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CITYGREEN #11
A Centre for Urban Greenery and Ecology Publication
2. View over the lake at Porto City Park.
from artistic disciplines and has much
have
link
between
more to do with Far Eastern philosophies
mindfulness
and
mental
health
neural potentials, by the diffusion of
and
improvement,
stress
defence
anxiety,
calcium, sodium, and potassium ions
practices,
such
as
meditation,
shown
a
strong
transmit
electrical
impulses,
called
than the experimental scientific world.
and depressive states reduction (Kabat-
across
Nevertheless, psychology has developed
Zinn
different
methods
generating
Bonner 1998). They have also shown
different stimuli, different parts of a
adequately
and
tools
of
1982;
Shapiro,
Schwartz,
and
the
cell
membranes.
activities
and
During
exposure
to
strong links with “learning and memory
person’s brain are activated. The activity
describes the functioning of the human
processes,
of the brain regions can be analysed as
brain. In the area of so-called positive
referential processing, and perspective
electromagnetic
psychology, there is a concept, inherited
taking” (Baer 2003, 125). Mindfulness
frequencies and amplitudes. The four
from
quantifiable
data
that
emotion
regulation,
self-
waves
with
different
as
can be experienced on a daily basis in
most
mindfulness. The conceptual model used
people whose sensitivity, self-awareness,
distinguished
in this research is based on the assumption
openness and comprehension
the
hertz), theta (3.5 to 7.5 hertz), alpha (8 to
that what psychologists call mindfulness
world is greater; it can also be trained
13 hertz), and beta (greater than 13 hertz)
and
and enhanced by trainings and retreats.
(Niedermeyer and Lopes da Silva 1993).
Neural
Buddhists describe mindfulness as a
Brain Structure and Functioning
in Relation to Outdoor Space
Experience
step
through
The human brain is the organ that serves
uses special machinery, usually in a
Buddhist
what
tradition,
artists
call
known
contemplation
of
important
are
brainwave
delta
(less
bands
than
3
actually has the same influence on our
brain activity.
towards
enlightenment
potentials
have
become
a
base for developing a method called
electroencephalography
(EEG),
simply
as a centre of the nervous system. Its
laboratory-based
focuses on awareness of one’s self in
surface is covered by the cerebral cortex
monitor and record raw electrical signals
the present moment and attentiveness
(the largest part), which is estimated
from the brain. The first EEG machine
towards the perceived stimuli without
to contain 15 to 33 billion neurons in
was developed during the early twentieth
judgement, but instead with a positive
a typical human (Pelvig et al. 2008).
century, and it has continuously been
open attitude towards it. The findings
Each neuron is able to produce and
improved, including the tools needed to
transcendental
meditation.
It
environment,
which
to
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