November 1, 2014
1 min read
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Whether it be mental calm or analgesia, neuroscientists have discovered a range of possible health benefits from meditation
By Gary Stix
A Buddhist monk—this one with a doctorate in cell biology—has teamed with two prominent neuroscientists to present the latest findings on what meditation does to the brain and how those changes to neural circuits have some of the trappings of what might be labeled a perfect drug—Prozac-like muting of depression symptoms or prophylaxis against PTSD (just two on the list). Read “Mind of the Meditator” by Ricard Matthieu, Antoine Lutz and Richard J. Davidson in the November issue to find out more, or watch Davidson and Ricard talk about contemplative practices in the videos below.
Here’s Davidson’s talk at Stanford about the emergence of the new field of contemplative neuroscience.
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Ricard lectures in this video about the “art of meditation” to the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce.
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