Higher theta and alpha1 coherence when listening to Vedic recitation compared to coherence during Transcendental Meditation practice

Travis, Frederick; Parim, Niyazi; Shrivastava, A.K.

doi:10.1016/j.concog.2017.02.002

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…A reversal in alpha asymmetry noted here, from parietal R > L at baseline, to L > R during WBPD (participants P8, S12), may well be indicative of the type of dynamic shift in hemispheric asymmetry predicted by Suedfeld et al (1994) for exposure to our WBPD environment. Indeed, our use of WBPD facilitated what Travis et al (2017 , p. 162) have termed “lively silence,” which is “not passive or inert” – as clearly seen in the imagery reported by our participants. As McGilchrist (2019 , p. 330) has recently noted, “A constant feature of all mystical traditions is an emphasis on the creative power of silence and stillness” and further that this facilitates “the mode of attention to the world [more] of the RH than the LH.” Our data – both experiential and electrophysiological – support this view.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

“…For example, Benson (2001 , p. 125) reports that observers placed within a Turrell Ganzfeld sphere frequently described their experience as being “calming, relaxing, womb-like, uplifting, meditative, and so on.” Experienced meditators, such as P15, also report “…like being in the mother’s womb. A deep state of ease and peace” ( Travis et al, 2017 , p. 162). She also refers to the sun, but in addition she addresses the colors.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Immersion, Absorption, and Spiritual Experience: Some Preliminary Findings

Glicksohn

Ben‐Soussan²

2020

Front. Psychol.

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Many traditions have utilized silent environments to induce altered states of consciousness and spiritual experiences. Neurocognitive explorations of spiritual experience can aid in understanding the underlying mechanism, but these are surprisingly rare. We present the verbal report and the electroencephalographic (EEG) alpha profile of a female participant scoring a maximal 34 on the Absorption Scale, recorded before and while she was immersed in a whole-body perceptual deprivation (WBPD) tank. We analyze her trancelike experience in terms of the imagery reported: a spaceship, corridors, doors, a man dressed in white, speaking to God, the sun, supernova, concentric images, and an out-of-body experience. Her report is indicative of a spiritual experience, given that she felt that she was “meeting God” in the laboratory. She exhibited both frontal and parietal left > right alpha power asymmetry at baseline, whereas in the WBPD condition, there was a global increase in alpha power and especially a sharp increase in right-frontal alpha power. Her verbal report and EEG alpha profile were compared to those of another female participant, also scoring high on absorption, whose verbal report was also indicative of a trancelike experience. For further comparison, we present the data for two participants scoring low on absorption. Spiritual experience that can be verbalized might be associated with a marked increase in right-frontal alpha power, as reported here. In contrast, a mystical experience characterized by ineffability would be indicated by a marked increase in left-frontal alpha power.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 58%

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Immersion, Absorption, and Spiritual Experience: Some Preliminary Findings

Glicksohn

Ben‐Soussan²

2020

Front. Psychol.

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“…Travis and Arenander ( 2006 ) reported asymmetric coherence findings in frontal areas when meditation (TM-NDM) was compared with either eyes-closed resting or with cognitive computation. In a complementary way, Travis et al ( 2017 ) reported theta-2 plus alpha-1 frontal, parietal, and frontal-parietal coherence increases when participants listened to Vedic mantra recitation, in comparison to TM practice. Farrow and Hebert ( 1982 ) further evaluated breath suspension epochs in TM meditation, pointing to significant changes in mean coherence values in alpha, beta and theta bandwidths before and during meditation that were interpreted as increase in the long range orderliness of brain activity.…”

Section: Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

A Critical Analysis on Characterizing the Meditation Experience Through the Electroencephalogram

Deolindo

Ribeiro

Aratanha

et al. 2020

Front. Syst. Neurosci.

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Meditation practices, originated from ancient traditions, have increasingly received attention due to their potential benefits to mental and physical health. The scientific community invests efforts into scrutinizing and quantifying the effects of these practices, especially on the brain. There are methodological challenges in describing the neural correlates of the subjective experience of meditation. We noticed, however, that technical considerations on signal processing also don't follow standardized approaches, which may hinder generalizations. Therefore, in this article, we discuss the usage of the electroencephalogram (EEG) as a tool to study meditation experiences in healthy individuals. We describe the main EEG signal processing techniques and how they have been translated to the meditation field until April 2020. Moreover, we examine in detail the limitations/assumptions of these techniques and highlight some good practices, further discussing how technical specifications may impact the interpretation of the outcomes. By shedding light on technical features, this article contributes to more rigorous approaches to evaluate the construct of meditation.

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