Daniel Siegel Attentive Brain. Scientific view of meditation. Attentive Brain Attentive Brain read online
Hello friends! Today I want to tell you about Daniel Siegel's book The Attentive Brain. A Scientific Perspective on Meditation”. Dr. Siegel is a well-known Western neuroscientist, best-selling author on the brain, child psychologist, and professor at the University of California, whose lectures the Dalai Lama himself does not disdain.
It would seem, what is the connection between a brain researcher and a religious leader? The most direct. In fact, Daniel Siegel's groundbreaking scientific study of the brain is nothing more than a hymn to mindfulness. And if the leader of the Buddhists finds Siegel's writings useful, then I certainly have a lot to learn from him, I thought. And I started reading with enthusiasm.
To be clear, I am of two minds about this book. On the one hand, reading is very difficult. The author talks about the nature of consciousness, about the structure of the brain, drawing parallels between the ancient practices of mindfulness and modern scientific data. At the same time, mindfulness is understood in the broadest sense, first of all, as the antonym of thoughtlessness and automatism.
You won’t be able to read this book diagonally - it will simply fly in one ear and fly out the other, without enriching you in any way. So if you are ready to dive into the wilds of neuropsychology, tune in to thoughtful reading with a pencil and a notebook.
On the other hand, the subject of mindfulness is dealt with in depth in the book. At the level of neurons - there is nowhere deeper. This is a very serious work, worthy of trust. I have not seen analogues in Russian, in terms of the depth of disclosure of the topic. If you're looking for a credible source for, say, an article on the nature of consciousness, this is it.
And why do we need to know about the structure of consciousness? What does it give?
The professional life of people in today's technology-infused world devours our attention and breeds hectic multitasking. This multitasking forces us to do something all the time, leaving no space to breathe, let alone just be.
Of course, we have learned to adapt to such a life and work in conditions of constant bustle. Thanks to this, we manage a lot, earn a lot of money, we can afford what our parents never dreamed of, but the trouble is that we do not feel well-being and inner comfort. We are drowning in informational noise. Our brains are constantly stimulated, and we are increasingly living on autopilot. The result of this is the lack of contact with oneself and the loss of the inner self, as a natural guide on the path to happiness.
Dr. Siegel talks about how to overcome the mindlessness and automatism of existence with the help of regular practice of mindful awareness. At the same time, the author tries to cover different methods of developing awareness, without being tied to a particular type of meditation or to a particular religion.
Much of the book is dedicated to explaining exactly what happens to the brain during mindfulness. So, last years neuroscientists have extensively studied Christian centering prayer, a variety of yogic practices, taijiquan, Buddhist meditation techniques, and other mindfulness practices. In the course of research, it turned out that people who regularly practice them improve the state of the nervous and immune systems. And recent studies of brain function have shown that mindfulness practice enhances the function of brain circuits responsible for insight and empathy.
Dr. Siegel also talks in detail about the nature of emotions and negative states. If you have patience and wade through the jungle of difficult syllables and a bunch of special terms, you can find valuable thoughts:
By grasping at preconceived ideas, the mind creates a tension in consciousness between what is and what should be. This tension creates stress and leads to suffering. With the help of disidentification of thoughts and emotions, with the help of realizing that this mental activity is not equivalent to “I” and “self”, is not something unchanging and permanent, the individual can allow them to burst, the word bubbles in boiling water.
Given that our world is in perpetual motion, our certainty is nothing more than an illusion.
It is safe to assume that mindful awareness brings the mind into a state of being in which the present experience is directly perceived, accepted as it is, and acknowledged with love and respect. Such intrapersonal attunement contributes to the development of a feeling of love.
Very interesting Siegel talks about his own experience with the practice of silence to develop mindfulness. The doctor spent a whole week in the company of hundreds of other scientists in complete silence. According to the description, it is very reminiscent of Vipassana meditation.
Siegel wrote a detailed report about the results of this experiment and his feelings, which is given in the book. These chapters allow you to take a break from scientific terms and see with a living human example what the author has in mind when he talks about the transformative role of mindful awareness.
It is not very clear whether this publication was conceived as a professional literature, or whether it is intended for a wide range of readers. I found the book more scientific than popular. Yes, the topic itself is complex, but look how he writes about the same Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche in the book “Buddha, the Brain and the Neurophysiology of Happiness”— his book is really inspiring and there is much more practice, life in it. By the way, it was with this book that my study of meditation began six years ago.
