Disease and Meditative Techniques

Cancer and Meditative Techniques

Body, Disease

Immunity and

Metabolism

MeditativeTechniques

A change of consciousness creates a change in the energy field.

A change in the energy field creates a change in the physical body

Sir Martin Brofman World Institute of Technologies for Healing

Consciousness

Energy Field

Physical Body

Goal of Meditative Techniques

• Journey within to discover your true Self• When the mind and body changes you do not

change. You are the manager and witness of the mind and body.

• The goal of meditation is to realize this level of being, not just to understand in theory but to experience in reality an expanded state of consciousness

Meditative techniques

• There are 4 main techniques to lift the mind from ordinary state to level of super-conscious awareness:– Mantra Repetition– Visualization – Breath Awareness– Cultivating Witness Consciousness

Meditative techniques

• When these tools are practiced over a longer period of time, true meditation happens.

• It is a moment to moment awareness without strain, where no past or future has any importance. Only the space of present moment exists

• Meditation is not just about sitting – it is about living in a certain space where motion and spirit flow in harmony.

Meditative techniques• Produce effects on the mind, emotions and body• Effects on the mind:

– Breaks down acute stress mechanism– Restores the functions of serotonin and melatonin , responsible for

healthy sleep– Restores the function of GABA, responsible for control of unwanted

thoughts– Sustains the effect of endorphin, responsible for the feeling of well being– Reduces recovery after distressing situations– Increases brain wave coherence leading to harmony of brain wave activity

in different parts of the brain (results in greater creativity, improved moral reasoning, and higher IQ).

– Increases concentration– Facilitates problem solving

Mind over Brain

• Research shows that:– Long term meditation experience is associated with

increased cortical thickness– Changes in gray matter after meditation were

concentrated in brain regions involved in:• Learning and memory processes • Emotion regulation• Self-referential processing • Perspective taking (acting instead of reacting)

Mind over BodyPositive metabolic effect:• Meditation improves proper co-ordination in between all

endocrine glands• Enhances the immune system. Research has revealed that

meditation increases activity of 'natural-killer cells', which kill bacteria and cancer cells

• It restores the normal rhythm of all endocrine glands, thus normalizing hormone levels

• It improves the cellular anti-oxidants, which reduces the hazard of free radicals in cells

• Decreases muscle tension (any pain due to tension) and headaches

• Reduces Pre-Menstrual Syndrome

Mind over Brain• Meditation techniques restore the alpha rhythm of the brain which

is responsible for rest• Help to bring the coherence in both cerebral hemispheres which

improves thinking faculty• Increase brain wave coherence which leads to harmony of brain

wave activity in different parts of the brainResults in:

– Greater creativity,– Improved moral reasoning, – Higher IQ – Increases concentration – Facilitates problem solving

• Deep meditation restores theta wave rhythm, which is responsible for intuitive work of the brain.

Mind over Body

• Placebo effect - In layman’s terms this means that the treatment works not because of any scientific or medical effect of the treatment but because the patient believes that the treatment will help. – According to research done by cell biologist, B. Lipton, PhD, 30% of

all diseases (including surgeries) are cured by placebo effect

• Our thoughts and feelings influence the body through nervous and circulatory systems (William Collinge, M.P.H., Ph.D.) – This allows the brain to affect the behavior of the immune system – Cell receptors receive chemical messages from the brain and react

based on those messages changing body metabolism

Mind over Body

• Dr. H. Benson’s research proved:– Negative thoughts, bad moods and compulsive worrying

eventually take up physical residence in our bodies – Negative thinking signals the brain to send help when no

physical sickness is present, persuading the body to get sick when there is no biological reason sickness should occur.

– By keeping positive thoughts about the body we can actually change the physiology of the body for healthier one

– The visualization of the healing process over the time has been proven to speed up the actual healing of the body

Mind over Body• One year mindfulness intervention follow-up

showed in breast and prostate cancer patients:– enhanced quality of life – decreased stress symptoms, – altered cortisol– Increased immune patterns – decreased mood disturbance, – decreased blood pressure

Mind over Body

• Reversal of psychosomatic diseases such as:– Constipation– Indigestion– Skin diseases– Menstrual irregularities– Skin allergies– Respiratory allergies

Mind over Emotions• Meditation techniques reduce the habit of irritability of limbic cells• Sustain the calmness , non-reactiveness, thus avoids the tendency and

recurrence of stress reactions• Help to improve the patience in daily activities• Decrease anxiety and depression • Release anger• Ease stress, grief, and fear • Foster inner calm• Heal on physical and emotional levels• Increase feelings of vitality and rejuvenation; happiness and emotional stability • Build self-confidence • Access creative potential • Lead to inner guidance

Mind over Heart

• American Heart Association research shows that regular meditation was correlated with a 48% reduced rate of death, heart attack and stroke. Blood pressure was reduced and anger decreased significantly among the meditation group.

• It appears that meditation is a technique that turns on the body’s own pharmacy – to repair and maintain itself

• Meditating 20 minutes twice a day can cut your chances of sudden death, heart attack, and stroke in half immediately