Self-transforming brain

The self-transforming brain refers to the ability of the self to consciously use mental activity to
change/modify the brain's neural network in order to experience life with more happiness and
fulfillment.[1] This capacity of using awareness to do so is based on the assumption that the brain and the
mind are closely connected, that one does not change without the other.[2] The phrase "I think therefore I
am" is not only a famous proclamation in the eyes of neuroscience. It has been evidenced that mental
activities such as fleeting thoughts and feelings can create new neural structures in the brain and thus
shape a person's reality.[3] Therefore, it is possible to make use of the brain's neuroplasticity to re-wire or
change one's brain and life by consciously activating happy, tranquil and loving mental states.

Background: Brain-evolution link

The experience of happiness and well-being is a universal pursuit, but often a struggle to achieve. One
explanation for this is that happiness is not the brain's default and normal state of mind, whereas the
Evolutionary psychologists claim that suffering is. Suffering in the form of everyday stress, hurt, anger,
loneliness, worry and disappointment experienced by the layperson is thought to be the side effect of
strategies that helped human ancestors survive and pass on their genes throughout evolution.[4] In this
manner, the neural networks in the human brain have evolved to create pain and suffering when the
evolutionary instincts cannot keep up with the outside world. This happens, for example, when the brain
attempts to separate the body and the self from a world where everything is connected. Consequently, the
weaknesses of an individual's body become personal weaknesses, and the individual suffers as a result of
negative self-image, illness and aging.[5] Another survival strategy embedded in the neural networks of
the brain is the tendency to approach pleasure and avoid pain, which is why humans suffer when they
experience mental states with a negative feeling tone.[6]

Bias
Due to the strong impact of evolution on the human brain, what the modern man is left with is a
negativity bias, which colours the manner in which humans perceive and interpret events within the
environment.[7] This bias is the reason for why the mind in particular, scans for, remembers and reacts to
unpleasant experiences and why emotions such as worry, anxiety and fear of anticipated negative
outcomes often follows. However, the negativity bias does not correspond with reality, as humans are
most often not in danger.[8] Even so, the brain simulates worst-case scenarios and creates additional
worry and fear over events that most likely never will occur. Consequently, this process strengthens these
neural structures and humans suffer even more.[9]

Self-transformation through meditation

The nervous system

The neuroplasticity of the brain allows re-wiring of default neural pathways through conscious acts
performed by the individual. As the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is responsible for stress-related
hormones that activate mental states such as anxiety, irritation, stress and melancholy that make
individuals unhappy, action must be taken by the individual to activate the parasympathetic nervous
system (PNS). The PNS can on the contrary, end suffering created by the SNS as it produces feelings of
relaxation, contentment and reflective insight that are necessary for the conscious re-wiring of the default
neural networks that constantly scans for threats.[10]

Meditation
One powerful way of activating the PNS is by using the mind-body connection through meditation.[9]
Meditation is often equated with mindfulness. Both concepts refer to the act of consciously using one's
attention to be aware of what occurs moment-to-moment in one's outer and inner environment with a
non-judgemental attitude. Attention resembles a spotlight; whatever it casts light on will flow into the
mind and shape the brain. By developing control of attention through meditation the individual will
consequently have the agency to choose what mental activity that should shape the brain, and thus, the
experienced reality. In this manner, it is possible to transform the brain's default negative neural structure
that leads to suffering.[11]

Techniques to control attention

The practice of meditation can include a wide range of techniques that aim to activate the PNS through
sustained conscious attention and concentration. However, the ability to restrain attention is a challenging
and unnatural pursuit for the brain, as it constantly attempts to update the individual's awareness with new
information.[12] There are methods that can be used to develop greater control of attention:[13]

• Setting an objective to be mindful – at the start of an activity that requires concentration, establishing a
deliberate objective to remain focused, such as "I am going to let my mind be steady."

• Remaining awake and alert to the environment - the brain cannot pay attention when sleep-deprived.
For example, sitting up in a straight posture helps as this sends information to the reticular formation,
which is involved in consciousness, telling it to stay vigilant to environmental stimuli. Another technique
is taking deep breaths. This increases oxygen in the brain, which keeps it awake.
• Silencing the mind. When the mind is silenced, there are fewer things to distract attention. For example,
by creating an awareness of the whole body. Involved in this process is the right hemisphere, which
represents whole-body processing. By initiating activities as such that the right hemisphere specializes in,
the verbal babble of the left hemisphere is silenced.

