Meditation: Elevating Consciousness, Improving Health
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Volume 32, Number 3 Fall, 2004 Meditation: Elevating Consciousness, Improving Health Biofeedback FROM THE EDITOR Volume 32, No 3 From the Editor: Donald Moss, PhD 4 Fall 2004 Biofeedback is published four times per year PROFESSIONAL ISSUES and distributed by the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Circulation 1600. ISSN 1081-5937. Ethical Issues in Meditation 5 Sebastian “Seb” Striefel, PhD Editor: Donald Moss PhD Associate Editor: Theodore J. LaVaque, PhD sEMG Division Editor: Randy Neblett, MA SPECIAL TOPICS: CASE STUDIES EEG Division Editors: Lynda Kirk and Dale Walters, PhD Overview of Meditation, Consciousness, and Health Today 9 Copyright © 2004 by AAPB Sat Bir Khalsa, PhD Editorial Statement Meditation Styles: Common Features and 13 Items for inclusion in Biofeedback should be for- warded to the AAPB office. Material must be in pub- Distinguishing Characteristics lishable form upon submission. Adam Burke, PhD Deadlines for receipt of material are as follows: • November 1 for Spring issue, Demystifying Meditation 16 published March 31. Ramesh J. Bijlani, MD • April 1 for Summer issue, published June 30. • May 15 for Fall issue, Meditation and Limbic Processes 22 published September 30. Tobias Esch, MD, Massimo Guarna, PhD, Enrica Bianchi, PhD, • September 1 for Winter issue, and George B. Stefano, PhD published December 31. Articles should be of general interest to the AAPB membership, informative and, where possi- Brain Mechanisms of Meditation 29 ble, factually based. The editor reserves the right to K. K. Deepak, MD, PhD accept or reject any material and to make editorial and copy changes as deemed necessary. Relationship between Meditation Practice and Transcendent 33 Feature articles should not exceed 2,500 words; States of Consciousness department articles, 700 words; and letters to the Frederick Travis, Ph.D editor, 250 words. Manuscripts should be submitted on disk, preferably Microsoft Word or WordPerfect, for Macintosh or Windows, together with hard copy Transformation: The Role of Reperceiving 37 of the manuscript indicating any special text for- Shauna Shapiro, PhD, and John Astin matting. Also submit a biosketch (30 words) and photo of the author. All artwork accompanying man- uscripts must be camera-ready. Graphics and pho- Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: 42 tos may be embedded in Word files to indicate Overview and Applications in Cancer position only. Please include the original, high-res- Linda E. Carlson, PhD olution graphic files with your submission – at least 266dpi at final print size. TIFF or EPS preferred. AAPB is not responsible for the loss or return of unsolicited articles. AAPB NEWS AND EVENTS Biofeedback accepts paid display and classified advertising from individuals and organizations pro- From the President 1A viding products and services for those concerned with the practice of applied psychophysiology and Biofeedback. Inquiries about advertising rates and From the Executive Director 2A discounts should be addressed to Denise Townsend [email protected]. From the President-Elect 3A Changes of address, notification of materials not received, inquiries about membership and other matters should be directed to the AAPB Office: About the Authors 46 Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback 10200 West 44th Ave., No. 304 Wheat Ridge, CO 80033-2840 Tel 303-422-8436 Fax 303-422-8894 E-mail: [email protected] The articles in this issue reflect the opinions of the authors, and do not Website: http://www.aapb.org reflect the policies or official guidelines of AAPB, unless stated otherwise. Fall 2004 Biofeedback 3 FROM THE EDITOR Special Issue: Fall 2004 Meditation: Elevating Consciousness, Improving Health Donald Moss, PhD Donald Moss, PhD The cover of this Fall 2004 issue of Biofeedback Magazine shows enhancing health. an ancient seal of a yogi seated in meditation, from the Mohenjo- A multi-national team led by Tobias Esch of Berlin has con- Daro region of India, ca. 2,500 B.C.Ei. Our cover introduces this tributed an article exploring the neural mechanisms affected by special issue of the Biofeedback magazine: “Meditation: Elevating meditation, especially brain structures in the limbic system. K. K. Consciousness, Improving Health.” Yogic practices, including Deepak of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New meditation, date back approximately 4500-5000 years, represent- Delhi examines both physiological processes and neural mecha- ing an original system of mind-body theories and practices, origi- nisms affected in meditation practice, and develops a functional nating as spiritual practices within a complex cultural and model of meditation identifying four “functional