Brain and Brain and LeadershipLeadershipBrain and Brain and

LeadershipLeadership

Professor Frederick Travis, Professor Frederick Travis, PhDPhD

Director, Center for Brain, Director, Center for Brain, Consciousness, and CognitionConsciousness, and Cognition

Maharishi University of Maharishi University of ManagementManagement

Fairfield, Iowa USAFairfield, Iowa USA

Thinking Thinking and and actionaction

Thinking Thinking and and actionaction

Concrete Concrete ExperienExperience ce

Concrete Concrete ExperienExperience ce

EmotionEmotionssEmotionEmotionss

CEOCEO

Stress turns off the CEO of Stress turns off the CEO of the brainthe brainStress turns off the CEO of Stress turns off the CEO of the brainthe brain StressStress

1. 1.

ChallengChallengee2. 2. StressStress

CE0

ChallenChallengege

Experience Experience changes the changes the brain….brain….

Experience Experience changes the changes the brain….brain….

Activation Activation of visual of visual cortexcortex

in a sighted in a sighted person reading a person reading a

bookbook, ,

Activation Activation of visual of visual cortexcortex

in a sighted in a sighted person reading a person reading a

bookbook, ,

Activation Activation of visual of visual cortex:cortex:

in a sighted in a sighted person person

reading a reading a book, book,

Activation Activation of visual of visual cortex:cortex:

in a sighted in a sighted person person

reading a reading a book, book,

and in a blind and in a blind person “reading” person “reading”

Braille.Braille.

Focused Attention: Gamma (20-50 Hz)

Travis and Shear, 2010

Conscious Conscious ThoughtsThoughts Loving-kindness-

compassion (Lutz eta l. 2004); Other studies with single group or case study designs• Qigong (Litscher et al, 2001)• Zen–3rd ventricle (Huang and Lo, 2009)• Diamond Way Buddhism (Lehmann et al., 2001)

Focused Attention: Gamma (20-50 Hz)

Open Monitoring: Theta (4-8 Hz)

Conscious Conscious ThoughtsThoughts

Travis and Shear, 2010

Vipassana meditation (Cahn et al., 2010) Zen meditation (ZaZen) (Murata, et al, 1994) Sahaja Yoga (Aftanas and Golocheikine, 2001; Baijal & Srinivasan, 2009) Concentrative Qigong (Pan, Zhang, & Xia, 1994)

Focused Attention: Gamma (20-50 Hz)

Automatic Self-Transcending: Alpha 1 (8-10 Hz)

Open Monitoring: Theta (4-8 Hz)

Travis and Shear, 2010

Conscious Conscious ThoughtsThoughts

FrontFront

CentCenterer

BackBack

Travis et al, 2009

Paradoxical Alpha (TM)Paradoxical Alpha (TM)

Alpha as Idling Alpha as Idling (eyes closed)(eyes closed)

Task: 5 sec – 0 secTask: 5 sec – 0 secTask: 5 sec – 0 secTask: 5 sec – 0 sec

AlphaAlpha Beta Beta GammaGamma

TM: 30 sec – 35 secTM: 30 sec – 35 secTM: 30 sec – 35 secTM: 30 sec – 35 sec

AlphaAlpha Beta Beta GammaGamma

Automatic Self-Transcending: Alpha 1 (8-10 Hz)

Travis and Shear, 2010

Conscious Conscious ThoughtsThoughts

TM technique (Dillbeck & Bronson, 1981) TM technique (Travis & Wallace., 1999) TM technique (Travis et al., 2001) TM technique (Hebert et al., 2005) TM technique (Travis & Arenander., 2006) TM technique (Travis et al., 2010) Other case study

• Qigong (Qin, et al, 2009)

Transcending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TM

Transcending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TM

Transcending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TM

Transcending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TM

Transcending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TMTranscending during TM

Pure Pure ConsciousnessConsciousness

Pure Pure ConsciousnessConsciousness

BaselineBaseline TM PracticeTM Practice

FDG-FDG-PETPET

Newberg, A., Travis, Newberg, A., Travis,

F., Wintering, N., F., Wintering, N.,

Nidich, S., Alavi, A. & Nidich, S., Alavi, A. &

Schneider, R. Schneider, R. Neural Neural

ImagingImaging conference, conference,

Miami, Fl., 2006. Miami, Fl., 2006.

Frontal Frontal and and

ParietalParietal

Hippo-Hippo-campus campus

andandThalamusThalamus

Restful Alertness during TM practice Restful Alertness during TM practice

Brain Functioning Brain Functioning during Simple andduring Simple andChoiceChoiceReaction Reaction TimeTimeTasksTasks

11stst Task (Attention) Task (Attention)11stst Task (Attention) Task (Attention)

In the first task, you'll see an In the first task, you'll see an ** in in

the middle of the screen. Then the middle of the screen. Then you'll hear a tone.you'll hear a tone.

