Meditation meets neuroscienceMeditation meets neuroscience
All In The Mind
Almost everywhere you turn you hear of the benefits of mindfulness. Long-term Buddhist meditators and neuroscientists are now getting together to share the experience and the science of meditation.
28:50•24 Apr 2016
Meditation, Mindfulness and the Science Behind a Calmer Brain
Episode Overview
- Research suggests meditation has strong effects on emotional measures and attention, especially in healthy populations.
- Simple breath‑counting practices can reduce mental over‑thinking and anchor awareness in the present moment.
- Mindfulness skills within Dialectical Behaviour Therapy are reported to help stabilise lives affected by intense emotions, self‑harm and drug and alcohol problems.
- Long‑term meditators may show greater sensitivity to auditory changes than novices, hinting at possible training effects in attention.
- Teachers and researchers stress the importance of an ethical framework alongside mindfulness to shape compassionate, beneficial practice.
“One cannot but say that meditation is effective. So there is convincing evidence for that.”
What drives someone to seek a life that’s calmer, clearer and less ruled by emotional storms? This episode of All In The Mind brings together long‑term Buddhist meditators, psychologists and neuroscientists at a Sydney Zen Centre retreat to compare notes on what meditation actually does to the brain and to everyday behaviour.
You’ll hear cognitive scientist and meditator Dr Britta Biedermann explain why curiosity is the common thread between researchers and practitioners, and how her team is testing whether experienced meditators are more sensitive to sounds than beginners. Her findings hint that seasoned meditators stay alert to subtle changes, while novices might simply be overloaded by the complexity of paying attention to breath and sound at the same time.
Zen teacher Maggie Glick walks through a very down‑to‑earth breath‑counting practice, showing how something as simple as “breathe in, count on the exhale” can quiet mental chatter. Psychologist Emily White describes using mindfulness skills inside Dialectical Behaviour Therapy to help clients with intense emotions, self‑harm, and drug and alcohol problems stabilise their lives through practical tools like observing, describing and participating in the present moment. Neuroscientist Professor Peter Seidelmeyer brings the data, summarising years of meditation research.
He also raises an important caution: meditation is often marketed cheaply as a quick fix, yet traditionally it sits inside a broader ethical and spiritual context, a point reinforced by Zen teacher Subhana Bazagi, who asks, “What qualities of the heart and mind do we want to cultivate with mindfulness?” If you’re wondering how practices like mindfulness and meditation might support emotional balance, addiction recovery or simply a less reactive mind, this thoughtful gathering of science and Zen gives plenty to ponder – how might these ideas fit into your own path?
He reports that “meditation does something more than relaxation training for healthy, but not for patient groups”, with the strongest effects showing up in emotional measures, attention, and possibly slower brain ageing.
Do you want to link to this podcast?
Get the buttons here!
More From This Show
The latest episodes from the same podcast.