I am fascinated with the crossover between spirituality and science and in my opinion they are both seeking truth, yet from different perspectives. As Albert Einstein once said, “Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” Having attending a talk with Dr. Dan Siegel on Sunday, I am WOWED by his ability to articulate his Harvard educated scientific genius with ancient theories of mindfulness and deliver them with seamless eloquence to the lay public. Ya gotta love a guy who hangs out with such a diverse crowd as Nobel Prize winning neuroscientists, the Dhalai Lhama and Jon Kabat-Zinn. Siegel has written several books including Mindsight: the New Science of Transformation (2010) which explains the biological basis for how and why practicing mindfulness meditation stands to nurture us, our relationships, culture and society.
Siegel’s lecture which I attended at Spirit Rock was titled the Neuroscience of Family Life and Parenting and he described the characteristics of mental health which are nurtured through both relationship to others and mindfulness practice. Siegel’s last 25 years of research were centered on attachment theory, which explains that children with healthy, close relationships to thier parents develop areas of the brain which are conducive to mental health. It turns out that these areas of the brain are also nurtured through mindfulness meditation. These aspects are things such as the ability to attune to others, develop morality, garner aspects of empathy and respond to situations with flexibility. He explained that if one does not have healthy relationships with their parents as a child that they can, through meditation, develop these capacities of the brain in a process he calls “earned security”.
Siegel (2010) explained that healthy minds come from a flow of integration between our introspective worlds, relational processes and our environments. Meditation eliminates what Siegel calls top-down thinking, or the projection of past experience on the present. For example, if I were raised as a child being screamed at when I made a mistake, I might react in the same way towards my child as a parent. Siegel explained that when one practices meditation, they are able to develop properties of introspection that allow one to see their mind’s immediate reaction in a situation and choose another way. In other words integration is nurtured through meditation, because when we tend to the flow of our minds with openness we develop the ability to attune to ourselves, which in turn makes us more empathetic to others.
Its difficult to fit the complex information Siegel (2010) shared in his talk into a succint blog, but to all you yogis and meditators, rest assured that your practice is scientifically supported to improve your health, your relationships with others and the world as a whole. As research unfolds the evidence sings in resounding agreement that contemplative practices are advantageous to wellbeing. Keep it hummin'.
Siegel (2010) has a lot of material available on his website including an audio meditation called “Wheel of Awareness” which is a great illustration of how to clean our brains and foster mindfulness.
I’m going to leave it there, but if you would like more information check out:
Siegels website at: http://drdansiegel.com/
This article, Complexity Choir by Dr. Dan Siegel is also great: http://www.psychotherapynetworker.org/recentissues/744-complexity-choir
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