mind when confronted with craving.
Close your eyes and shift your attention to any part of your body that is free of discomfort. It may be your left earlobe or your right big toe. No matter how small or how large, take time to observe one part of your body that feels GOOD.
Hold your focus on that point for one to three minutes.
Say a silent “thank you” for this part of you. Remind your body that you are doing your best to help it heal.

Mental force “is a physical force generated by mental effort. It is the physical expression of will.” _{p.295 Schwartz– The Mind & The Brain}In other words: where your attention goes, energy flows. The habits hard-wired into your brain can be shifted to patterning more conducive to healing by the power of will, or attention. Through the power of your pointed attention, with patience and dedication, it is possible to breed an unchangeable awareness of inner peace and balance. This experience can carry you through even the most difficult circumstances. Just as there is infinite sorrow to be found should you look, so too, is there infinite joy. The more we train the mind to focus on what’s right, the more things will fall into place.

As you progress through your path to greater physical and mental vitality and re-wiring old habits, try to approach each change from a place of gratitude. Conquer a challenge! Then, each step toward health is a gift to your future self and a “thank you” for being alive.

Pleasure Hormones Help to Create Bad Habits

Whether it’s gluten, dairy, eggs, or coffee, creating bad habits may be pleasurable but also bring some level of pain. A few things factor into why they are so hard to break. One factor is the plastic nature of our brains which refers to the ability for it to change. Most of these substances catalyze the release of pleasure hormones.

Neuroplasticity

Imagine your brain as a field covered with fresh snow. You walk from one end of the field to a birch tree on the other side. Looking back, you can see your footsteps clearly carving a path from your starting point to the birch tree. Now, imagine that every day for a week, you walked that same path- following your footprints from the previous days. As more snow falls on the rest of the field, your path to and from the birch tree has been dug down to the dirt. Let’s explore more about how the human brain works.

Creating Bad Habits: How Our Brain Works

This is how the brain works when it comes to creating habits. New connections are created by every act, word, and thought. Through repeated action, pathways in the brain become reinforced and turn into a habit. ‘Walking a path’ you’ve walked many times before are similar to habits like turning to chocolate or wine when you feel stressed or sitting on the couch after a long day. These habits become so ingrained in the brain that it happens almost automatically.

Now, imagine after a week, you decide to walk from your original starting point to a pine tree on the opposite side of the field. There is no path to this tree, so you have to trudge through deep snow to get there.

But you get there.

In the same way, adopting a new habit takes more effort than keeping to status quo, but it is possible. The human brain remains plastic long into adulthood so it is never too late to create new habits! As Dr. Norman Doidge, author of The Brain That Changes Itself, says, “…we don’t so much ‘break’ bad habits as replace bad behaviors with better ones.” It all starts with a shift in attention; cultivating curiosity toward the ‘automatic’ action and introducing the possibility of NOT acting on an urge, or of responding differently.

Here’s where mindfulness comes in…

Mindfulness & The Brain

Diana Winston of UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center describes mindfulness as “Paying attention to present moment experience with open curiosity and a willingness to be with what is.” In the context of creating new habits, this means creating pause. Take a step back when you get the urge to do something you’d prefer not to do. Notice how the body feels, listening to the stories in your mind, and put distance between the urge and the action.

Simply note the feelings in your body and mind as being pleasant or unpleasant. Know that even if your immediate feelings are very unpleasant, the long-term effects of making a healthy diet and lifestyle change will produce longer-lasting and more profound benefits than the transient giddiness of a “guilty pleasure.” Bad habits will ultimately lead to long-term suffering in the form of chronic illness, cognitive decline, or metabolic imbalance. Here’s an easy exercise that will help train your brain and create new and good habits.

Functional Medicine: Training Your Brain for Good Habits

Choose one daily habit you’d like to change.

For the next week, before acting on this habit, stop and take five deep breaths. Then, notice how your body and mind feel. You don’t need to change your habit yet; just notice the feelings that come before the action.

You may want to record your discoveries in a journal.

One Last Note:

KINDNESS is KEY. Remember: you are on this journey of wellness and vitality because you care for yourself. There is nothing inherently wrong with you. There are merely subtle refinements to be made in your physical health which can help you to feel more fully alive and ready to share your unique gifts with the world. Together, we are working as a team to optimize your health. We want to see you shine! Throughout this process, especially in times of challenge and transition, remind yourself that you are here at Linden & Arc Vitality Institute because you love yourself enough to want to feel better. Be kind in the way you relate to your mind and your body. Be curious about why you’ve developed certain habits and resist the temptation to judge yourself for them. If you take a step back or can’t find clarity at the end of certain suffering, choose to trust the process and keep going. Do this because you love yourself; because you’re worth it.

Interested in reading more on mindfulness? We recommend Full Catastrophe Living by Jon Kabat-Zinn, and The Mind & The Brain by Jeffrey Schwartz, M.D

“Mindfulness is about being fully awake in our lives. It is about perceiving the exquisite vividness of each moment. We also gain immediate access to our own powerful inner resources for insight, transformation, and healing.” – Jon Kabat-Zinn

Tag: mindfulness