In this Tedx Talk, Dr. Shauna Shapiro speaks about her journey with mindfulness through neuroscience research and notable knowledge from experienced monks. She starts by saying that when practicing mindfulness, her mind would often wander. In her time in Thailand, she was confiding in an English Monk and he mentioned that what she was practicing was not mindfulness but judgement, impatience, and frustration. He then stated that “what you practice grows stronger.” She supported this statement by providing evidence based on neuroplasticity. Dr. Shapiro informs her audience that “repeated experiences shape our brain.” So, when practicing mindfulness, if we are clouding our brains with distractions such as judgmental thinking, the practice of judging will grow stronger in our brains. We can physically see this in what Dr. Shapiro introduces as “cortical thickening.” In cortical thickening, new neurons grow in response to repeated practice. After leaving Thailand she studied mindfulness and its effects on students, veterans, patients with insomnia, and patients with breast cancer. Through research she found that mindfulness works by decreasing stress, strengthening immune functioning, and decreasing cortisol.
Something that struck me when listening to Dr. Shapiro’s presentation is that when feeling shame, the areas of the brain that deal with growth and learning physically shut down. Mindfulness practice involves being non-judgmental and kind to not only others but ourselves as well. Which draws me to my next bit of new-found knowledge. In all my research collection on this topic, I had never heard Dr. Shapiro’s definition of mindfulness. She describes it as “intentionally paying attention with kindness.” I had heard of paying attention non-judgmentally but the notion of doing it with kindness was new to me, and I found it resonating with me. In her talk, my definition of mindfulness expanded as well as my understanding of its benefits.
Shapiro, S. (2017, March 10). Retrieved July 14, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeblJdB2-Vo
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