Dr. Jud Brewer
Dr. Jud Brewer
Mindfulness and meditation - The Neuroscience of Awakening: Mapping Meditative States
Mindfulness and meditation - The Neuroscience of Awakening: Mapping Meditative States
Mindfulness and meditation - The Neuroscience of Awakening: Mapping Meditative States
Saturday 29th November 2025
Explore advanced meditative states with Dr. Jud Brewer and Dr. Poppy Schoenberg using EEG technology.
21 minutes
Inspiring
Informative
Hopeful
Transformative
Educational
About this podcast
Author:
Dr. Jud Brewer
Overview:
Categories:
Mindful Recovery
Mindfulness & Emotional Wellbeing
Mindfulness & Technology in Health
Understanding Addiction & Recovery
Navigating Intimate Relationships
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Episodes:
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Episode Overview
- EEG technology reveals changes in brain activity during meditation.
- Experienced meditators show decreased overall electrical activity.
- Gamma wave activity increases in the executive control centre.
- Parietal lobe activity suggests transformation of self-awareness.
- Enhanced empathy is linked to increased beta wave activity in the insula.
"It's not about erasing the self, but transforming it into something more interconnected."
Curious about how others navigate their sobriety journey? Dive into this episode of The Dr. Jud Podcast where Dr. Jud Brewer, a seasoned addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist, teams up with Dr. Poppy Schoenberg to explore the fascinating world of advanced meditative states. With EEG technology, they peek into the brains of experienced meditators practicing Indo-Tibetan meditation.
You might think meditation is all about relaxation, but these pros take it to another level, aiming for a shift in consciousness that includes timelessness, emptiness, and awakened awareness infused with compassion. The episode unpacks how brain activity changes during meditation. Initially, there's a decrease in overall electrical activity, suggesting a move from the busy 'monkey mind' to a more peaceful state.
But as meditators progress through stages, gamma wave activity increases in areas like the anterior cingulate cortex—the brain's executive control centre—indicating heightened focus and emotional regulation. The real kicker? The parietal lobe, responsible for self-awareness, becomes more active, challenging the notion that the self dissolves during meditation. Instead, it suggests a transformation into a more interconnected self. Meanwhile, the insula, the empathy hub of the brain, shows increased beta wave activity, pointing to enhanced compassion.
This episode isn't just for meditation veterans; it's a call for everyone to explore their own meditative potential. So whether you're new to meditation or a seasoned practitioner, there's something here for you. What might your brain reveal if you embraced this practice? Get ready to be moved by real-life accounts of how advanced meditation can transform not just the mind but also our sense of self.