The Dr. Jud Podcast Mindfulness and meditation - The Neuroscience of Awakening: Mapping Meditative States
Nov 29, 2025
In this enlightening discussion, Poppy Schoenberg, a researcher on meditation and consciousness, joins Dr. Jud Brewer to unveil the neuroscience behind advanced meditation. They explore EEG findings that reveal how meditative states reduce self-referential thinking while enhancing focus in brain regions tied to compassion. The duo highlights surprising neural patterns during deep meditation, emphasizing the transformation of self into a more fluid identity. They also provide practical tips for integrating mindfulness into daily life, encouraging listeners to foster empathy and awareness.
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Study With Seasoned Essence-Of-Mind Experts
- The study recruited 30 highly experienced Indo-Tibetan meditators averaging age 53 with teacher-rated skill levels near expert.
- They completed a guided 60-minute four-stage essence-of-mind session while EEG was recorded.
Compassion Tied To Insula Activation
- The insula showed increased beta activity during the final compassionate awakened stage, linking interoception and empathy to the practice.
- Deep meditation thus appears to boost internal body awareness and other-centered feeling, not suppress feeling.
Narrative Self Persists, Shifts Role
- The posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) — key to the default mode and narrative self — remained relatively stable in these practitioners.
- That stability suggests the self's narrative may persist while its centrality and reactivity are reduced.
