In their book “Buddha’s Brain,” neuropsychologist Rick Hanson and neurologist Richard Mendius bring together research in neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness meditation practice to provide insights and tools to help us to maximize our capacity for greater well-being and peace of mind. Our brains evolved to help us survive as a species. Unfortunately it did not evolve to maximize our happiness and well being. Evolutionary psychology tells us that our ancient ancestors who were busy enjoying the sunset and not attending to danger were probably snapped up as a meal by the closest saber tooth tiger.
Today, as a result, we are probably attending to unreal dangers or unreal possibilities of danger 99% of the time, in order to avoid the 1% when there may be a problem. In psychological terms this can manifest as problems with depression, anxiety and phobias. Cultivating habits that bring us a greater sense of ease and well-being are possible, but do take effort and practice. On the other hand, small practices will add up over time.
How to Change Your Brain
Hanson and Mendius suggest a number of actions we can take to “level the playing field” and increase our sense of happiness and well-being. As demonstrated in brain imagery studies, these kind of disciplines can actually change the structure of the brain.
Setting strong positive intentions for ourselves. This prefrontal cortex activity of setting an intention translates into amazing neural activity that ripples throughout the brain. It creates “deliberate, centralized, reasoned motivation.” One way to try this is to take some time, sit down and imagine being someone else who represents what you would like to do in your own life. In your mind’s eye, see and feel yourself as though you were this person performing this activity.
Relax. We are primed to respond to threats with activation of the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) and the production of stress hormones. Our nervous system operates like a see-saw, and conscious activation of the parasympathetic nervous system can calm the sympathetic nervous system. The next time you are feeling a little anxious, put your hand on your belly, and beginning with a full exhale then take a deep breath that causes the diaphragm to rise. Spend a couple of minutes just breathing.
Feel Safety. You can use imagery to imagine protective figures, like a beloved grandparent or a guardian angel. Or visualize a protective boundary around yourself. Or visualize a safe place where you feel at ease and protected
Cultivate positive emotions like joy and happiness. When good feelings appear on their own, open up to them and let them in. Take the time, 10 or 20 seconds, to just feel and enjoy the good feelings. Don’t try to hold on to them too hard, just let them be there while they’re there. Set a gentle intention for yourself, “May I be happy.”
Panoramic Awareness. When we are ruminating on the negative, we are caught in “mid line” brain activity. This is the part of the brain that is obsessed with “I,” “me,” and “mine.” The lateral circuits of the brain provide a more open awareness and a sense of flow. We can stimulate these lateral circuits by imagining ourselves as an open blue sky, or imgagining looking down on ourselves with a birds eye view while sitting in an open meadow. Worrisome thoughts and feelings can be seen as passing phenomena in a larger field of awareness, like clouds in the sky.
Let The Good Sink In. Pay attention to the positive. Let good experiences sink in. Savor them. Imagine the experience is soaking deeply into your body, like the sun’s warmth.
Be on your own side. To the best of your ability, take a moment and imagine anyone that’s ever cared about you or wished you well. Imagine how they felt towards you. Let yourself feel these loving feelings. Let yourself feel their care and love.
A Guided Meditation Set aside a few minutes when you will not be interrupted. Begin with a few deep breaths into the diaphragm. Visualize yourself seated in big open field on a pleasant, warm day. Imagine the details, the fresh smell of the air, the warmth of the sun permeating your body, the soft grass underneath you, the blue sky above, and the colorful wildflowers that surround you. Let yourself feel safe. (It’s your own imagination, so you can imagine that this is a safe place.) If worries or fears arise, see them as a passing element, like a breeze within the larger meadow. From this safe and pleasant place, set some good intentions for yourself. “May I be safe. May I be happy. May I be healthy. May I be peaceful.” Repeat them, and see if you can let these intentions resonate inside yourself. Now send these same intentions to those you love and care about. “May you be safe. May you be happy, May you be healthy, May you be peaceful.” And finally send these intentions to those who may be in need and suffering.