Time Out Timeline – See your Brain on Mindfulness Meditation (with neurofeedback)

Martin Sona, Henni Steinhart

Workshop

Mindfulness meditation is the practice of being aware of the present moment, of letting thoughts and feelings come and go rather than getting caught up in them. Originally an ancient Buddhist meditation technique, in recent years, mindfulness has evolved into a range of secular therapies and courses proven to combat ailments like anxiety, depression, chronic pain, and addiction. This workshop will give an overview of some of the most exciting psychology and neuroscience research on meditation’s effects on the brain with a practical introduction to using consumer EEG sensors, which capture data on your meditating mind to help track your mental states of relaxation and focus. Martin Sona is a cognitive neuroscientist working on social interaction at Maastricht university. Previous work includes brain-com- puter interfaces, and research on burnout and mental fatigue using various methods such as EEG, near-infrared spectroscopy, and brain imaging. He describes himself as a self-hacker and is an active member of the global Quantified Self community. 

Henni Steinhart is a psychologist and resear- cher at Maastricht university. She studies how mindfulness-based interventions can be used to benefit people at risk of developing psychotic symptoms by using cutting edge brain imaging methods.