Neuro-feedback vs Meditation

Post Reply New Topic

Hello

I would like to get more information on this subject, so if you have an informed opinion please share.

It seems to me, from the things I read on this, that meditation and neurofeedback are two distinct activities of the brain. Neuro-feedback only requires that the desired part of the brain is functioning, while meditation activates the same areas in a specific way, not necessarily the same way.

So claims that neuro-feedback can do in a few sessions what meditation takes years to do is only partialy true.

There are mainly two types of meditation: concentration/calm and insight. My assumption is that, although neuro-feedback can be effective in mimmicking concentration, because concentration has litle specific content, it cannot mimmick insight meditation properly, for there is more specific content during insight meditation.

Last but not the least, it would be interesting to record the brain waves of a person experiencing nirvana and try to do neuro-feedback to see if the neurofeedback subject could experience nirvana or just a peaceful/blissful state of mind.

Interesting subject. Personally I practice Zen Shikantaza meditation. Such meditation is really at odds with seeking a calm, blissful state but such a state often arises anyway, more as a side effect than as a goal (shikantaza meditation has no goal or focus anyway other than allowing what IS to be perceived more clearly).

Your post reminds me of a talk given by Matthieu Ricard who was wired up and his brain waves monitored while in deep meditation. He gave a TED talk on the subject:

http://www.ted.com/talks/matthieu_ricar ... iness.html

It seems to me that neuro feedback is fundamentally different to meditation.

Yes, the classification of meditation is more complicated than just concentration and insight, because one can bring the other simultaneously. But for the sake of the argument, I sugest we simplify the matter by considering these two categories.

I will watch the TED talk soon.