Can mindfulness meditation alter consciousness? An integrative interpretation

Abstract

Mindfulness meditation has been practiced in the East for more than two millennia, but in last years also Western neurscientists drown their attention to it. Mindfulness basically refers to moment to moment awareness. In this review we summarize different hypotheses concerning effects of mindfulness meditation practice and cerebral correlates accounting for these; furthermore we expose some of the most relevant theories dealing with different aspects of consciousness. Finally we propose an integration of mindfulness meditation with consciousness, supported by the identification of brain areas involved in both of them, namely Anterior Cingular Cortex (ACC), Posterior Cingular Cortex (PCC), Insula and Thalamus.