Bliss Brain: How to Rewire Your Brain for Happiness Ep 164 | Guest: Dawson Church
Jan 22, 2025 • E164 • 00:27:10
If you find a regular meditation practice a challenge, this episode is for you.
This interview covers Dawson Church's personal journey from a troubled childhood and disillusionment with religion to discovering the power of meditation and transcendent states of consciousness. [01:22]
He discusses how his meditation practice helped him and his wife cope with the devastating loss of their home in a wildfire, and how this led them to rebuild their lives in a more intentional way. [10:13]
The interview also explores the neuroscience behind meditation, including the default mode network and task positive network in the brain, and how meditation can shift the balance between these networks to promote happiness and well-being. [23:54]
Highlights:
- Dawson had a troubled childhood and became disillusioned with religion, but had a transformative experience at age 15 that led him on a spiritual journey. [05:58]
- After years of studying spirituality and psychology, Dawson discovered the neuroscientific basis for transcendent states of consciousness, including bliss and ecstasy.
- When Dawson and his wife lost their home in a wildfire, he used his meditation practice and stress reduction techniques to not just survive, but thrive in the aftermath.
- The default mode network in the brain is associated with negative thinking about the past and future, while the task-positive network is associated with being present and in flow.
- Meditation can shift the balance between these networks, quieting the default mode network and activating the task positive network, leading to greater happiness and well-being. [23:59]
Many Thanks to Pixabay's Piotr Witowski's meditation music 21784 and Nature's Eye Gentle Piano Meditation 9692 for the music beds for this episode.
RESOURCES:
https://eftuniverse.com/
Dawson's Website
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