How to Manifest your Intentions: The Philosophy and Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation

In this post I will explore the ways in which we can reliably course correct our deleterious behavior through examination of our own consciousness. There is extraordinary power in becoming cognizant of one's thoughts, feelings, and impulses as they arise. Learning to master one's attention builds discipline, promotes honesty, and ultimately can reduce the suffering of an individual and the people around him or her. 

Do what you want yourself to do, and not what you want to do. The distinction is subtle, linguistically, but profound in meaning. If you view yourself as you would another person, you can often change the relationship you have with your behavior. In mindfulness meditation, one practices observing one's thoughts. This is quite distinct from the normal mode of wakefulness that most of us spend our days in. Usually, we feel like we are our thoughts. We feel like we are our bodies. And we feel like we are our actions. In fact, upon closer consideration, this does not seem to be the case. When referring to your body you say "my body," distinguishing it from your self.

When you look upon your thoughts as naturally arising phenomena, and not a deliberate mechanism of will, you might realize that you actually don't agree with many of the random occurrences or even believe them. When you notice yourself think exaggerated, hyperbolic, or downright falsifiable thoughts, and acknowledge them as such, you become less likely to internalize express those messages. This practice is extremely hard to maintain, especially at first, but with time it becomes more natural. You catch yourself distorting the truth, you realize when you are feeding your own depression, anxiety, or addictions. While you will likely never completely perfect, you can certainly get better at regulating your behavior and your emotions.

Humans are wired to repeat their past experiences neurologically. The more that you utilize a circuit, the stronger the circuit literally becomes, and the more likely the function will be initiated again. Through long term potentiation (LTP), and various other forms of plasticity, our brains adapt to become more effective at initiating and executing mental processes. The dynamic nature of our neurons and gial enable our ability to learn, retain information, and adapt to new environments. However, if we habitually engage in maladaptive behaviors, our brains become increasingly more disposed to repeating them.

There are numerous ways that this unfortunate phenomenon can manifest. Addictive, depressive, obsessive, and neurotic conditions share biological commonalities. Each and every case may be unique in the relevant neuro-anatomy, endocrinology, and bio-chemistry, yet their is a clear line to be drawn. Regardless of the specific difficulties that they generate, direct action to combat the root causes can be taken. By focusing attention on the problematic behaviors that contribute to one's suffering and the characteristics of the suffering itself, there exists potential for better understanding.

It is okay to be sad, to be happy, to be confused, to be angry, or lazy. The goal of meditation is not to be happy eternally, but to true to yourself. It is about reducing unnecessary suffering for one's self and for others, not about numbing out the real suffering that we all enviably face.

Thank you for reading. I would love to hear your thoughts, experiences, and feedback! Please let me know if there are any topics you would like me to cover, or if you would be interested in reading a more in depth look at the neuroscience of meditation.