units” correspon- spiritual tradition. ding to specific brain structures. Yogic and meditation practices are gaining increasing acceptance Frederick Travis contributes an article examining the subjective with practical applications, for spiritual, fitness, and health purpos- experience of transcendence, its contents, and physiological pat- es. One of the hottest topics in health care today involves the terns corresponding to the subjective elements. He also examines effort to identify specific spiritual practices, such as meditation, the clinical benefits of transcendental experiences. Shauna Shapiro refine their efficacy, and measure their clinical benefits for psycho- and John Astin examine the currently popular psychological con- logical disorders, psychophysiological conditions, and medical struct of “mindfulness,” which has historical roots in Buddhist illness. meditation. They develop a model of mindfulness, emphasizing Our guest editor, Sat Bir S. Khalsa, PhD, brings a background specific cognitive processes, and introduce the concept of “reper- in the neurosciences, chronobiology, and the yoga lifestyle. His ceiving” which designates a specific shift in perspective. The final current research focus is on the health effects of yoga and medita- article in this special series, by Linda Carlson, examines mindful- tion. Dr. Khalsa’s introductory article reviews both the historical ness-based stress reduction, a specific clinical model for interven- roots of yoga and meditation, and their current applications to tion, based on the mindfulness approach. health care. In addition, Dr. Khalsa has recruited articles which We are grateful to Sat Bir Khalsa and the authors contributing apply the perspectives of psychophysiology and neurophysiology to to this special issue, for the time and energy dedicated to this time- explore the brains and bodies of the meditators. Our guest authors ly topic. examine some of the following questions: What neural and physio- AAPB News and Events Section logical mechanisms are affected by meditative practice? What are some of the measurable health effects of meditation? How can we AAPB President Steve Baskin, President-Elect Richard Sherman, understand the often wondrous experiences of meditators both and Executive Director Francine Butler offer their current perspec- psychologically and neurophysiologically? tives on events shaping professional research and practice today. In addition, we include a preliminary overview of AAPB’s 36th Articles in the Special Issue annual meeting in Austin, Texas, April 1-3, 2005. Sebastian Striefel provides an article on the ethical issues inher- Proposals and Abstracts are now invited for future special issues ent in the clinical application of meditation and spiritual practices. of Biofeedback: Hypnosis and Biofeedback for Spring 2005, Pediatric Adam Burke provides a simple overview of the various forms of Applications of Hypnosis for Summer 2005, Teaching Children and meditation, highlighting both their common elements and areas in Youth to Self-Regulate for Fall 2005, and Integrating Life Style which they diverge. Ramesh Bijlani of the All India Institute of Change into Applied Psychophysiological Therapies for Spring 2006. Medical Sciences in New Delhi provides an introduction to one The editor also welcomes proposals for future special issues of the well-known yogic approach, the Raja yoga of Patanjali, and Biofeedback Magazine. explores the experiential “peak” state called Samadhi, which most Hindu meditation approaches seek. He also examines the practical iThis yogic seal is copyrighted, and utilized with the permission of J.M. Kenoyer, courtesy of the Department of Archaeology and Museums, Govt. of application of meditation in coping with life problems and Pakistan. 4 Biofeedback Fall 2004 PROFESSIONAL ISSUES Ethical Issues in Meditation Sebastian “Seb” Striefel, PhD, Logan, Utah Abstract: Meditation has been used for in the practice (Spence, 2004). When medi- listens. When I meditate, God talks and I thousands of years for achieving many differ- tation is used in Western Cultures for clini- listen.” (Spence, 2004, p. 2). Such informa- ent goals. For any contemplative/relaxation cal purposes, it is generally devoid of tion when used during the informed con- procedure to survive that long there must be religious connections. sent process would also help the some positive outcomes achieved or it would Contextual Issues practitioner establish good rapport with a have disappeared because of non use. client. Whereas, proposing a non-religious Meditation was traditionally used as part of It is important for applied psychophysiol- form of meditation without discussing why various religions, but can be used clinically ogy and biofeedback practitioners to recog- that form of meditation is being proposed, without religious