doi:10.

1093/scan/nsm034 SCAN (2007) 2, 259–263

In this Issue

Mindfulness training and neural integration:

differentiation of distinct streams of awareness
and the cultivation of well-being1
In recent years, the ancient practice of being aware of one’s repeatedly as the mind becomes distracted by other objects
sensory experience in the present moment—of ‘being mind- of attention, such as discursive thoughts or preoccupations
ful’—has taken a prominent place in discussions among with memory or plans for the future. Subjects with MBSR
clinicians, educators and the general public (Epstein, 1999; training and those awaiting such an experience were then

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Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Bishop et al., 2004; Germer et al., 2005). compared in a task designed to elucidate the impact of such
Found in most cultures throughout history and now training on the practice of momentary attentional focus. The
resurfacing in modern times, in both the East and in the task administered attempted to tease apart the neural
West, the practice of living in the present has been offered as correlates of a fundamental aspect of mindfulness: How we
a way to cultivate well-being in our minds, our bodies, and differentiate between two distinct streams of awareness. Let
even in our relationships with each other (Kornfield, 2008). us first examine why the capacity to distinguish components
Science has taken note of these suggestions and a number of of mental functioning might be such a useful ability and then
investigators have focused their objective lens on this form of explore the researcher’s fascinating findings.
subjective, inner focus of the mind on present experience. A present view of neuroscience suggests that when energy
Evidence from these studies supports the notion that being and information flow in the various circuits of the brain, we
mindful, being aware of the present moment without generate the neural correlates of mental experience. We can
grasping on to judgments, does indeed improve immune propose that one possibility for a mechanism by which
function, enhance a sense of equanimity and clarity and may mindful awareness may lead to enhanced well-being is in the
even increase empathy and relational satisfaction (Davidson way this state of attentional focus alters our relationship—our
et al., 2003, and see Siegel, 2007, for a summary of these internal stance—toward our own mental processes. When
research studies). individuals refine the ways in which they see the fabric of the
Why would the way we focus our attention matter for the mind itself it becomes possible to intentionally alter the flow
quality of our lives? How does the process of developing an of mental experience. In this way, seeing the mind with more
awareness of the present moment that is filled with depth and clarity of focus would allow the mind—the
COAL—curiosity, openness, acceptance and love toward regulation of the flow of energy and information—to be
our ongoing experience—improve the functioning of our transformed. For example, if we can disengage old habits of
bodies, our minds and our relationships? One important neural firing from creating their automatic and engrained
clue to answering these questions comes from the exciting emotional reactions, such as depression or anxiety, we can
findings of Farb et al. in this month’s issue of SCAN. reduce mental suffering and enhance the growth in our
The authors of ‘Attending to the present: Mindfulness internal world toward mental health. This shift in the focus
meditation reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference’ of attention—the way we use the mind to channel the flow of
have provided an intriguing insight illuminating the nature energy and information through the various circuits of the
of mindful awareness and of our experience of self. In their brain—changes the pattern of activity in the brain. With
study the researchers compare the brain imaging findings of repetition, such mindful practice can create intentional states
two groups, one trained in mindfulness meditation and the of brain activation that may ultimately become traits of the
others awaiting such training—the novices. Mindfulness individual. In neuroplasticity terms this is how new patterns
meditation as taught through the Mindfulness-Based Stress of repeated neural circuit activation strengthen the synaptic
Reduction approach (Kabat-Zinn, 1990) is a specific form of connections associated with those states that then lead to
mental training that involves a series of exercises that enable synaptic strengthening and synaptic growth. This is the
the student to focus awareness on present experiences and mechanism by which practice harnesses neural plasticity
return the attentional focus to the target of attention to alter synaptic connections in a way that transforms a
temporary state into a more long-lasting trait of the
1
Commentary on Farb et al., this issue. individual. The developmental trajectory from effortful
ß The Author (2007). Published by Oxford University Press. For Permissions, please email: [email protected]
260 SCAN (2007) D. J. Siegel

state to effortless trait can be seen as a fundamental ‘living in the present’. The first step in mindfulness training
component of how mindfulness can alter engrained patterns is to learn to become aware of the difference between
of psychopathology. This may be the comon mechanism bottom-up sensory experience and the top-down chatter of
underlying the burgeoning of studies that suggest our narrative minds.
that mindfulness-based approaches are effective in the Farb and colleagues beautifully advance our understand-
treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (Baxter et al., ing of this crucial first step in mindfulness training. Their
1992) and anxiety (Hayes, 2004) and in the prevention of approach to these fascinating and important issues is to
relapse in depression (Segal et al., 2002; Mayberg, 2005; Segal create a paradigm that asks the two groups of subjects to
et al., 2007) and drug addiction (Marlatt et al., 1985; Parks engage in one of two mental approaches to presented
et al., 2001). stimuli. The stimuli are adjectives reflecting the subject’s self-
But why would seeing the mind more clearly, of sensing traits. In one condition, the task is to focus on the self-
the previously coupled aspects of mental flow as in fact referential meaning of the presented word. This is a
separable elements, actually help? Learning the ‘mindsight’ condition that evokes a sense of the extended self across
skill of seeing the mind in oneself and in others enables the time, our narrative sense of self that engages mental time
individual to discern different streams of awareness. With travel linking past, present and future (Tulving, 1993).
such a new ability, the capacity to intentionally alter the Meaning is a core aspect of this narrative process and the