Daniel Siegel's book is different. It will be useful for advanced meditation practitioners - for understanding what is happening to them, as well as for those whose work is directly related to consciousness and awareness, for example, psychologists. Also, the book can be recommended to those who are interested in increasing the level of their own efficiency through attention management. For everyone else, I don't know.
If you have already read the book - be sure to unsubscribe in the comments. I'm very interested to know your opinion!
awareness and love,
Valentina Gorbunova
Daniel J. Siegel
The mindful brain
Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being
Scientific editor Evgeny Pustoshkin
Published with permission from W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. and literary agency Andrew Nurnberg
Legal support for the publishing house is provided by Vegas Lex law firm.
© 2007 by Mind Your Brain, Inc.
© Translation into Russian, edition in Russian, design. LLC "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", 2016
This book is well complemented by:
The New Science of Personal Transformation
Daniel Siegel
How to find harmony in our crazy world
Mark Williams, Danny Penman
The Path to Simplicity
Greg McKeon
What you and your children need to know about the brain
John Medina
Dedicated to Caroline
Foreword
Welcome to the journey through the center of our lives. Attentive awareness, turning consciousness to the richness of the experience we experience here and now affects the physiological and mental processes and deepens interpersonal relationships. Now this can be considered a scientifically established fact. Full presence in our awareness opens up new prospects for a prosperous life.
All peoples of the world, in all cultures, have practices that help a person develop awareness of the present. In the world's major religions, one or another method of focusing attention is used - from meditation and prayer to yoga and tai chi. Different traditions use different approaches, but they all have the same goal - to deliberately focus awareness in a way that transforms life. Mindful awareness is the universal goal of all cultures. Although mindfulness practice is often thought of as a form of attention management skill that focuses the mind on being in the present, this book takes a deep look at mindfulness practice as a form of maintaining a healthy relationship with ourselves.
In my native discipline, the science of interpersonal relationships in the family, we use the concept attunement- attunements, consonances, adaptations. Through the prism of this concept, we explore the ways in which a person, such as a parent, focuses attention on inner world another person, say your own child. This focused alignment with the other person's mind forms the neural connections that allow two people to feel like they are "feeling" each other. This state is vital if people want their relationships to be alive, energetic, full of mutual understanding and peace. Studies show that relationships based on this attunement contribute to strengthening the body's resistance and longevity. Our understanding of the practice of mindfulness builds on research findings on interpersonal attunement as well as the self-regulatory function of focused attention. They talk about mindfulness being a form of interpersonal attunement. In other words, maintaining mindful awareness is a way to become your own best friend.
We will look at how attunement can lead to the development of our brain in the direction of more balanced self-regulation. This is done by activating the process neurogal integration, providing flexibility in relationships and self-understanding. This feeling of being "felt," of being inextricably connected to the world, can help us understand how attuning with ourselves through mindfulness practice allows these physical and psychological dimensions to heal and achieve well-being.
The study of the physiology of the brain helps to see the commonality of the mechanisms of these two forms of intra- and interpersonal attunement. By exploring the neuronal aspect of our functioning and its possible correlation with mindfulness, we can understand why and how the practice of mindfulness significantly strengthens the immune system, improves well-being and enhances our ability to have healthy interpersonal relationships based on mutual understanding.
I am not a follower of any particular tradition of meditation or mindfulness practice, nor have I ever received meditation training prior to starting this research project. Thus, the book presents a fresh perspective on meditation practice, not constrained by any one specific perspective. The book proposes an exploration of the general concept of meditation. Mindful awareness can be cultivated in many ways, from relationship attunement experiences to educational approaches that promote the ability to contemplate, to formal meditation practice.
Need
At this time, we desperately need a new way of being - within ourselves, in schools and in society. Modern culture in the course of its development has created a world burdened with many serious flaws, in which individuals suffer from alienation. Even schools stopped inspiring accomplishment and pulled away from students. A society has been created, devoid of moral guidelines that would tell us how to move towards the creation of a global community of humanity.
