The embodied mind: A review on functional genomic and neurological correlates of mind-body therapies

Muehsam, David; Lutgendorf, Susan K.; Mills, Paul J.; Rickhi, Badri; Chevalier, Gaétan; Bat, Namuun; Chopra, Deepak; Gurfein, Blake T.

doi:10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.12.027

Cited by 102 publications

(66 citation statements)

References 129 publications

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“…In line with previous evidence of significant differences between expert meditators and controls in the electrophysiological spectral profile at rest (Lutz, Greischar, Rawlings, Ricard, & Davidson, 2004), our results suggest a potential broad impact of meditative practice on neural organization, in turn reflecting on other outcomes related to health and well-being (Muehsam et al, 2017).…”

Section: Ta B L E 3 Relationship Between Well-being and Neural Metricsupporting

confidence: 91%

Short‐term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network

et al. 2018

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IntroductionWhile cross‐sectional studies have shown neural changes in long‐term meditators, they might be confounded by self‐selection and potential baseline differences between meditators and non meditators. Prospective longitudinal studies of the effects of meditation in naïve subjects are more conclusive with respect to causal inferences, but related evidence is so far limited.MethodsHere, we assessed the effects of a 4‐week Sahaja Yoga meditation training on gray matter density and spontaneous resting‐state brain activity in a group of 12 meditation‐naïve healthy adults.ResultsCompared with 30 control subjects, the participants to meditation training showed increased gray matter density and changes in the coherence of intrinsic brain activity in two adjacent regions of the right inferior frontal gyrus encompassing the anterior component of the executive control network. Both these measures correlated with self‐reported well‐being scores in the meditation group.ConclusionsThe significant impact of a brief meditation training on brain regions associated with attention, self‐control, and self‐awareness may reflect the engagement of cognitive control skills in searching for a state of mental silence, a distinctive feature of Sahaja Yoga meditation. The manifold implications of these findings involve both managerial and rehabilitative settings concerned with well‐being and emotional state in normal and pathological conditions.

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Section: Ta B L E 3 Relationship Between Well-being and Neural Metricsupporting

confidence: 91%

Short‐term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network

et al. 2018

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“…mindfulness, the use of coping strategies, yoga, exercise and meditation among others) as a means to manage distress and anxiety (Regehr, Glancy, & Pitts, ). Skills implemented to decrease psychological stress and regulate the sympathetic nervous system will influence the musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and nervous system function and thereby enhance immune function and decrease inflammation (Kenney & Ganta, ; Muehsam et al, ). Many studies directed toward the mind/body connection are conceptually or specifically related to Polyvagal Theory and a polyvagal approach in managing worry, calming the nervous system and promoting better emotional and physical health.…”

Section: Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies directed toward the mind/body connection are conceptually or specifically related to Polyvagal Theory and a polyvagal approach in managing worry, calming the nervous system and promoting better emotional and physical health. Managing stress through self‐regulation has been shown to reduce symptoms of chronic pain, depression and PTSD, and to positively affect emotional well‐being, resilience after illness or trauma, and management of chronic pain (Goyal et al, ; Taylor, Goehler, Galper, Innes, & Bourguignon, ; Schmalzl, Powers, & Henje Blom, ; Muehsam et al, ). Polyvagal Theory has provided a framework for understanding parasympathetic regulation of cardiac activity and its effect on children's adaptive functioning (Hastings et al, ).…”

Section: Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Application of the Polyvagal Theory to High Conflict Co‐Parenting Cases

Bailey¹,

Dana²,

Bailey³

et al. 2020

Family Court Review

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Families, litigants, lawyers, advisors embroiled in cases of complex divorce with child contact issues, manage many stressors at once. Participants involved with these types of cases are often exhausted and burned-out from the long-term battles of prolonged litigation. The inability to problem-solve or even communicate effectively reflects the chaos and traumatic stress of the experience and can be seen as a hallmark of this population. When people are consistently stressed, there is a breakdown of communication skills that can create an immunity to receiving help from any direction. Often all parties involved appear to be both hyper-alert to potential threat, and hyper-reactive to one another: no one feels safe. Stephen Porges' Polyvagal Theory is premised on the idea that neuroception plays a key role in the nervous system's ability to assess danger in the environment. Neuroception is a neurophysiological response that does not involve cognitive processing. When cognitive processing is not involved, the result may lead to misinterpretation of, and an inability to accurately assess situations: executive functioning including rational thinking and communication skills are lost to physiological response. Rather than evaluating families and individuals involved in the aforementioned complex divorce cases through the lens of pathology, Polyvagal Theory explains their behavior as an adaptive stress reaction. Utilizing Polyvagal Theory offers a promising path to treatment with these families and diminishing the poor communication and the heightened emotion, assisting practitioners in understanding the impact of neurobiological response in managing stress and trauma. Applying Polyvagal Theory to court involved populations can help both litigants and practitioners recognize the role of the autonomic nervous system, providing the opportunity to understand, to self-regulate, and to improve communication and decision making. Key Points for the Family Court Community:Separation and divorce. The impact of Parent/Child contact problems in high-conflict divorce and separation. The impact of high conflict co-parenting cases on family law and mental health professionals. Interventions: Current practice Polyvagal theory. Polyvagal informed therapy. Effects of polyvagal approach and self regulation. Managing physiological response from a cognitive perspective. Clinical setting and polyvagal theory. Family therapy and polyvagal theory. Experiential framework and polyvagal theory. *Equine assisted therapy, polyvagal perspectives and alternatives. Processing chaos and grief. Other opportunities for making connection. Implementation for professionals.

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“…Therefore, the researchers' interest was also related to the influence of MBT, including qigong, on the reduction of inflammatory gene activity [14][15][16][17]. The most popular experiments are those in which proinflammatory interleukins are detected.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anti-inflammatory effect on genes expression after four days of Qigong training in peripheral mononuclear blood cells in healthy women

Półrola¹,

Wilk-Frańczuk²,

Wilczyński³

et al. 2018

Ann Agric Environ Med.

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Objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in the expression of genes associated with cellular stress response in peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBC) in healthy women. Materials and method. The experiment took place at the Japanese Martial Arts Centre "DOJO" in Stara Wieś, Poland, conducted over the course of a 4-day qigong training session. To evaluate the genes effect of this training, blood samples were taken before and after the training period. This experiment involved 20 healthy women (aged 56.2±9.01, body height 164.8±6.5 and mass 65.5±8.2). To determine the expression of HSF-1, HSPA1A, NF-kB, IL10 and CCL2 mRNA, 3 ml of venous blood was collected. The blood samples were placed in tubes allowing for separation (BD Vacutainer CPT

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The embodied mind: A review on functional genomic and neurological correlates of mind-body therapies

Cited by 102 publications

References 129 publications

Short‐term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network

Short‐term Sahaja Yoga meditation training modulates brain structure and spontaneous activity in the executive control network

The Application of the Polyvagal Theory to High Conflict Co‐Parenting Cases

Anti-inflammatory effect on genes expression after four days of Qigong training in peripheral mononuclear blood cells in healthy women

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