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direction of information flow—to use the skilled focus of meaning-condition is designed to evoke activity in the story-
attention to change the mind—enables us to amplify the telling circuits of our human neural architecture. The second
activity of certain pathways and inhibit others. Without this condition is to become aware of the experience of the present
refined inner view of the mind itself, such discrimination moment. The instructions of this condition are not just
among specific patterns of neural firing is not possible. With about one’s sensing of the external world through the five
the acquisition of a stabilized and refined focus on the mind senses or even just being aware of the bodily sensations
itself, previously undifferentiated pathways of firing become present at that moment. Instead, this experiential condition
detectable and then accessible to modification. It is in this invites the subject to be aware of whatever arises as it
way that we can use the focus of the mind to change the arises—perceptions, thoughts and feelings. This is our
function and ultimately the structure of the brain. ‘momentary self-awareness’. The notion is to create a
When we achieve new skills of self-observation through condition that evokes a non-narrative focus of the mind
mindful practice, it becomes possible to disengage auto- on here-and-now mental processes.
matically coupled pathways. With this new skill, the mind The results reveal that in all subjects during the meaning-
may create an important ability to free itself from the condition, the medial prefrontal regions (mPFC) were
enslavements of prior learning. Before mindfulness training, activated, consistent with numerous prior studies suggesting
an individual may be unaware that there are distinct energy that our ‘narrative circuitry’ includes these midline struc-
and information paths within awareness. Instead, the mind tures, just behind the forehead. For the second condition,
is experienced as an amalgam of busy thoughts and feelings to just focus on the experience and not the meaning of the
and automatic reactivity and habitual responses. The notions presented words, those untrained in mindfulness—the
that one can ‘change one’s mind’ or to even not identify with novices—showed mPFC activation along with some increased
these mental activities as the totality of who one is are ideas activity in a posterior right-lateralized area. The coupling of
often not even in one’s worldview prior to immersion in these two regions suggests that without training, we are often
mindfulness training. With such training, the ability to unable to remove ourselves from the narrative chatter of our
distinguish different streams of information flow becomes busy minds and distinguish ongoing story narration and
possible. Noticing the differences between sense and story, mental time travel from immediate experience of the present
between primary experience-dependent ‘bottom-up’ input moment. This narrative neural activity suggests that without
and the secondary ‘top-down’ chatter of prior learning mindfulness training people may naturally continue to be
becomes a fundamental tool of the mindfulness approach. unable to ‘just live in the present’ and instead are filled with
Once this distinction, this noticing of the contents of the ruminations and self-referential judgments.
mind, is readily accessible through intentional practice, In contrast, the mindfulness meditation trained individ-
the capacity to alter habitual patterns is created and the uals during the momentary experience condition revealed a
possibility becomes available for relief from self-preoccupied diminishment in mPFC activation along with enhanced right
rumination, self-defeating thought-patterns, negative auto- lateralized posterior findings. This result suggested that
biographical narratives and maladaptive patterns of emo- (i) The mPFC could possibly be more inhibited with
tional reactivity. Discerning the mind, seeing the mind with mindfulness training and thus release primary bottom-up
a more refined inner eye, allows the individual to not experience from narrative top-down enslavement; (ii) The
become lost in these top-down mental processes that often capacity to differentiate these two distinct streams of
enslave awareness in preoccupations derived from the past narrative knowing from awareness of the present moment
and worried about the future. This is how we are kept from was now available and (iii) The possibility that with this
Mindfulness training and neural integration SCAN (2007) 261

condition there may have been a ‘quieter’ mind, naturally and moral reasoning (Anderson et al., 1999; Bechara et al.,
devoid of mPFC mediated chatter. In this way, a stabilized 2000; Moll et al., 2002; Greene et al. 2004).
focus of the mind for those trained in mindfulness may Mindful awareness entails more than sensing present
have become a generalized trait, not a time-dependent experience as it generates an awareness of awareness and
intentionally created state of the person requiring active attention to intention. These fundamental aspects of mind-
inhibition. fulness can be seen as forms of meta-cognition that are
This study’s findings establish an important basic step in known to involve activity in the middle prefrontal regions,
the illumination of the possible mechanisms by which including the medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate areas.
mindfulness training may help cultivate well-being. With Studies of mindful awareness reveal anterior cingulate
mindfulness practice, the intentional creation of a state activation consistent with this executive monitoring during
of mindful awareness enables the individual to differentiate mindfulness of the breath (Cahn and Polick, 2006). Of note
previously inseparable streams in the flow of information of also are the preliminary findings of superior temporal
the mind. The authors’ note that such ability may help in activation as well, consistent with neural mapping of states of
‘objectifying’ the mind, a process in which individuals are intention that may involve circuitry related to the mirror
able to dis-identify from mental activities as being the neurons and insula (Carr et al., 2003) The possible activity
totality of who they are. This differentiation enables the and strengthening of circuits of the middle prefrontal