I have watched my children grow up in a world where people are increasingly alienated from the human relationships that are evolutionarily required for our brains to function properly, relationships that are no longer part of our educational and social institutions and systems. V modern life, unfortunately, there are no human relationships that help form vital neural connections. Not only do we lose the ability to tune in to each other, the hectic pace of life leaves us no time to tune in even to ourselves.
As a physician, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and educator, I have been frustrated by how alienated so many clinicians are from the concepts of mental health. In my lectures around the world, I have asked more than 65,000 professional psychiatrists and psychotherapists whether they have ever taken a course in consciousness or mental health. And in 95 percent of cases, the answer was “no”. So what do we do in this case? Is it not time to realize the existence of consciousness as such - and not solely for the purpose of identifying the symptoms of various disorders?
Cultivating an understanding of consciousness based on direct experience is precisely the immediate goal of mindful awareness practice. We came into this world not only to understand our own consciousness, but to embrace our inner world and the souls of other people with kindness and compassion.
It is my deepest hope that by helping each other to align with our consciousness, we will be able to take ourselves and our culture beyond the many automatic reflexes that lead humanity down the path of self-destruction. The potential of human abilities for compassion and empathy is enormous. The realization of this potential in our difficult time can become a problem, but perhaps it can be solved in a direct way - through attunement with ourselves, our consciousness, our relationships, made from moment to moment.
Daniel Siegel
Attentive brain. Scientific view of meditation
Daniel J. Siegel
The mindful brain
Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being
Scientific editor Evgeny Pustoshkin
Published with permission from W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. and literary agency Andrew Nurnberg
Legal support for the publishing house is provided by Vegas Lex law firm.
© 2007 by Mind Your Brain, Inc.
© Translation into Russian, edition in Russian, design. LLC "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", 2016
* * *This book is well complemented by:
mindsight
The New Science of Personal Transformation
Daniel Siegel
mindfulness
How to find harmony in our crazy world
Mark Williams, Danny Penman
Essentialism
The Path to Simplicity
Greg McKeon
brain rules
What you and your children need to know about the brain
John Medina
Dedicated to Caroline
Foreword
Welcome to the journey through the center of our lives. Attentive awareness, turning consciousness to the richness of the experience we experience here and now affects the physiological and mental processes and deepens interpersonal relationships. Now this can be considered a scientifically established fact. Full presence in our awareness opens up new prospects for a prosperous life.
All peoples of the world, in all cultures, have practices that help a person develop awareness of the present. In the world's major religions, one or another method of focusing attention is used - from meditation and prayer to yoga and tai chi. Different traditions use different approaches, but they all have the same goal - to deliberately focus awareness in a way that transforms life. Mindful awareness is the universal goal of all cultures. Although mindfulness practice is often thought of as a form of attention management skill that focuses the mind on being in the present, this book takes a deep look at mindfulness practice as a form of maintaining a healthy relationship with ourselves.
In my native discipline, the science of interpersonal relationships in the family, we use the concept attunement- attunements, consonances, adaptations. Through the prism of this concept, we explore the ways in which a person, such as a parent, focuses attention on the inner world of another person, say, their own child. This focused alignment with the other person's mind forms the neural connections that allow two people to feel like they are "feeling" each other. This state is vital if people want their relationships to be alive, energetic, full of mutual understanding and peace. Studies show that relationships based on this attunement contribute to strengthening the body's resistance and longevity. Our understanding of the practice of mindfulness builds on research findings on interpersonal attunement as well as the self-regulatory function of focused attention. They talk about mindfulness being a form of interpersonal attunement. In other words, maintaining mindful awareness is a way to become your own best friend.
We will look at how attunement can lead to the development of our brain in the direction of more balanced self-regulation. This is done by activating the process neurogal integration, providing flexibility in relationships and self-understanding. This feeling of being "felt," of being inextricably connected to the world, can help us understand how attuning with ourselves through mindfulness practice allows these physical and psychological dimensions to heal and achieve well-being.
Daniel Siegel
Attentive brain. Scientific view of meditation
Daniel J. Siegel
The mindful brain
Reflection and Attunement in the Cultivation of Well-Being
Scientific editor Evgeny Pustoshkin
Published with permission from W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. and literary agency Andrew Nurnberg
Legal support for the publishing house is provided by Vegas Lex law firm.
© 2007 by Mind Your Brain, Inc.
