Developing the Total Brain

Transcendental Meditation improves brain integration and coherence

"Our brain is a river and not a rock. Every time you experience something in your life, it creates a pattern of activation over the brain that gives us experience. At the same time, it's leaving its mark in the connections between neurons." Dr Fred Travis

 

Effects of Stress

Weak Executive Functioning
  • Rigid thinking
  • Impulsive, reactive behavior
  • Shortsighted decision-making
  • Poor working memory
  • Distracted attention
  • Drug and alcohol abuse
  • Unethical thinking and behavior
Stressed Physiology
  • Fatigue
  • High blood pressure
  • Eating and sleeping disorders
  • Weak immune system
Imbalanced Emotions
  • Low self-esteem and self-confidence
  • Worries, anxieties, and fears
  • Shallow, divisive emotions
  • Unstable relationships
  • Depression

Effects of TM

Strong Executive Functioning
  • Purposeful, flexible thinking
  • Nonimpulsive, proactive behavior
  • Farsighted decision-making
  • Excellent working memory
  • Settled, focused attention
  • No substance abuse or addictions
  • Ethical thinking and behavior
Healthy Physiology
  • Energy and vitality
  • Fit cardiovascular system
  • Balanced physiology
  • Strong immune functioning
Balanced Emotions
  • Self-confidence and secure self-esteem
  • Feelings of safety and peace
  • Compassion and empathy for others
  • Healthy interpersonal relations
  • Happiness and optimism
 

How Stress Damages the Brain

Stress, pressure, fatigue, poor diet, alcohol, and drugs damage neural connections between the brain's prefrontal cortex - or "CEO" - and the rest of the brain. When you are overtired or under intense mental or physical stress, the brain bypasses its "higher," more evolved, rational frontal executive circuits—it starts using more primitive stimulus/response pathways. Consequently, you respond to daily demands without thinking; you make impulsive, shortsighted decisions. When the CEO goes "offline," strong emotions, such as fear and anger, take over, adversely coloring your view of the world.

How Transcendental Meditation Optimises the Brain

The stress-reducing, nonreligious Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique provides the experience of "restful alertness," which reduces stress, strengthens communication between the brain's prefrontal cortex and different areas of the brain, and develops total brain functioning. As a result, the TM practitioner displays stronger executive functions, with more purposeful thinking and farsighted decision-making. When the CEO is fully "online," the emotional response to the world is more balanced and appropriate.

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EEG of student meditating

Brain Researcher
Dr. Fred Travis

"We need a healthy, integrated brain that can evaluate where we are, decide where we want to be, and then decide on the steps to get there."
(15mins)

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Fred Travis, PhD

Dr Fred Travis

Centre for Brain, Consciousness and Cognition, Iowa, USA

"If we add the experience of transcending to our daily routine, then the brain connections that support the experience of pure consciousness are strengthened. This is the reality of growth to enlightenment. It happens every day with every session of the Transcendental technique "