Mindfulness and neurobiology
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33898/rdp.v17i66/67.905Keywords:
mindfulness, empathy, immunity, affective style, prefrontal cortex, traits, psychotherapy, interpersonal neurobiologyAbstract
Recently, in specific research and publications, we observe the introduction of the term mindfulness and its techniques in the fields of education, psychotherapy and science in general. One of the reasons for this development is the increasing knowledge in the neurobiology of mindfulness. In this paper we review some of the most outstanding findings in this field, such as the effects of mindfulness on perception (openness), affective style (positive affect and approach mindset), immunity (enhanced) and empathy (increased). The research suggests that mindfulness practice activates several brain regions (like the prefrontal cortex) specialized in mediating human integrative functions. Moreover, prolonged mindfulness practice produces morphological changes in the cerebral cortex that correlate with changes in mental habits and character traits. Thus, the new field of Interpersonal Neurobiology, with its knowledge from different disciplines may even shape the clinical practice of psychotherapy.
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