👩🏼‍🤝‍👩🏻 👎🏾 🧓 Neurophysiology of mindfulness: how meditation affects our brain 👩🏾‍🚒 🏩 ⚱️

Photo Jesse Orrico with Ansplesha

This translated article Brian Penny, a former heroin addict who coped with addiction and became a neuroscientist, practicing mindfulness.

The article was carefully transferred from the blog of the running editor . By the way, you can follow the announcements of new articles in my telegram channel . Subscribe to not miss anything!

I spent most of my life thinking about the past and the future. Doubts were tearing my mind, I was constantly worried about something, but did not understand the reason for the suffering.

To drown out the pain, I used drugs, which ended in fifteen years of chronic heroin addiction. The drug brought me to the brink, but I was lucky. I was forced to engage in addiction with the worst night in my life. After it, I took a fresh look at the world.

In October 2013, the concept of awareness was explained to me . Since then, I stopped taking drugs, became an author, entered doctoral studies and lectured at the two most important universities in Ireland.

Understanding the scientific side of mindfulness and meditation can greatly help those who are just getting to know these practices. Knowledge of brain neurophysiology is especially useful for those who want to evaluate the potential results of the development of new habits. ( Gretchen Rubin called such people “ questioners ”).

How the brain works

Neurons

Neurons are the basic building blocks of the brain. We have about 86 billion of them. One neuron is activated five to fifty times per second. On average, each neuron has more than five thousand connections with its counterparts. When you read this sentence, billions of neurons transmit signals in your head - a very complex system.

Neurons allowed you to feel and record the experience of each action, thought and sensation that you have ever had. This is the biological basis of learning. By repeating certain behaviors more often - for example, by practicing mindfulness or worrying - you develop connections between individual neurons.

Neurons are required to transmit signals more often and faster. Therefore, to save energy, the brain creates new structures specifically for the task. So we learn new things, using what scientists call the neuroplasticity of our brain.

Neuroplasticity

Our brain is very malleable, just like plasticine, our life experience determines its structure and form. This process is very similar to exercise. For example, thirty repetitions in the gym will not make your muscles stronger, but thirty repetitions every day for a year can have this effect. The same is true for the brain: over time, its shape changes.

As an eternally worried person, I have always felt constraint, anxiety and excitement. If my brain did not scan the world in search of potential threats, he was looking for a way to deal with anxiety. I turned the brain with my own hands into a well-established machine that produces excitement.

The same applies to other negative feelings, thoughts and emotions. Whatever originates inside you, whether it be anger, disbelief in your own strengths or fear, your brain will reflect this in its form.

Reptilian brain

The human brain can be divided into three areas: the reptilian brain , the limbic system, and the cortex .

The reptilian brain is the oldest of the areas, in the course of evolution it appeared first. This area of the brain is responsible for life support functions, such as body temperature, heart rate, and breathing. This structure controls our instincts and the desire for self-preservation, which guarantees the survival of the species.

This primitive part of the brain is responsible for all our reckless and impulsive actions, and that often causes serious problems in life. The need for survival is so strong that it may end in a confrontation between the reptilian brain and the cortex responsible for logical behavior.

It is as if two people are arguing:"Have a drink?" “No, I will refuse!” “Sure you want it!” "Yes, but then I'll regret it!" . If you are an anxious person like me, the reptilian brain may regard the feeling of anxiety as a threat, the cause of which it does not understand.

With experience, I have determined for myself that alcohol can relieve anxiety for a short time. So when he agreed to drink, the reptilian brain won. I often recall the years in captivity of drug addiction, when my impulsive behavior was determined precisely by the decisions of this area of the brain. There was no struggle, only unconditional surrender - the crocodile always got its drugs.

Limbic system

The limbic system combines several structures located above the reptilian brain. Major components include the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

The limbic system supports many functions. The hippocampus is responsible for the formation of memories. The nearby amygdala plays a major role in emotions such as fear, anxiety, or anger. It also determines the strength and brightness of memorized events, so that memories that are highly colored by emotions remain in the memory for a long time.

The hypothalamus binds the brain to the endocrine system and helps us respond to stress. It sends chemical signals that stimulate or, conversely, inhibit the production of stress hormones.

