Mindfulness meditation: how it works in the brain

Mindfulness meditation: how it works in the brain.

Mindfulness may be successful in helping with a range of conditions, from depression to pain, by working as a sort of “volume knob” for sensations, according to a new review of studies from Brown University researchers.

In their paper, published in the journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, the researchers proposed that mindfulness meditation works by enabling a person to have better control over brain processing of pain and emotions.

Specifically, the researchers postulate that mindfulness meditation plays a role in the controlling of cortical alpha rhythms, which have been shown in brain imaging studies to play a role in what senses our bodies and minds pay attention to.