* Many of the reported EEG An Experiment 15%of my attention is keeping

correlates of meditation are also track of body sensations.

the correlates of drowsiness. in State-Specific NO^^,]^, c~nsciousnes~ flies out
More sophisticated studies will Science the mouth as soon as we talk.
begin to differentiate meditative
Unless you have practiced
states from sleep, said Frank by Tart
Echenhofer and Mary Coombs We are about to do an remaining present while you
talk, I suggest keeping your
of the Institute for
Multidisciplinary Studies in
experiment. The psychological
set I bring into it is that if people
statements down to one liners -
Or three sentences at
Tht Philadelphia, and are likely to remain in the present as they Or
Silence is just fine. You d o not
Efd0 show that the relationshipof talk, through some sort of have to be clever and there is no
brainwave activity to technique, usually focusing on
in SI contemplative experience is body sensations, that a lot of the
need force 'Omething'
Mo! more complex than previous intellectual static, daydreams AS We sit here if
V~SL
&ha. .
research has suggested.
*lan wallace, coordinator of
the Mind and Life Research
and complications that
ordinarily govern much of our
communication are not present.
something comes up about
Or research On
that is appropriate,
give a two- or three-word - or
Fi Network, described plans for a What is said comes
directly from people's two- or three-sentence
en series of research projects
involving high-rank.ng~~b~~~~ experience or from the heart. So Present as You
Pu
1u: lamas identified by the ~ ~ l I propose
~ i that we have a data
give that This
requires self-mOnitOring.*gain,
L ~ to~ be undertaken
~ studies . collection session on meditation
Suggest awareness
SF as funds become available and ways to research meditation
<
.
-
, include research on longevity, that draws On sensations as the most
peoplels expe+nce before it is convenient technique. If you
the psychophysiology of
advanced meditative states, intellectualized. discover halfway through that
A lucid dreaming, dyingand the 1am trying to practice this right YOU have lost track of your body,
7 now, in that I am not giving you just stop. Take a couple seconds
role of spirituality in resistance to get back into your body before
to emotional trauma. a planned speech. I did think
about it beforehand, but I have continue.
ln addition to discussing
research projects, participants dropped the specifics and am There is need for anyone to
1 On anything
took leading the group in trying to speak from inspiration,
using only what comes to me in says, even in the form of
I meditation practices.
this present moment while a reinforcement. The usual social
stimulating was an rule is suspended here: We do
significant pa* of my attention
experiment in "state-specific not have to make each other feel
science" proposed by Charles is devoted to keeping track of
body sensations. Body good. Our primary purpose is to
Tart, which can also be used in practice a kind of mindfulness
SensatiOnsgroundme in the
other settings to foster a sense of meditationin which we stay
groundedness, relaxation and here and now. My toes, fingers
and elbows do not know aware of body sensations. You
connectedness (see next column). can do it eyes closed or eyes
anything about the past or
future; they only know about Open. If You find you have
the here and now. ~t is harder drifted off, bring yourself back to
for my mind to drift off if 10- Y ~ ~ If You
~ find
~ that~ ~ Y *
sitting still works best, sit still. If
you need to move, move mind-
Ma?rCoombs, I-tihite forMultidisciplinary Studies, Philadelphia fully and then settle down again.
Frank Echenhofer, Institute for Multidisciplinary Studies, Philadelphia SO,whenever someone is
Joel Levey, InternationalCenter for Organization Design, Seattle inspired to say something -
Michelle Levey, International Center forOrganization Design, Seattle when something comes up
Michael Maliszewski, University of Chicago directly out of your experience or
Claudio Naranjo, Berkeley your heart -say it. If you do
Patricia Norris, Menninger Foundation, Topeka not know how to say it and are
Philip Novak, Dominican College, San Rafael running around in your head
Deane Shapiro, University of California, lrvine trying to find the best words, it is
CharlesTart, University of GUoornia, Davis
probably too intellectual and not
8. Alan Wallace, Stanford University
all that real anyway. Sowe begin.
Institute staff: Willis Harman, Tom Hurley, Barbara McNeiU, Marius Robinson

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