Cortex

Of the three regions we are talking about, the cortex is the most recent. It consists of gray matter surrounding the deeper white matter of the cerebral hemispheres. Gray matter contains the bodies of neurons, white matter consists of fibers connecting the cells of gray matter.

The cortex is the part of the brain involved in higher order activities: abstract thinking, problem solving, hazard assessment and the ability to speak. This malleable structure gives people learning opportunities that are unparalleled in nature. Thanks to the cerebral cortex, people are capable of such things that are not subject to other species.

Stress response

During stress, the three main structures of the limbic system - the hippocampus, amygdala and hypothalamus - work in conjunction.

Consider how this happens in life. You stand on the field and notice something that looks like a snake. Memories in the hippocampus tell you that you are afraid of snakes. This activates the amygdala - the center of fear of your brain - which in turn acts on the hypothalamus.

The hypothalamus sends signals to the pineal gland, which transmits information to the adrenal glands, which release cortisol into the circulatory system. Cortisol is the main stress hormone that prepares the body to fight or run .

Neurophysiology of unconsciousness

It is not a matter of life and death.

The cortex, reptilian brain and limbic system work together. They are connected to each other by complex neural pathways (white matter) and constantly affect each other.

In the snake example, the survival instinct of the reptilian brain activated the limbic system, which released cortisol into the body. This instant programmed reflex could get you out of a sudden potential danger.

At the same time, the rational part of the brain, its cortex, assessed the situation. This is a slower process , and if you were lucky, the snake was just a piece of hose. When you understood this, the cortex deactivated the amygdala, which in turn limited the secretion of cortisol through the hypothalamus, which returned your body back to a balanced state (homeostasis).

This is a very simplified example, in real life everything is much more complicated. Especially in our congested world. When I start thinking about how neurophysiology of the brain is associated with my long-standing anxiety and destructive dependence, my head starts to hurt right away. But let's try to figure it out together.

My anxiety was the result of childhood trauma based on bodily sensations. From a young age I was scared to hell by my own heartbeat, breathing, or pulse. If someone offered to listen to how my heart beats, or I just talked about it , my almond-shaped body flared up with incredible strength like a Christmas tree.

My reptilian brain, caring for self-preservation, said: “Now I will get you out of this nightmare, man.”What did I do? Anything to escape from myself, anything to calm my overactive brain - drugs became my way out.

I was wondering what my rational mind, the cerebral cortex, was doing at that time. Heartbeat is a normal process. I have never been in real danger. Of course, my logical brain knew this. Wasn't he supposed to calm the limbic system?

Neuroscientists have provided me with many theories that potentially answer this question. The cerebral cortex may not cope with the increased activity of the limbic system, or it may not be able to logically drown out irrational fears. The truth is that we don’t know how everything really works there, but an understanding of the fundamentals of this system’s device helped me to make sure that there’s nothing to worry about. It is still not a matter of life and death.

Take emotions hostage

Has it ever happened that fear took you by surprise? I have it constantly! I could not cope with him before and throughout my addiction - I was afraid of everything in the world. Daniel Golman calls it the hijacking of emotions when your amygdala screams like a siren.

This happens when something in your environment causes stress. For example, your partner raised his voice, a work colleague began to criticize you, you avoided an accident on the road, or someone scared you.

From the point of view of neurophysiology, the visual and auditory zones of the cerebral cortex - depending on what is the stimulus - send messages to the amygdala, which triggers a response to stress.

So most people cope with stress, this reaction is the crown of the evolution of our species. But in the modern world, stress more often occurs not because of external stimuli, but because of our own thoughts.

There are two types of inner experiences: obsessions about the past that you cannot change, and fantasies about the future. These internal stressors are the worst triggers. What comes around is changeable, but the struggle with one’s own thoughts is ongoing. When it comes to stress, it’s like not completely shutting off the cortisol tap ... You hear a measured cap, cap, cap.

Neurophysiology of awareness

If you are constantly worried, angry or hate yourself, then the brain will ultimately reflect these experiences in its form. And exactly the opposite, you can direct your thoughts in a more positive direction and thus change its structure with your own hands.

