Alternative Therapies - Meditation 4 of 6 - BBC Health Documentary Series

Alternative Therapies - Meditation 4 of 6 - BBC Health Documentary Series

Alternative Therapies
Join Kathy Sykes on a personal journey of exploration into the controversial world of alternative therapies. Are there lessons for mainstream medicine to be learned from these increasingly popular therapies?

In a journey that takes her from Buddhist monks in Nepal, to brain labs in America - via yogic flying - Kathy investigates what cutting edge research can tell us about the ancient practice of meditation.

Having learnt some basic meditation for herself at a monastery in the foothills of the Himalayas, Kathy sets off to find out what science can tell her about the experiences she's had. Her investigation takes her down two routes -- can meditation improve your body, and can it improve your mind?

In the US she learns how her body responds when she meditates, and hears from a patient who believes the practice has given him his life back. From there, she journeys deeper into America, to a unique city which gathers together twice a day to meditate. She hears their claims for meditation's health benefits, and is given a rare demonstration of yogic flying.

But can meditation really deliver what its advocates claim? Weighing up the evidence is a challenge, and Kathy discovers just how difficult it is to get any definitive answers. But, back in the UK, she finds a form of meditation that is gaining some acceptance as a treatment. It is used in a new therapy for depression - and is available on the NHS.

Kathy talks to researchers who believe meditation has amazing potential to change our brains. From a neuroscientist inspired by the Dalai Lama, to a Boston researcher who is taking measurements of meditators' brains, Kathy meets mainstream scientists fascinated by the possibilities of meditation.

And in an intriguing insight into state-of-the art neuroscience, she hears how these scientists are investigating whether meditation can help improve our emotional wellbeing - and even change the structure of our brains. Their hypothesis is that meditation can make you happier, more compassionate and more in control of your emotions. So does meditation really have potential for us all?

For more Information, see http://www.open2.net/alternativetherapies/meditation.html .

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Alternative Therapies
• Therapy
• Meditation
• Nepal
• Tibet
• Kathy Sykes
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[alexander21alexander]

who founded her to make the documentary? brilliant documentary idea but wrong person makes the documentary! the all point of meditation is missed!!

[RuniScience]

@alexander21alexander > It helps when you can spell ... Its "Funded" and NOT "Founded" ... I provide the vids only ... You provide the insight ... Some like her some don't ... Maybe this is about looking beyond the superficial?

[DonMega187]

why is this guy saying "interesting" out of a sudden? is he trying to input a mood into her and to the viewer that it's really so interesting? surely for him it's not especially interesting as he's already familiar with it

[RuniScience]

@DonMega187 > Its a funny Enigma ... You are correct of course ... I used to crack my head over such issues, until a friend reminded me that I cannot expect everyone around me to perceive the reality to the depth that I'm accustomed to ... The spectrum of Percetion seems to have a much wider bandwidth than previously expected (especially within the humanoid community) Cheers, Runi ... ;-))

[bchimself]

those guys are a cult if i've ever seen one.

[cellardoor199991]

0:39 that would have been funny if those 2 hopped out of the window

[vojadiv]

Excellent :)