Self-regulation of attentional stance facilitates induction of meditative states

Abstract

Attentional stances are particular ways in which the location of the source or seat of attention is situated within bodily experience. The goal of the study is to use this untapped cognitive resource to refine the construct of mindfulness by providing objective measurement and experimental control of these aspects of mindfulness. Location of the seat of attention, also described as self-location or egocenter, has been shown to have measurable impact on cognitive skill, emotional temperament, and selfconstrual, as well as social and moral attitudes. Our recent study has shown that the seat of attention can be volitionally self-regulated into various internal attentional stances that are stably associated with distinct patterns of cortical activation as measured with EEG. These results suggest that control of attentional stance should provide direct management of specific cognitive and emotional resources. Two specific global cognitive states associated with mindfulness are the positive emotional states of vipaśyanā and śamatha. The current study of the correlations of 11 attentional stances for with positive emotions reveal the association of vipaśyanā with a diffuse attentional stance centered on the abdomen, and śamatha with a focused attentional stance situated along the midline of the body. In addition to advancing denotation and differentiation of these two distinct elements of mindfulness, these results provide the opportunity for more efficient mindfulness training. Such opportunity would benefit anyone needing stress-reducing mindfulness training, and in particular, for underserved individuals in society who are most in need of stress management.