As soon as you hear the tone, As soon as you hear the tone, press the space bar as fast as press the space bar as fast as

you can.you can.

In the first task, you'll see an In the first task, you'll see an ** in in

the middle of the screen. Then the middle of the screen. Then you'll hear a tone.you'll hear a tone.

As soon as you hear the tone, As soon as you hear the tone, press the space bar as fast as press the space bar as fast as

you can.you can.

2nd Task (Remain Balanced)2nd Task (Remain Balanced)2nd Task (Remain Balanced)2nd Task (Remain Balanced)

In this task, you'll see a number in the In this task, you'll see a number in the middle of the screen; then a blank middle of the screen; then a blank screen for 1.5 seconds; and then a screen for 1.5 seconds; and then a

second number.second number.

If the first number is greater, press the If the first number is greater, press the left button. If the second number is left button. If the second number is

greater, greater, press the right button.press the right button.

In this task, you'll see a number in the In this task, you'll see a number in the middle of the screen; then a blank middle of the screen; then a blank screen for 1.5 seconds; and then a screen for 1.5 seconds; and then a

second number.second number.

If the first number is greater, press the If the first number is greater, press the left button. If the second number is left button. If the second number is

greater, greater, press the right button.press the right button.

oCoherenCoherenceceoCoherenCoherencece

oAlpha Alpha AmplitudeAmplitudeoAlpha Alpha AmplitudeAmplitude

Differences in CNVDifferences in CNVDifferences in CNVDifferences in CNV

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Non-TM Short-term TM Long-term TMSum

med

Z-s

core

s of

EEG

Pa

ram

eter

sBrain Integration Scale

Frontal Coherence, Alpha Relative Power, and Brain Preparatory Response

Correlation of the Brain Integration Correlation of the Brain Integration Report Card with:Report Card with:

Correlation of the Brain Integration Correlation of the Brain Integration Report Card with:Report Card with:

* p < .05, ** p < .01* p < .05, ** p < .01 MeanMean StdStd R (28)R (28)

Moral ReasoningMoral Reasoning 3.463.46 0.410.41 0.66**0.66**

Emotional StabilityEmotional Stability 3.863.86 0.850.85 0.52**0.52**

Openness to expOpenness to exp 4.424.42 0.470.47 0.46*0.46*

State AnxietyState Anxiety 27.7527.75 11.9211.92 -0.46*-0.46*

Trait AnxietyTrait Anxiety 31.2931.29 12.2312.23 -0.47*-0.47*

oTravis et al 2004, Consciousness and Cognition, 13/2, 401-420.

Travis et al, 2009

American University College Students American University College Students (random assignment to groups)(random assignment to groups)American University College Students American University College Students (random assignment to groups)(random assignment to groups)

Brain Integration Scale (3 months TM)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Pretest Post Test

Bra

in In

teg

rati

on

TM Delayed Start

p < .001

Brain Integration during tasks (3-mon TM)

Travis et al, 2009

Brain Integration Scale (3 months TM)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Pretest Post Test

Bra

in In

teg

rati

on

TM Delayed Start

p < .001

American University College Students American University College Students (random assignment to groups)(random assignment to groups)American University College Students American University College Students (random assignment to groups)(random assignment to groups)

Brain Integration during tasks (3-mon TM)

Travis et al, 2009

Brain Integration Scale (3 months TM)

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Pretest Post Test

Bra

in In

teg

rati

on

TM Delayed Start

p < .001

American University College Students American University College Students (random assignment to groups)(random assignment to groups)American University College Students American University College Students (random assignment to groups)(random assignment to groups)

Brain Integration during tasks (3-mon TM)

(Nidich et al, 2009)

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Non-TM Short-term TM Long-term TMSum

med

Z-s

core

s of

EEG

Pa

ram

eter

sBrain Integration Scale

Frontal Coherence, Alpha Relative Power, and Brain Preparatory Response

0

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Control Athletes

World Class

Athletes

Control Managers

Top-Level Managers

Prof Musician

Amateur Musician

Police Long term TM

Su

mm

ed Z

-sco

res

sBrain Integration ScaleFrontal Coherence, Alpha Relative

Power, and Brain Preparatory Response

0

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Control Athletes

World Class

Athletes

Control Managers

Top-Level Managers

Prof Musician

Amateur Musician

Police Long term TM

Su

mm

ed Z

-sco

res

s

Brain Integration ScaleFrontal Coherence, Alpha Relative

Power, and Brain Preparatory Response

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4

4.5

5

Control Athletes

World Class

Athletes

Control Managers

Top-Level Managers

Prof Musician

Amateur Musician

Police Long term TM

Su

mm

ed Z

-sco

res

s

Brain Integration ScaleFrontal Coherence, Alpha Relative

Power, and Brain Preparatory Response

Thank you.Thank you.Any Questions?Any Questions?

Thank you.Thank you.Any Questions?Any Questions?

Ftravis@mum.edu