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The Neuroscience of Self-Compassion

Updated: Dec 2, 2021





One especially amazing thing about the brain: its plasticity - meaning it can easily be shaped or molded.


This is powerful stuff, and we can use it to our advantage!


A study done at the Max Planck Institute trained people in 3 different types of meditation: focused awareness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, and mindfulness meditation.


And then they watched how their brains changed over the course of 9 months. The results are amazing!


After just 3 months of training in loving-kindness meditation, people had increased thickness in the part of the brain responsible for compassion and empathy.


For my nerds out there, this showed a thickening from the right anterior to mid-insular regions.


What you think about expands. In these times of uncertainty, stress, fear, and holiday bustle, can we take a few extra minutes to expand on compassion?


Check out the study here and head on over to my IGTV for a loving-kindness meditation. Video Link Here



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