Psychophysiological Correlates of Meditation: Eeg Changes During Meditation *
July 12, 2017 Bernard Glueck 1 citation
The practice of transcendental meditation may weaken the repression barrier, similar to what occurs in sleep or during free association in psychoanalytic therapy, but with markedly reduced emotional affect. During meditation, ordinarily repressed thoughts, including hostile-aggressive and libidinal ideation, can emerge without intense emotional distress. Electroencephalogram records from patients and subjects using relaxation techniques show remarkable periods of intrahemispheric alpha and theta synchrony, even in inexperienced practitioners. In one meditator with over four years of practice, synchronous alpha activity appeared upon closing the eyes, even before starting to meditate, in the temporal, central, and occipital cortical areas.