Science Behind the Magic

 
 

Although Founder/Director, Jesh de Rox, developed the KINDRÊD practice through years of his own explorations independent of the science, much of the recent and ongoing studies in neurobiology, neurophysiology, and neuropsychology support the methodology of KINDRÊD creative meditation.

The following are a few references for more intense studies of how and why KINDRÊD works so well.

Interpersonal Neurobiology: developed in the 1990s, Daniel J. Siegel, PhD, sought to bring together a wide range of scientific disciplines in demonstrating how the mind, brain, and relationships integrate to alter one another. In IPNB, the mind is viewed as a process that regulates the flow of both energy and information through its neurocircuitry, which is then shared and regulated between people through engagement, connection, and communication.*

Mirror Neurons: Neuroscientists such as Marco Iacoboni (UCLA) have argued that mirror neuron systems in the human brain help us understand the actions and intentions of other people. V. S. Ramachandran has speculated that mirror neurons may provide the neurological basis of human self-awareness.*

Autonomic nervous system (ANS): The autonomic nervous system is a control system that acts largely unconsciously and regulates heart rate, digestion, respiratory rate, pupillary response, urination, and sexual arousal.

  • This system is the primary mechanism in control of the fight-or-flight response and its role is mediated by two different components: the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system.*

Sympathetic nervous system: The sympathetic nervous system originates in the spinal cord and its main function is to activate the physiological changes that occur during the fight-or-flight response.*

Parasympathetic nervous system: The parasympathetic nervous system originates in the sacral spinal cord and medulla, physically surrounding the sympathetic origin, and works in concert with the sympathetic nervous system. Its main function is to activate the "rest and digest" response and return the body to homeostasis after the fight or flight response.*

Heart-brain Coherence: The ability to alter one’s emotional responses is central to overall well-being and to effectively meeting the demands of life. The coherence hypothesis suggests that the coherent flow of information within and between the physiological systems and processes in the central and ANS and body plays an important role in determining the quality of the feelings and emotions one experiences.

  • The HeartMath Institute’s research has shown that generating sustained positive emotions facilitates a body-wide shift to a specific, scientifically measurable state. This state is termed psychophysiological coherence, because it is characterized by increased order and harmony in both our psychological (mental and emotional) and physiological (bodily) processes.

Psychophysiological coherence is state of optimal function. Research shows that when we activate this state, our physiological systems function more efficiently, we experience greater emotional stability, and we also have increased mental clarity and improved cognitive function. Simply stated, our body and brain work better, we feel better, and we perform better.*

Positive Psychology: the study of the "good life", or the positive aspects of the human experience that make life worth living - as explored by Martin Seligman, PhD. As an art, it focuses on both individual and societal well-being. That the brain we're born with can be changed. Technically speaking, they call that neuroplasticity. (You can teach an old brain new tricks.)

  • We can change it by adopting new thought patterns, by training our brain as if it were a muscle, to overcome negative thoughts.

  • All of us are hard-wired for negativity but can profoundly benefit from learning new ways to react and deal with everyday stresses.

  • It doesn't take a lot of effort to make a real difference in your life. A few simple and even entertaining mental diversions done regularly will change things.*

Negativity Bias: also known as the negativity effect, is the notion that, even when of equal intensity, things of a more negative nature (e.g. unpleasant thoughts, emotions, or social interactions; harmful/traumatic events) have a greater effect on one's psychological state and processes than neutral or positive things.*

Hedonic Adaptation: Hedonic adaptation is when something good or bad happens to you and, with the passage of time, you get used to it.

  • Adaptation is a system that exists in the body to help maintain balance. Anything intense that happens to you—good or bad, your body doesn’t know the difference—puts you into “stress mode,” and when your body is stressed, it puts off important basic functions (like digesting and healing) in favor of functions that would help you escape mortal danger.*

Polyvagal theory: developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, provided us with a more sophisticated understanding of the biology of safety and danger, one based on the subtle interplay between the visceral experiences of our own bodies and the voices and faces of the people around us. 

  • It explains why a kind face or a soothing tone of voice can dramatically alter the way we feel. It clarifies why knowing that we are seen and heard by the important people in our lives can make us feel calm and safe, and why being ignored or dismissed can precipitate rage reactions or mental collapse. It helped us understand why attuning with another person can shift us out of disorganized and fearful states. In short, Porges’s theory makes us look beyond the effects of fight or flight and put social relationships front and centre in our understanding of trauma.

  • It also suggested new approaches to healing that focus on strengthening the body’s system for regulating arousal.

  • Porges chose the name social engagement system because the ventral vagal nerve affects the middle ear, which filters out background noises to make it easier to hear the human voice. It also affects facial muscles and thus the ability to make communicative facial expressions. Finally, it affects the larynx and thus vocal tone and vocal patterning, helping humans create sounds that soothe one another.*

  • Empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another being is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position. Definitions of empathy encompass a broad range of emotional states, such as love.*

Compassion: Dr Richard Davidson was one of the first to show that compassion is a skill that you can learn. He says the brain is constantly changing in response to environmental factors, and this also extends to compassion for the self.

  • Research by Dr. Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the field, suggests that people who have more self-compassion lead healthier, more productive lives than those who are self-critical.*

Mindfulness: Mindfulness is the psychological process of purposely bringing one's attention to experiences occurring in the present moment without judgment, which one develops through the practice of meditation and through other training. Mindfulness derives from sati, a significant element of Buddhist traditions, and based on Zen, Vipassanā, and Tibetan meditation techniques. Though definitions and techniques of mindfulness are wide ranging.[16] Individuals who have contributed to the popularity of mindfulness in the modern Western context include Thích Nhất Hạnh, Herbert Benson, Jon Kabat-Zinn, and Richard J. Davidson.* 

*sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov