Mind and body connection in expert meditators: a computational study based on central and peripheral nervous system
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies March 7, 2024 Francesca Borghesi, Riccardo Cremascoli, Alice Chirico et al. 6 citations
Expert meditators with over 7 years of daily practice in the NGALSO tantric self-healing meditation technique showed significantly higher EEG power in alpha, theta, and beta bands after meditation, along with higher sympathetic and lower parasympathetic tone, indicating greater effort. In contrast, inexperienced controls showed lower EEG power in those bands and higher parasympathetic tone after the same procedure. A machine learning model correctly distinguished experts from controls using only theta band activity. The findings suggest that this meditation requires substantial cognitive and physiological effort, consistent with a 'no pain, no gain' principle linking body and mind.