I spend a few hours of meditation every day - if we get neuroscience e-based enlightment - then no need for these things

Dalai Lama

What is meditation?

Meditation is just an umbrella term that combines many different methods of mental training. It used to be associated with religion, spirituality and esotericism. It evokes images of monks and nuns who lead a self-centered way of life in monasteries and places far from the world. Or one thinks of ascetic yogis who linger deeply in the lotus position.

But today, meditation has long since arrived in our modern world - as a relaxation procedure with proven effectiveness in many symptoms.

But despite the obvious appeal and increased accessibility of meditation training with programs such as mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), it remains a significant challenge for many individuals to maintain a consistent practice. Early meditators often complain that they do not know if they are “doing it right” or give up before realizing any significant benefits.

How can Neurofeedback help in meditation practice?

By providing the meditator with immediate feedback on their brainwave state, a Neurotherapist can help define and refine the process, potentially increasing motivation, interest, and impact. Incorporating neurofeedback into a meditation practice can potentially help with these concerns. In addition, because meditation and neurofeedback are both involved in the training of mental states, it seems obvious that these practices could be used to enhance each other, either in an attempt to achieve deeper states of meditation or by combining them as a treatment intervention for specific mental health conditions such as ADHD, anxiety, or depression.

Early meditators often complain that they do not know if they are “doing it right” or give up before realizing any significant benefits. Experienced meditators often hit a plateau in their practice and have difficulty moving through it to deeper states of meditation. Incorporating neurofeedback into a meditation practice can potentially help with these concerns, potentially increasing motivation, interest and impact.

By providing the meditator with immediate feedback on their brainwave state during a meditation, we can help define and refine the process. In addition, because meditation and neurofeedback are both involved in the training of mental states, these practices can be used to enhance each other as a treatment intervention for specific mental health conditions such as ADHD, anxiety or depression.

About Dr. Jeff Tarrant

Dr. Jeff Tarrant, international leader in neuromeditation, is a licensed psychologist, BCIA-certified neurofeedback therapist, and Global Neurotherapy Initiative (GNI) teacher. He is the founder and CEO of the NeuroMeditation Institute in Eugene, Oregon, and offers certification training for NMI therapists and educators.