© Translation into Russian, edition in Russian, design. LLC "Mann, Ivanov and Ferber", 2016
This book is well complemented by:
The New Science of Personal Transformation
Daniel Siegel
How to find harmony in our crazy world
Mark Williams, Danny Penman
The Path to Simplicity
Greg McKeon
What you and your children need to know about the brain
John Medina
Dedicated to Caroline
Foreword
Welcome to the journey through the center of our lives. Attentive awareness, turning consciousness to the richness of the experience we experience here and now affects the physiological and mental processes and deepens interpersonal relationships. Now this can be considered a scientifically established fact. Full presence in our awareness opens up new prospects for a prosperous life.
All peoples of the world, in all cultures, have practices that help a person develop awareness of the present. In the world's major religions, one or another method of focusing attention is used - from meditation and prayer to yoga and tai chi. Different traditions use different approaches, but they all have the same goal - to deliberately focus awareness in a way that transforms life. Mindful awareness is the universal goal of all cultures. Although mindfulness practice is often thought of as a form of attention management skill that focuses the mind on being in the present, this book takes a deep look at mindfulness practice as a form of maintaining a healthy relationship with ourselves.
In my native discipline, the science of interpersonal relationships in the family, we use the concept attunement- attunements, consonances, adaptations. Through the prism of this concept, we explore the ways in which a person, such as a parent, focuses attention on the inner world of another person, say, their own child. This focused alignment with the other person's mind forms the neural connections that allow two people to feel like they are "feeling" each other. This state is vital if people want their relationships to be alive, energetic, full of mutual understanding and peace. Studies show that relationships based on this attunement contribute to strengthening the body's resistance and longevity. Our understanding of the practice of mindfulness builds on research findings on interpersonal attunement as well as the self-regulatory function of focused attention. They talk about mindfulness being a form of interpersonal attunement. In other words, maintaining mindful awareness is a way to become your own best friend.
We will look at how attunement can lead to the development of our brain in the direction of more balanced self-regulation. This is done by activating the process neurogal integration, providing flexibility in relationships and self-understanding. This feeling of being "felt," of being inextricably connected to the world, can help us understand how attuning with ourselves through mindfulness practice allows these physical and psychological dimensions to heal and achieve well-being.
The study of the physiology of the brain helps to see the commonality of the mechanisms of these two forms of intra- and interpersonal attunement. By exploring the neuronal aspect of our functioning and its possible correlation with mindfulness, we can understand why and how the practice of mindfulness significantly strengthens the immune system, improves well-being and enhances our ability to have healthy interpersonal relationships based on mutual understanding.
The first book to bring together the science of the brain and the ancient art of mindfulness.
All peoples of the world, in all cultures, have practices that help in every this moment reach such a state. In the world's major religions, various methods of concentration are used - from prayer and yoga to taijiquan. Different traditions use different approaches, but they all have the same goal - the desire to deliberately focus the consciousness in such a way as to transform life. Thoughtful, mindful awareness of sensory experience is the universal goal of all human cultures. Thoughtfulness and concentration are often seen as the skill of increasing attention, the skill of focusing the mind on the perception of the world around at a given moment in time, and this book attempts to look deep into this conscious wakefulness, to consider it as meditation, as a form of a healthy relationship with oneself.
In this book, renowned psychiatrist and bestselling author Daniel Siegel talks about the structure of the brain, the nature of consciousness, explores meditation and various practices, and combines data scientific research about the brain with the practice of awareness and sensory perception.
From the author
I am not a follower of any religious tradition, and before I began to study this problem, I had never practiced meditation. Thus, the book presents a fresh look, not bound by any traditions. I presented an exploration of the universal concept of meditation. Focused awareness can be developed in many ways, from relationship attunement experiences, to educational approaches that promote contemplation, to true meditation.
This is a book for people who want to learn more about consciousness and intelligence and how to develop it - in themselves and others.
Captivated by the idea of uniting the worlds of relationships, brain and consciousness, I plunged headlong into direct sensory experience, into the depths of consciousness. I invite you to share my impressions, to explore with me the nature of focused awareness, the essence of which unfolded before my eyes during this fascinating journey full of wonderful discoveries.
Who is this book for?
This is a book for those who would like to learn more about the workings of consciousness and awareness and appreciate a scientific approach.
For those who want to get rid of stress, irritability and anxiety through mindfulness.
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