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27887 |
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Date: September 12, 2022 at 08:32:23
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Study on meditation for children to cope with trauma, stress |
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If yoga can be twistedly seen as evil, no doubt
meditation will be, too by same folk... ;) ...(and,
involving children!? Horrors! lol)... But many unburdened
by such nonsense have observed, myself included, that for
children whose natural orientation feels open to learn
meditation at a young age, it can literally create a
lifelong foundation for mastering all challenges... ;)
***
The big idea
Children actively meditating experience lower activity in
parts of the brain involved in rumination, mind-wandering
and depression, our team found in the first brain-imaging
study of young people under 18 years old. Over-activity
in this collection of brain regions, known as the default
mode network, is thought to be involved in the generation
of negative self-directed thoughts – such as “I am such a
failure” – that are prominent in mental disorders like
depression.
In our study, we compared a simple form of distraction –
counting backward from 10 – with two relatively simple
forms of meditation: focused attention to the breath and
mindful acceptance. Children in an MRI scanner had to use
these techniques while watching distress-inducing video
clips, such as a child receiving an injection.
We found that meditation techniques were more effective
than distraction at quelling activity in that brain
network. This reinforces research from our lab and others
showing that meditation techniques and martial arts-based
meditation programs are effective for reducing pain and
stress in children with cancer or other chronic illnesses
– and in their siblings – as well as in schoolchildren
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This study, led by medical student Aneesh Hehr, is
important because meditation techniques such as focused
attention on the breath or mindful acceptance are popular
in school settings and are increasingly used to help
children cope with stressful experiences. These might
include exposures to trauma, medical treatments or even
COVID-19-related stress.
Why it matters
Researchers know a lot about what is happening in the
brain and body in adults while they meditate, but
comparable data for children has been lacking.
Understanding what is happening in children’s brains when
they meditate is important because the developing brain
is wired differently from the adult brain.
These findings are also important because caregivers and
health care providers often use distraction methods like
iPads or toys to help children cope with pain and
distress, such as medical procedures. However, those
techniques may largely rely on the prefrontal cortex,
which is underdeveloped in youth.
This means that stress and emotion regulation techniques
that rely on the prefrontal cortex may work well for
adults but are likely to be less accessible to children.
Meditation techniques may not be dependent upon the
prefrontal cortex and may therefore be more accessible
and effective for helping children manage and cope with
stress.
What’s next
We still have a great deal to learn about how meditation
affects brain development in children. This includes what
types of meditation techniques are most effective, the
ideal frequency and duration, and how it affects children
differently.
Our study focused on a relatively small sample of 12
children with active cancer, as well as survivors who may
have experienced significant distress over the diagnosis,
treatment and uncertainty about the future. Future
studies with larger sample sizes – including children
with a wider diversity of diagnoses and exposures to
early adversity or trauma – will help researchers like us
to better understand how meditation affects the brain and
body in children.
Our findings underscore the need to understand precisely
how meditation techniques work. Exciting recent studies
have begun to examine how participating in mindfulness
and meditation-based programs can shape brain functioning
in children.
Understanding how these techniques work is also essential
for optimizing how they could be applied in health care
settings, such as coping with needle-related procedures
or for helping children manage the negative effects of
stress and trauma."
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Responses:
[27889] [27890] [27888] |
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27889 |
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Date: September 13, 2022 at 18:51:52
From: Sue/S, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Study on meditation for children to cope with trauma, stress |
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This reminds me of an experience I had
years back teaching kindergarten in a
public school. I tried a sort of
meditation with the kids, heads on tables,
etc. The kids thought I was making them
take a nap and complained to their
parents. Parents were not pleased. Well I
tried
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Responses:
[27890] |
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27890 |
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Date: September 13, 2022 at 19:25:30
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: Re: Study on meditation for children to cope with trauma, stress |
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Oh no! lol Ah well, just as you say, you tried! It was a
great impulse... ;)
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Responses:
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27888 |
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Date: September 12, 2022 at 08:40:42
From: shadow, [DNS_Address]
Subject: (link) |
URL: https://theconversation.com/meditation-holds-the-potential-to-help-treat-children-suffering-from-traumas-difficult-diagnoses-or-other-stressors-a-behavioral-neuroscientist-explains-189037 |
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