How Does Mindfulness Training Change Our Brain?

What is mindfulness?

The practice of mindfulness has its origins in various meditation traditions — in particular Buddhism, where it has been used for thousands of years as a path to achieving a deeper understanding of oneself and the world. It consists of calmly observing our experience in the present moment — both the signals coming from the body and the emerging thoughts or sensory impressions.

The modern form of mindfulness was popularized in the West by Jon Kabat-Zinn, who in the 1970s developed a Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program. At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) was also created, which combines elements of cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness practice. Her goal is to support patients in coping with negative thoughts and emotions.

Mindfulness practice includes both formal and informal activities that support conscious observation of reality. Through specific sets of exercises (mindful movement, breathing, body scanning or self-observation), we achieve a state of consciousness in which we focus on the present, noticing our thoughts, emotions and bodily sensations without judging them. Thanks to this, we get rid of habitual reactions or evaluations and thus experience life as it is, accepting all its shades. This, in turn, can support us in learning to regulate emotions, reduce fears and the tendency to worry, both through a change at the level of identity (adopting an active, pro-health attitude to life) and by influencing the functioning of our brain.

How does mindfulness affect brain function and structure?

One of the key aspects of our mental health is the so-called. neuroplasticity of the brain, which is the ability of this organ to adapt and reorganize its structures and functions in response to experience, learning and environmental factors. This includes, among other things, the formation of new synaptic connections, the strengthening or weakening of existing ones, and even the formation of new neurons in specific areas of the brain. It is a fundamental mechanism that allows us to adapt to changes, acquire new skills, as well as recover functions lost as a result of injuries.

It turns out that regular meditation and mindfulness practices can also become the basis for lasting, positive changes in the brain, as confirmed by numerous studies conducted since the 1950s. Today, thanks to neuroimaging methods, we can notice with increasing precision the changes that occur in the brain thanks to mindfulness practices. They concern, among others, its structures, the volume of gray matter or the building of connections in neural networks. Let's take a closer look at them.

1. Structural changes in the brain

A 2011 study found that meditation practices such as kindness meditation or compassion meditation can lead to improved mood and reduced negative emotions, but that's not all! With the help of neuroimaging studies, it was confirmed that these types of practices also alter the activity of brain areas involved in emotional processing and empathy, and so — literally — affect our ability to deal with emotions [2].

Another 2016 review study [3] found that people who meditate for a long time have increased activity, connectivity and volume of the prefrontal cortex, which is related to the processes of self-control and self-awareness, among others. These changes suggest that meditation can strengthen those areas of the brain that are crucial for managing stress and emotions.

2. Increase in gray matter volume

A 2010 study [4], published in the journal “Psychiatry Research”, looked at changes in gray matter volume in the hippocampus (that is, the area responsible for memory and learning) in a group of about a dozen participants in an 8-week MBSR program who had not previously practiced meditation. In these subjects, an increase in gray matter density in the left hippocampus was observed. According to the researchers, this is particularly interesting because the hippocampus is also key in regulating the stress response — in people suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, a decrease in the volume and density of gray matter is often observed in this area.

3. Changes in neural networks

The practice of meditation can also lead to changes in the functional connections between different areas of the brain. The aforementioned 2016 study [3] showed that the practice of an 8-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program (MBSR) affects the increased connectivity between the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. This, in turn, can contribute to better emotional management and a reduction in reactivity to stressful stimuli, since the amygdala is the part of the limbic system responsible for, among other things, building emotional associations and social ties.

Mindfulness practice as a support in therapy

Neuroplasticity is a key mechanism for the brain to adapt to new conditions and challenges. Mindfulness practices and meditation are powerful tools to support these processes, affecting the structure and function of the brain. Thanks to them, it is possible not only to reduce stress and better regulate emotions, but also to develop and strengthen cognitive and emotional abilities.

Due to its neuroplasticity promoting effect, meditation and mindfulness are increasingly used as part of therapy to treat disorders such as depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder. Regular practice of these techniques can not only alleviate the symptoms of these disorders, but also support healthy brain development, improve cognitive function and increase feelings of well-being.

_{Bibliography:
[1] https://www.polski-instytut-mindfulness.pl/polski-instytut-mindfulness/
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3176989/
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0278262616301312?via%3Dihub
[4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3004979/}