How God Changes Your Brain

Breakthrough Findings Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist, Written by: Andrew Newberg, MD and Mark Robert Waldman

ABOUT THIS BOOK
God is great–for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. That’s the finding of this startling, authoritative, and controversial book by the bestselling authors of Born to Believe.
Based on new evidence culled from their brain-scan studies on memory patients and meditators, their Web-based survey of people’s religious and spiritual experiences, and their analyses of adult drawings of God, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg, therapist Mark Robert Waldman, and their research team have concluded that active and positive spiritual belief changes the human brain for the better. What’s more, actual faith isn’t always necessary: atheists who meditate on positive imagery can obtain similar neurological benefits. Written in an accessible style–with illustrations highlighting how spiritual experiences affect the mind–How God Changes Your Brain offers the following breakthrough discoveries:
• Not only do prayer and spiritual practice reduce stress and anxiety, but just twelve minutes of meditation per day may slow down the aging process.
• Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety, depression, and stress and increases feelings of security, compassion, and love.
• Fundamentalism, in and of itself, is benign and can be personally beneficial, but the anger and prejudice generated by extreme beliefs can permanently damage your brain.
• Intense prayer and meditation permanently change numerous structures and functions in the brain–altering your values and the way you perceive reality.

What is Meditation?

A spiritual practice of focusing within ourselves which appears to tap into forces that have not been explained by science, which can have spiritual, mental and emotional benefits for some people. There are various types of meditation practices taught throughout the world.

ABC news: Medical benefits of Yoga explored
http://www.abc4.com/mostpopular/story.aspx?content_id=37b45f1e-f0f2-4b77-b745-b4d05638a782 or see PDF

Psychology Today: The Benefits of Meditation

The brain waves of meditators show why they're healthier. Neuroscientists have found that meditators shift their brain activity to different areas of the cortex—brain waves in the stress-prone right frontal cortex move to the calmer left frontal cortex. In other words, they were calmer and happier than before.

See article: Psychology Today http://psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20030424-000003.html or as  PDF
 

Guided Mediation sessions facilitated by experienced, nondenominational
ordained ministers, from April to October.

The NEW DDA MEDITATION SPACE, for small groups of no more than eight persons/students per session, that will offer COMMUNITY ENRICHMENT, MENTAL/PHYSICAL WELLNESS AND PERSONAL GROWTH/DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL:
via culturally and racially integrated, therapeutic, spiritual - but nondenominational, guided mediation sessions for residents of the Twin Cities/Metro Area/surrounding areas, who are:

(1) Disabled,
(2) Senior (over 60) and
(3) Low income persons with diagnosed physical and/or mental illness, who forseeably can benefit from meditation

***Educational Opportunities, inclusive internships and trainee volunteers in various healing and mediation practices will be available. Preference will be given to disabled applicants and students.

No preference is given to any religious organization or doctrine.

DDA offers basic meditation guidance and instruction, which is easy for anyone to follow. The educators come from diverse backgrounds ranging from Buddhism to Christianity, for example, however, an emphasis is stressed that the educators will not impose any particular religious philosophy in teaching at the DDA Sanctuary. The purpose of meditation classes at the DDA Sanctuary is to assist participants to enjoy peace, calm, emotional well being, and overall wellness, to the full extent that the practice of meditation can offer at a basic level. No preference is given to any religious organization or doctrine.

Participants can choose whether they wish to proceed to a more advanced or complex study of meditation at the many other institutes and facilities for learning that are readily available in our culture.

DDA Sanctuary is entirely non denominational, however, images from multiple religions and philosophies are available at the sanctuary for inspiration.

DEFINITIONS:

Meditation - http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Meditation
Definition
Meditation is a practice of concentrated focus upon a sound, object, visualization, the breath, movement, or attention itself in order to increase awareness of the present moment, reduce stress, promote relaxation, and enhance personal and spiritual growth.
Purpose
Meditation benefits people with or without acute medical illness or stress. People who meditate regularly have been shown to feel less anxiety and depression. They also report that they experience more enjoyment and appreciation of life and that their relationships with others are improved. Meditation produces a state of deep relaxation and a sense of balance or equanimity. According to Michael J. Baime, "Meditation cultivates an emotional stability that allows the meditator to experience intense emotions fully while simultaneously maintaining perspective on them." Out of this experience of emotional stability, one may gain greater insight and understanding about one's thoughts, feelings, and actions. This insight in turn offers the possibility to feel more confident and in control of life. Meditation facilitates a greater sense of calmness, empathy, and acceptance of self and others.
Meditation can be used with other forms of medical treatment and is an important complementary therapy for both the treatment and prevention of many stress-related conditions. Regular meditation can reduce the number of symptoms experienced by patients with a wide range of illnesses and disorders. Based upon clinical evidence as well as theoretical understanding, meditation is considered to be one of the better therapies for panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, substance dependence and abuse, ulcers, colitis, chronic pain, psoriasis, and dysthymic disorder. It is considered to be a valuable adjunctive therapy for moderate hypertension (high blood pressure), prevention of cardiac arrest (heart attack), prevention of atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries), arthritis (including fibromyalgia), cancer, insomnia, migraine, and prevention of stroke. Meditation may also be a valuable complementary therapy for allergies and asthma because of the role stress plays in these conditions. Meditative practices have been reported to improve function or reduce symptoms in patients with some neurological disorders as well. These include people with Parkinson's disease, people who experience fatigue with multiple sclerosis, and people with epilepsy who are resistant to standard treatment.
Overall, a 1995 report to the National Institutes of Health on alternative medicine concluded that, "More than 30 years of research, as well as the experience of a large and growing number of individuals and health care providers, suggests that meditation and similar forms of relaxation can lead to better health, higher quality of life, and lowered health care costs …"

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DDA has metaphysical ministers who offer their services as a fundraising endeavor for
DDA, only to interested parties, in the form of readings.
All readings are for entertainment purposes only.
DDA does not condone any "occult" practices.

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