24 JAN 2014 by ideonexus

 Geometry Sets the Mind Right

Geometry enlightens the intellect and sets one's mind right. All its proofs are very clear and orderly. It is hardly possible for errors to enter into geometrical reasoning, because it is well arranged and orderly. Thus, the mind that constantly applies itself to geometry is not likely to fall into error. In this convenient way, the person who knows geometry acquires intelligence. It has been assumed that the followmg statement was written Upon Plato's door: 'No one who is not a geometrician ...
Folksonomies: mathematics meditation
Folksonomies: mathematics meditation
  1  notes

Makes me think about mindfulness meditation, which is fine, but there are meditative practices that are proactive as well.

26 JUN 2012 by ideonexus

 Cognitive Rigidity

Experience may blind us from recognizing obvious solutions to problems. Research shows that physicians and health care professionals are likely to overlook the correct diagnosis in cases which do not match their experience [1]. Similar findings have been reported concerning difficulties in reframing clinical situations as experienced by healthcare professionals [2], [3], and difficulties of managers and decision makers in replacing existing procedures with new, improved and simpler ones [4]. ...
  1  notes

When experience blinds us to possibilities it hurts our professional abilities and can even lead to cognitive pathologies.

26 JUN 2012 by ideonexus

 Mindfulness Meditation Reduces Cognitive Rigidity

Two experiments examined the relation between mindfulness practice and cognitive rigidity by using a variation of the Einstellung water jar task. Participants were required to use three hypothetical jars to obtain a specific amount of water. Initial problems were solvable by the same complex formula, but in later problems (“critical” or “trap” problems) solving was possible by an additional much simpler formula. A rigidity score was compiled through perseverance of the complex formula...
  2  notes

Demonstrated using tests with "traps" that can only be overcome with novel thinking.

26 JUN 2012 by ideonexus

 Labeling Emotions Helps Control Them

Meditation and other “mindfulness” techniques are designed to help people pay more attention to their present emotions, thoughts and sensations without reacting strongly to them. Meditators often acknowledge and name their negative emotions in order to “let them go.” When the team compared brain scans from subjects who had more mindful dispositions to those from subjects who were less mindful, they found a stark difference—the mindful subjects experienced greater activation in the ...
Folksonomies: meditation mindfulness
Folksonomies: meditation mindfulness
  2  notes

An experiment demonstrating the effectiveness of mindfulness meditation in calming emotional states.

15 APR 2011 by ideonexus

 Controlling Pain with Meditation

In the study, a small group of healthy medical students attended four 20-minute training sessions on "mindfulness meditation" — a technique adapted from a Tibetan Buddhist form of meditation called samatha. It's all about acknowledging and letting go of distraction. "You are trying to sustain attention in the present moment — everything is momentary so you don't need to react," Zeidan explains. "What that does healthwise is it reduces the stress response. The feeling of pain is a ver...
Folksonomies: meditation pain
Folksonomies: meditation pain
  3  notes

Highlights from a study of meditation being used to control the sensation of pain.