Research Articles on Meditation

The Value of Silence in Creating New Brain Cells

This article is a compilation of several scientific studies that document the value of regular periods of silence in one’s daily life. The results of the studies are remarkable and dramatic:

Regular silence each day produced new cells in the hippocampus,
that region of the brain associated with memory, emotions and learning.

yes,
silence can grow your brain!

One interesting fact — the studies also indicate that different forms of relaxation are much more effective than others. For example, any sort of focusing or control of the mind seems to DISALLOW the production of the new brain cells that the regular periods of silence naturally allow to happen. Also, merely listening to relaxing music did NOT produce more new brain cells.

This all supports what Kelvin has taught for the past 40 years — that effortlessly “turning within” and “letting the mind go” — without focus or control — e.g., through the technique that he teaches — is the most effective way to meditate and experience the silence within each of us.

The fastest way to create more hippocampus brain cells — effortlessly.

To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.

“Mindfulness” Meditation May Make Memories Less Accurate

First, to be clear, Kelvin does not teach “Mindfulness Meditation.” 

Mindfulness Meditation is a form of Buddhist meditation that has become popularized by Oprah Winfrey, Deepak Chopra and others recently. It involves focusing on the breath or some other object. People report some benefits, but there may be an unintended negative side effect of this technique that a recent study has uncovered — poor memory. False memories surfaced after practicing Mindfulness Meditation. 

CLICK HERE to read an article in the Association for Psychological Science describing the study.

CLICK HERE to read “Mindfulness Messes With Your Memory” in the Daily Beast.

CLICK HERE to read the actual Research Article by Brent M. Wilson, et al. (published Sept 4, 2015).

By contrast, Kelvin was one of the first test subjects in scientific experiments done by medical doctors on meditation in 1971. In those experiments, both short-term and long-term memory improved.

The technique he learned then, and the technique he teaches now is effortless. It does not involve any focusing or control of the mind — by contrast, Mindfulness Meditation does. In fact, Kelvin thinks that may be the reason why the false memories result in those who practice Mindfulness...because they are focusing the mind, controlling it...even subtly and even in what they may say is “an easy” way.

Regardless, it is focus and control. And that will cause the mind to contract, experience it as “an effort,” and will — as described in this 2015 study — cause the mind to create false and inaccurate memories.

Again, this emphasizes the importance of learning meditation from a teacher who has extensive experience and a full understanding of how the mind functions in meditation, and how to teach the meditation technique so that it is effortless for the student.