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discrimination between present-focused experience on regions during mindfulness practice, Brodman’s area 9 and
sensation, images, feelings and thoughts—SIFTing the mind- 10, is supported by the findings that aspects of this region
from the narrative chatter of previously created categories are thicker in those with decades of mindfulness meditation
and concerns. This distinction enables one to disengage from practice (Lazar et al., 2005). As the authors point out, Lazar
the top-down influences of prior learning and create new and colleagues’ study also revealed right-lateralized increased
avenues by which the mind’s energy and information can be thickness in more posterior regions associated with intero-
regulated. and exteroception: the insula, somatosensory cortex and
Farb et al.’ s study provides an intriguing window into the parietal regions. Here we see the supportive data suggesting
nature of our multidimensional flow of awareness. We can that mindfulness practice is not just about being aware of
suggest that the mind may have more than just these two sensory experience in the moment but also involves
delineated streams of present-focus and narrative discourse. executive and metacognitive prefrontal functions as well.
Self-observation may be another flow of awareness that may Ruth Baer and colleagues (Baer et al., 2006) have noted
entail embedding a map of the self as experiencing present four facets of mindfulness in the general population, and the
sensation: We sense the self sensing the present moment. distinction of a fifth independent facet in those trained in
This aspect of a witnessing—but not narrating—self broadens mindfulness meditation. These facets include being non-
the focus of awareness to include a sense of the ‘I’ that judgmental, non-reactive, acting with awareness of present
experiences simultaneously with the ‘me’ that is the historian sensory experience, labeling and describing with words the
of lived experience. Such an observational stream of internal world, and self-observation. We can see that these
awareness may activate unique but overlapping midline facets, especially the latter two, involve more than the
prefrontal regions. In this way, we may actually utilize an immersion of oneself in sensation devoid of executive
observational stream of awareness that harnesses medial as prefrontal functions alone. The essential capacities to
well as dorsolateral prefrontal circuitry within mindful monitor one’s own intentional states and the focus of
awareness. Though the present study emphasizes the awareness onto itself are central features of mindful practice.
importance of separating midline prefrontal from more These prefrontal abilities, combined with the additional
right-lateralized posterior activity in this experimental frontal use of linguistic centers to describe internal
paradigm, mindful awareness as a whole—beyond just this experience as one observes ongoing states, are fundamental
experimental paradigm’s conditions—likely involves many to mindful awareness. In these ways, mindfulness is clearly
aspects of prefrontal activity. The correlates of the outcome an integrated state of mental processing that involves a wide
measures for mindfulness training that likely utilize those range of attentional, emotion regulating, conceptual and
functions mediated in part by midline prefrontal regions observational processes that are harnessed in a flexible and
include the regulation of emotion (Tucker et al., 1995; Bush adaptive manner. The ability to bring back a wandering
et al. 2000; Davidson et al., 2000; Phan et al. 2002; Critchely attention over and over again, as the authors note in
et al., 2003), executive attention (Carter et al., 1999; Gehring William James’ comments, is the education ‘par excellence’.
and Fensik, 2001; Schoenbaum and Setlow, 2001; Gottfried Such an educated mind involves the executive functions of
et al. 2003; Chambers et al., 2006) and the aspects of insight an integrating prefrontal cortex that monitors the self as
and empathy that map the mind of self and others in lived, has a map of the mind itself and alters attentional flow
reflections (Turken and Swick, 1999; Decety and Chaminade, as needed.
2003; Carr et al., 2003; Decety and Jackson, 2004; Beitman The present research findings help us see the essential
and Nair, 2005; Beer et al., 2006; Heisel and Beatty, 2006) distinction of primary sensing of ongoing mental events
262 SCAN (2007) D. J. Siegel

from a narrative meaning-making stream of awareness. Daniel J. Siegel

In addition we have suggested that we may have an Director, Mindsight Institute
observational stream that maps the self as experiencing yet UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
does not link such observations of the present to memories and Foundation for Psychocultural
of the past or plans for the future. In this way, the linguistic Research/UCLA Center for Culture
output derived from such an observational stream would Brain and Development
be a description, not a narrative explanation. This observa-
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