According to a recently published study, Frontiers of Psychology The study used electroencephalography (EEG) to uncover distinct neural correlates of two main meditation types: focus and analytical meditation. Researchers found that these meditation practices led to different patterns of brain activity, providing insight into how meditation affects cognitive and emotional regulation. The study involved monks from Sera Jey Monastery in India, providing a unique glimpse into the neurophysiological effects of long-term meditation practice.
The researchers aimed to investigate how different forms of meditation affect brain activity. Despite the growing popularity of meditation in both clinical and secular contexts, the specific neural mechanisms underlying different meditative practices remain unclear.
The study focused on focused and analytical meditation and sought to delineate a distinct neurophysiological profile associated with these practices. The researchers wanted to address gaps in the literature, particularly the need for more nuanced and contextualized investigations of the effects of meditation on the brain.
“I’ve been a professor of electrical engineering at the University of Pisa for more than 40 years, and the science of the mind and the investigation of consciousness have always been at the heart of my interests and curiosity,” explained study author Bruno Neri.
“I first read about the Dalai Lama in an adventure novel when I was 14 years old. This man of infinite compassion and political and spiritual guidance made a deep impression on me. His reincarnation and his return after the end of his life to continue to guide others have always fascinated me. These two interests merged into one thread when I happened to arrive at the Tsongkhapa Institute, the largest centre of Tibetan Buddhism in the Western world, about 40 kilometres from Pisa.”
“So, some years later, when the Dalai Lama visited the institute where I had been for a while, he asked the director to put him in touch with the University of Pisa, and when he told me about it, I jumped at the chance and promoted a cooperation agreement between the institute itself and the Tibetan Monastic University in Serajey, India.”
The study was conducted over a 12-week period with 23 monks with different levels of meditation experience at Serajey Monastery in India. The monastic university in Bairakuppe is a prominent centre of Buddhist study and practice, rebuilt by monks who fled Tibet after the Chinese occupation in 1959.
“Serra Jey University was destroyed 60 years ago by Chinese invasion and rebuilt in India. It is a great test of resistance, maturity and perseverance for peace of a people who have never responded to violence with violence and shows how spiritual education develops the qualities of non-violence,” Neri explained.
Participants were divided into three groups: beginners, intermediate, and advanced. Researchers collected EEG data from monks taking part in both focus and analytical meditation sessions. There were no time limits on the sessions, allowing each participant to meditate naturally and without any external pressure.
The researchers found significant differences in brainwave patterns between focus meditation and analytical meditation. Focus meditation, which involves focusing attention on a single object such as breathing or a mantra, showed more pronounced changes in brain activity compared to analytical meditation. Specifically, focus meditation was associated with increased alpha and theta brainwave power, especially in the frontal and occipital regions. These changes suggest that attentional control is enhanced and distractibility is reduced during focus meditation.
In contrast, analytical meditation, which involves thinking about a specific concept or teaching, produced less dramatic changes in brain activity. While both types of meditation produced some changes in brainwave patterns, the effects of focus meditation were more powerful and consistent.
Neri was impressed by the monks’ ability to “spontaneously induce a range of mental states that are easily discernible with objective measuring instruments.”
“We need to get rid of our Western arrogance and treat these people with humility and a willingness to learn from them, without making them feel like guinea pigs.”
The researchers also observed a phenomenon unique to advanced meditators that was absent in novices: a pronounced peak in the beta frequency range during some sessions, suggesting that prolonged meditation practice may enhance certain cognitive and attentional processes.
“This study highlights that the multidisciplinary contributions of Western neuroscience and meditation practices, which have been continuously developing for almost three millennia within the great Eastern traditions, are essential to overcoming otherwise insurmountable obstacles to understanding the mysteries of consciousness,” Neri told PsyPost.
Although this study provides valuable insights, it also has some limitations. The sample size was relatively small and participants were unevenly distributed across levels of meditation experience. This makes it difficult to generalize the findings to all meditators. Future studies should aim to include larger, more balanced samples.
The researchers suggest that future studies should explore the long-term effects of meditation, particularly whether consistent practice over years can lead to lasting changes in brain structure and function. Investigating the effects of meditation on specific clinical populations, such as those with anxiety or depression, could also provide valuable insight into the therapeutic effects of meditation.
“What interests me most are certain esoteric meditations that allow the practitioner to get to the root of the mind-body relationship and demonstrate a causal relationship that is the opposite of that recognized in mainstream neuroscience,” Neri says. “Consciousness does not appear as an epiphenomenon of the brain, but rather consciousness itself has the ability to manage its relationship with the body.”
“One example is g-tummo meditation, which controls body temperature to almost 39 degrees. Another is mahamudra meditation, which simulates the mind/consciousness being separated from the body until the meditator’s metabolism slows so dramatically that they appear dead. Our next step is to look for skilled meditators of these two types during our next research mission to Sera Jay, which begins in a few weeks.”
“Francisco Varela understood that to advance the exploration of consciousness it was essential to combine a third-person approach, an objective analysis with a first-person approach, and a subjective analysis through meditation practice,” Neri added. “Unfortunately, he died at a young age. My experience with an ancient and authoritative tradition like Tibetan Buddhism has shown me that Varela was right.”
The study, “Report from a Tibetan monastery: EEG neural correlates of focus and analytical meditation,” was written by Bruno Neri, Alejandro Ruiz Carrara, Nicola Vanello, Danilo Menicucci, Andrea Zaccaro, Andrea Piarulli, Marco Laurino, Ngawang Norbu, Jampa Kechok, Ngawang Sherab and Angelo Gemignani.
