Let’s face it: almost everything we do in life is tied to a habit. Life is simply too complex to think everything through. Could you imagine having to lay out explicit instructions on how to drive a car? Or cook a meal? Or walk? Or even breath? Thankfully, our brains automate these sequences, by creating habits, which free up mindspace for more interesting concerns like how to deal with a sticky problem at work or make our own lives happier or more meaningful.
Neuroplasticity Psychological research has established that mental health, well-being, and resilience are skills that can be developed through deliberate practice. More recently, this hypothesis has […]
Dr. Joe Flanders and Pascal Auclair talking about MindSpace’s new partnership with MindfnessMTL: a nonprofit formed to promote cohesion and coherence in the Montreal mindfulness community.
Recent insights from neuroscience have confirmed the theory of neuroplasticity, the notion that the brain is not fixed, but an organ of experience. The structure and function of neural networks are constantly adapting to meet the demands of our day-to-day lives. One of the exciting implications of neuroplasticity is that it can be self-directed, meaning we can deliberately cultivate some brain states over others. In short, we can train our brains for happiness, resilience, and compassion.
If you ever look into the literature on happiness and well-being you can’t escape the evidence that comes up over and over again that the quickest way to feel well, to feel good, to feel happy is to invest in relationships; to be generous with others. So given the fact that we tend to be healthier and happier when we’re generous, the question is why are we not more generous more of the time?
Do you get distracted and waste time at work? Do you feel like your brain is full of information competing for your attention? Are you constantly multi-tasking? McGill neuroscientist Daniel Levitin studies the impact of multi-tasking and information overload on our minds.
MBCT is an eight-week group intervention designed to help individuals with recurrent depression prevent relapse following successful treatment.
The IMS approach to meditation focuses on mindfulness as a means of cultivating clear awareness and insight into the causes of suffering, and into the […]
I just came back from a 7-day retreat with Jon Kabat-Zinn and his colleague Saki Santorelli. They were teaching Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for healthcare professionals at the Omega Center in Rhinebeck, New York.
There is a growing number of doctors in Montreal who practice Mindfulness to help them care for their patients – and for themselves. Jay Reid wrote an interesting piece, featuring Dr. Flanders, that appeared in the Montreal Gazette on Thursday, April 19th, 2012.