By practicing neuroplasticity at regular mindfulness practices , you can become resistant to stimuli, develop a sharp focus, and deal more effectively with emotions.

Below are snapshots of my brain. Left became part of a study conducted in 2013 on the second “clean” day after 15 years of addiction. The right one was made in May 2018, as part of a stress documentary.

Source: raw images of my brain in 2013 and 2018. Here is a section showing the anterior commissure, a standard anatomical representation used to compare different brain scans. It was difficult to make a direct comparison of the incisions, because different MRIs were used, and the images were taken in different resolutions.

My brain was so different that the person who analyzed it could not compare the standard visual markers by eye (I give a more technical explanation above).

It is also difficult to understand what led to such dramatic changes. Four and a half years passed between the scans, I significantly changed many aspects of life, including diet, exercise and sleep. I returned to college and, of course, stopped taking heroin.

But I myself see that the transformation of the brain was the result of the fact that I developed sensitivity to the moment here and now. Everything changed when they told me about awareness. They gave me a tool to defeat my worst enemy - anxiety - this turned the game upside down.

Emotions management

Research shows that regular mindfulness practices weaken the ability of the amygdala to steal your emotions. There are at least two reasons for this. First, the size of the tonsil itself is reduced. Secondly, it weakens the connection between the amygdala and the parts of the cortex responsible for fear. And vice versa, the bonds of the cortical zones associated with high-level activities (for example, self-awareness) are strengthened.

Practices of mindfulness endowed me with both of these gifts. I literally squeezed the center of fear of my brain, and as a result, I stopped being afraid and worried about how much in vain. Stress still irritates me, but due to the space between the action and the reaction, my mind is no longer stolen by emotions.

Attention and focus

Our attention is controlled by the anterior cingulate cortex. It is also associated with self-determination and the flexibility of the mind - the eternal opponents of obsessions and template thinking.

Researchers have discovered an increase in the size of this area of the brain after meditation practices. More importantly, when the connection between the amygdala and the cortex weakens (that is, the area associated with theft of emotions loses control), managing attention becomes easier.

One study shows that practicing mindfulness for twenty minutes a day for five days leads to improved attention spans, and a later study reports that small mindfulness practices improve attention even for beginners.

Self-awareness

"Identity" is your idea of yourself . She expresses a sense of who you are in your own opinion. If you suffer because of something like me because of anxiety, disconnecting from “identity” helps you feel inner relief.

Self-awareness developed through the techniques of mindfulness can separate you from "identity." Instead of giving up control over yourself to the idea of your own "I", you can move away: to observe or to know oneself as if from the outside.

And although the study of this area is just beginning , some very indicative conclusions have already been made about the network of the passive mode of the brain (it is also called the "default brain system").

The brain goes into a passive mode of operation when you do not have a specific task: you wander from one thought to another. This mode affects the phases of deep reflection and fixation, which in turn greatly harm our well-being.

Awareness reduces the number of activations of the passive mode of the brain, and as a result calms our consciousness. In one study, the activity of the brain regions responsible for the default system decreased in people practicing meditation compared to those who did not. Scientists have discovered that the former reduced their tendency to dig themselves.

Simple steps leading to the result

Often psychological phenomena such as stress, deep reflection and anxiety are perceived by us as abstract concepts that cannot be touched, felt or seen. But in fact, all this is directly related to our biology.

It is fortunate that awareness allows you to cope with most of the suffering of the modern world. I struggled with anxiety and addiction for most of my life, and only awareness helped me get back to normal.

By constantly practicing mindfulness , I not only began to feel better, but it physically changed the structure and condition of my brain. I no longer experience anxiety, do not worry, focus more easily and more deeply than ever before.

Bad habits are hard to break, but good ones are even harder. My anxiety was replaced by a sense of calm, which was deeply embedded in the fibers of the brain and became my new norm.

Everyone can change the shape of the brain, and improve their ability to think and feel. All that is needed is to constantly practice mindfulness in life. Enough 10 minutes a day .

My last request: do it every day. It is important to develop a habit if you want to change your brain, increase sensitivity, focus and control over emotions. I think I ask not so much.

Neurophysiology of mindfulness: how meditation affects our brain