* Oxford Journals
* Medicine
* Social Cognitive & Affective Neurosci
* Volume 2, Issue 4
* Pp. 259-263.
Mindfulness training and neural integration: differentiation of
distinct streams of awareness and the cultivation of well-being
Daniel J. Siegel
Director, Mindsight Institute
UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center
and Foundation for Psychocultural
Research/UCLA Center for Culture
Brain and Development
In recent years, the ancient practice of being aware of one's sensory
experience in the present momentof `being mindful'has
taken a prominent place in discussions among clinicians, educators and
the general public (Epstein, 1999; Kabat-Zinn, 2003; Bishop et al.,
2004; Germer et al., 2005).
Found in most cultures throughout history and now resurfacing in modern
times, in both the East and in the West, the practice of living in the
present has been offered as a way to cultivate well-being in our minds,
our bodies, and even in our relationships with each other (Kornfield,
2008).
Science has taken note of these suggestions and a number of
investigators have focused their objective lens on this form of
subjective, inner focus of the mind on present experience.
Evidence from these studies supports the notion that being mindful,
being aware of the present moment without grasping on to judgments, does
indeed improve immune function, enhance a sense of equanimity and
clarity and may even increase empathy and relational satisfaction
(Davidson et al., 2003, and see Siegel, 2007, for a summary of these
research studies).
Why would the way we focus our attention matter for the quality of our
lives? How does the process of developing an awareness of the present
moment that is filled with COALcuriosity, openness, acceptance and
love toward our ongoing experienceimprove the functioning of our
bodies, our minds and our relationships? One important clue to answering
these questions comes from the exciting findings of Farb et al. in this
month's issue of SCAN.
The authors of `Attending to the present: Mindfulness meditation
reveals distinct neural modes of self-reference' have provided an
intriguing insight illuminating the nature of mindful awareness and of
our experience of self. In their study the researchers compare
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