ANATOMY OF THE BRAINFUL MIND
Otago
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Date:
6:30pm to 7:30pm on 02 September 21 -
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A free community talk hosted by Mel Haarer, director of CONNECT AND CARE. We are offering this educational opportunity with a view to encourage the Whakatipu community to understand the significant positive benefits mindfulness and meditation can bring to our overall wellbeing, health and happiness. We especially hope that those who do not yet understand the benefits will attend. This event is supported by Central Lakes Family Services to help celebrate the upcoming Mental Health Awareness Week, run by the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand.
EILEEN LUEDERS, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Auckland.
In her talk, Dr. Lueders will first introduce the phenomenon of neuroplasticity and then demonstrate how the study of mindfulness fits into this field of research. More specifically, she will present outcomes from an ongoing science project designed to analyse brain features in long-term meditation practitioners. The project comprises more than a dozen studies – all of them revealing exciting insights into the unique brain anatomy of meditators, including evidence for their seemingly younger brains.
Eileen Lueders is an Associate Professor at the University of Auckland. She received her Ph.D. in neuroscience and neuropsychology from the University of Zurich and underwent additional training at Harvard University and UCLA. Dr. Lueders’ research is focused on understanding the human brain in health and disease using magnetic resonance imaging. As a meditation practitioner herself, the brain’s remarkable capacity to adapt and to change in response to external or internal demands is a topic close to her heart. Her recent studies have revealed exciting findings, such as larger brain regions, more brain tissue, and stronger brain connections in long-term meditators.