Physical and Psychological Health Benefits

As the PNS is activated through meditation, it quietens the SNS, which is responsible for a majority of
human psychological suffering. The activation and alteration of brain structure has also been related to a
number of physical and psychological health benefits:

• A resilient affective style and increased mood. The absence of stress hormones in SNS activation allows
for prefrontal activation and regulation of the amygdala, both of which are necessary for the experience
of these states.[14]

• Strengthening of the immune system as a result of an increase in antibodies. This is the result of
activation of the left-sided anterior through meditation practice.[15]

• Increase in empathy and compassion. The cultivation of positive affect through mental training
stimulates the activation of the anterior cingulate cortices that have been previously linked to empathic
responses to another person's pain.[16]

References
1. Hebb, D.O. (1949). The organization of behavior. New York, USA: Wiley.
2. Siegel, D.J. (2001). The developing mind. New York, USA: WW Norton & Co.
3. LeDoux, J.E. (1995). Synaptic self: how our brains become who we are. New York, USA:
Penguin.
4. Craig, A.D. (2011). Significance of the insula for the evolution of human awareness of
feelings from the body. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 12(25), 72-82.
5. Bud Craig, A. D. (April 2011). "Significance of the insula for the evolution of human
awareness of feelings from the body". Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. 1225
(1): 72–82. Bibcode:2011NYASA1225...72B (https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2011NYASA
1225...72B). doi:10.1111/j.1749-6632.2011.05990.x (https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1749-663
2.2011.05990.x). PMID 21534994 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21534994).
6. Davidson, Richard J. (7 January 2008). "Prolegomenon to the structure of emotion:
Gleanings from neuropsychology". Cognition and Emotion. 6 (3–4): 245–268.
doi:10.1080/02699939208411071 (https://doi.org/10.1080%2F02699939208411071).
7. Vaish A, Grossmann T, Woodward A (May 2008). "Not all emotions are created equal: the
negativity bias in social-emotional development" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/
PMC3652533). Psychol Bull. 134 (3): 383–403. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.134.3.383 (https://d
oi.org/10.1037%2F0033-2909.134.3.383). PMC 3652533 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pm
c/articles/PMC3652533). PMID 18444702 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18444702).
8. Ito, Tiffany A.; Larsen, Jeff T.; Smith, N. Kyle; Cacioppo, John T. (1998). "Negative
information weighs more heavily on the brain: The negativity bias in evaluative
categorizations". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 75 (4): 887–900.
doi:10.1037/0022-3514.75.4.887 (https://doi.org/10.1037%2F0022-3514.75.4.887).
PMID 9825526 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9825526).
 9. Hanson, R. (2009). Buddha's brain. The practical neuroscience of happiness, love and
wisdom. Oakland, USA: New Harbinger Publications Inc.
10. Harrington, R. (2013). Stress, health and well-being. Thriving in the 21st century. Belmont,
USA: Cengage Learning.
11. Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever you go there you are. Mindfulness meditation for everyday
life. New York, USA: Hyperion.
12. Buschman, T., & Miller, E. (2007). Top-down versus bottom-up control of attention in the
prefrontal and posterior parietal cortices. Science, 315,1860-1862.
13. Hanson, R. (2009). Buddha's brain. The practical neuroscience of happiness, love and
wisdom. Oakland, USA: New Harbinger Publications Inc.
14. Huppert, F. A.; Baylis, N.; Keverne, B.; Davidson, Richard J. (29 September 2004). "Well–
being and affective style: neural substrates and biobehavioural correlates" (https://www.ncbi.
nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1693421). Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of
London. Series B: Biological Sciences. 359 (1449): 1395–1411. doi:10.1098/rstb.2004.1510
(https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frstb.2004.1510). PMC 1693421 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/p
mc/articles/PMC1693421). PMID 15347531 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15347531).
15. Davidson, R.J., Kabat-Zinn, J., Schumacher, M., Rosenkranz, D., Muller, S.D., Santorelli,
F...(2003). Alterations in brain and immune function produced by mindfulness meditation.
Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 564-570.
16. Lutz, Antoine; Brefczynski-Lewis, Julie; Johnstone, Tom; Davidson, Richard J.; Baune,
Bernhard (26 March 2008). "Regulation of the Neural Circuitry of Emotion by Compassion
Meditation: Effects of Meditative Expertise" (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC
2267490). PLOS ONE. 3 (3): e1897. Bibcode:2008PLoSO...3.1897L (https://ui.adsabs.harva
rd.edu/abs/2008PLoSO...3.1897L). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0001897 (https://doi.org/10.13
71%2Fjournal.pone.0001897). PMC 2267490 (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PM
C2267490). PMID 18365029 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18365029).

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Self-transforming_brain&oldid=1044957333"