Amazing Brains – 007 – Dr. Jeff Tarrant
In this episode, Micah interviews Dr. Jeff Tarrant, Doctor of the Neuromeditation Institute. In the show they go into detail on four types of meditation, neurofeedback, practice and more.
Show Notes
Meditation
- Meditation is mental training
- It doesn’t have to be connected to a religious system
- It changes the way you perceive things in the world
- We can all benefit from meditation
- It’s a practice toward shifting your consciousness, a ‘no mind’ state
- “If you engage in a practice that is not a good match for your brain, that can be a problem” – Jeff
- There is no meditation that is perfect for everybody
- There are multiple different styles of meditation, some are more of a mantra practice, and some are more of a quiet mind style
4 Styles of Meditation
- Focus – the one that most people understand most easily
- Mindfulness – it’s paying attention in a gentle, soft way, paying attention to what’s happening in the current moment, but not attaching to it
- Open Heart – loving, kindness and compassion practice, intentionally activating a positive emotional state
- Quiet Mind – it’s the stereotypical meditation state, where you’re not doing or thinking about anything
- In the Focus style, the frontal lobes in the brain are very engaged
- An increase of Gamma is usually associated with an increase in blood flow
- The default mode network gets a lot of attention in meditation
- It’s primary job is self referencing
- With TM (Transcendental Meditation) you’re focusing on a mantra
Teaching with Neuro Meditation
- Jeff comments on teaching meditation to kids and making it more popular in the culture we live in, “We can still teach the skills, but we may need new tools”
- “It’s about teaching people to increase their sensitivity to their internal state” – Jeff
- The hardest part about meditation is sticking to the routine
- Jeff says he works hard on making sure people have a routine, and know the ‘why’
- Micah says meditation is simple, but not easy
Links
Email – [email protected]
About Dr. Jeff Tarrant
Dr. Tarrant is the founder and Director of the NeuroMeditation Institute and author of the book, “Meditation Interventions to Rewire the Brain.” Dr. Tarrant received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri in 1997. He is a licensed psychologist and board certified in neurofeedback. Dr. Tarrant has devoted much of his professional career to working with technology-based interventions such as quantitative EEG, neurofeedback, biofeedback, and audio visual entrainment (AVE). He has also trained extensively in a variety of spiritual and meditative practices, including Zen, Vipassana, Taoism/Qigong, Arhatic Yoga, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). His research focuses on exploring brainwave changes that occur as a result of contemplative practices, technological interventions, and non-ordinary states of consciousness. He is the Chief Science Officer for Healium XR, creating biometrically controlled virtual reality experiences. He is a regular presenter at national and international conferences Dr. Tarrant offers in-office and home-based EEG NeuroMeditation sessions with BrainAvatar and New Mind systems. In his spare time, Dr. Tarrant enjoys playing the drums, attending concerts, and spending time in nature.