5) Eliminate I-focused Narrative
The key graphic from this paper ("Attending To The Present; Mindfulness Meditation Reveals Distinct Neural Modes of Self-Reference" )shows the difference between novice meditators (gray bars) and those who have had 45 minutes/day of mindfulness meditation training for two months (black bars). In this short interval, their functional operating mode moved from the traditional narrative DMN core of PCC and mPFC (in blue) we also saw in the Andrews-Hanna paper to a different functional pattern, in which right side centers, the lateral PreFrontal Cortex (lPFC), insula, and posterior parietal cortex (PPC) (in orange and red) were activated as the PCC and mPFC were deactivated during meditation, which resulted in an "experiential" mode, of "now, now, now" w/o narrative. After meditation, the meditators reverted to the narrative DMN w/active PPC and mPFC.
The key graphic from the paper ("Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity" ) shows that the Theravadin meditators in the study, who are principally "mindfulness" meditators w/10,000 hrs+ of practice, doing any of three different meditations, a) choiceless awareness/mindfulness (green bars), b) concentration on the breath (blue bars), or c) "metta"/loving kindness (red bars), demonstrated that they deactivated the PCC - mPFC core with all three meditations and when they were not doing any "tasking", i.e. at rest. Their DMN had been permanently changed from the narrative mode to the "experiential" mode.
The next step was to subtract the control folks' results in the study from the experienced meditators' results to see what the differences were both while resting/not tasking and when meditating. The result was a great surprise.
The next step was to subtract the control folks' results in the study from the experienced meditators' results to see what the differences were both while resting/not tasking and when meditating. The result was a great surprise.
Experienced meditators increase dACC & dlPFC activity – core “cognitive control” and “self monitoring” centers
Long Term Meditators Shut Down PCC
and Activate ACC and LPFC
Even When NOT Meditating
Long Term Meditators Shut Down PCC
and Activate ACC and LPFC
Even When NOT Meditating
By looking at the meditators > controls results in the third column, you can see that the difference was that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) was increasingly activated (two top rows) in both "baseline" and "meditation", as was our old friend from the Farb study, the lateral prefrontal cortex (lPFC) in the two bottom rows, particularly in "baseline" and somewhat in "meditation". The bottom line is that these two centers, one whose function is for "monitoring" (ACC) and one for "cognitive control" (lPFC) have been activated when the PCC-mPFC is deactivated, presumably to watch if the PCC-mPFC core begins to "reactivate" so that cognitive control can be exerted to deactivate it again.
Sources: Meditation Can Permanently Eliminate I-focused Narrative
Sources: Meditation Can Permanently Eliminate I-focused Narrative
Key moments:
|
2:58
Two Distinct Subsystems |
10:42
Decreased Connectivity |
11:52
Experiences on Psilocybin |
16:26
Hood Mystivism Scale Statements |
Key Moments:
03:29. When to change self-inquiry questions
10:30 Psychedelics compared to meditation experiences
21:52. Doing self-inquiry during the day
31:15 Focusing on breath to reach stillness
32:22 Grief and pain letting go of the "I" addiction/attachment. Sex, social media, running, meditation as addictions.
43:31 Practices for letting go of attachment
51:35 Marijuana w/self inquiry as a practice?
56:20 Relationship of brain and ego/I neuroscientifically
1:00:04 Default Mode Network's role in mystical experiences in psychedelics and nondual awakening
1:07:54 Suffering in Christianity
1:12:00 Why is the success rate so low in nondual awakening?
03:29. When to change self-inquiry questions
10:30 Psychedelics compared to meditation experiences
21:52. Doing self-inquiry during the day
31:15 Focusing on breath to reach stillness
32:22 Grief and pain letting go of the "I" addiction/attachment. Sex, social media, running, meditation as addictions.
43:31 Practices for letting go of attachment
51:35 Marijuana w/self inquiry as a practice?
56:20 Relationship of brain and ego/I neuroscientifically
1:00:04 Default Mode Network's role in mystical experiences in psychedelics and nondual awakening
1:07:54 Suffering in Christianity
1:12:00 Why is the success rate so low in nondual awakening?