Since most survivors need their brain performance enhanced you will need to follow up with your doctor to see what objective testing is done to determine the current state of your brain and then what stroke protocols are used to enhance your cognitive abilities. Don't do this on your own, just think of all the Buddhists that have died after practicing meditation.
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Contrary to popular belief, not all meditation techniques produce
similar effects of body and mind. Indeed, a recent study by researchers
from the National University of Singapore (NUS) has demonstrated for the
first time that different types of Buddhist meditation – namely the
Vajrayana and Theravada styles of meditation - elicit qualitatively
different influences on human physiology and behaviour, producing
arousal and relaxation responses respectively.
In particular, the NUS research team found that Vajrayana meditation,
which is associated with Tibetan Buddhism, can lead to enhancements in
cognitive performance.
The study by Associate Professor Maria Kozhevnikov and Dr Ido Amihai
from the Department of Psychology at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social
Sciences was first published in the journal PLOS ONE in July 2014.
Vajrayana and Theravada meditation produce different physiological responses
Previous studies had defined meditation as a relaxation response and
had attempted to categorise meditation as either involving focused or
distributed attentional systems. Neither of these hypotheses received
strong empirical support, and most of the studies focused on Theravada
meditative practices.
Assoc Prof Kozhevnikov and Dr Amihai examined four different types of
meditative practices: two types of Vajrayana meditations (Tibetan
Buddhism) practices (Visualisation of self-generation-as-Deity and
Rig-pa) and two types of Theravada practices (Shamatha and Vipassana).
They collected electrocardiographic (EKG) and electroencephalographic
(EEG) responses and also measured behavioural performance on cognitive
tasks using a pool of experienced Theravada practitioners from Thailand
and Nepal, as well as Vajrayana practitioners from Nepal.
They observed that physiological responses during the Theravada
meditation differ significantly from those during the Vajrayana
meditation. Theravada meditation produced enhanced parasympathetic
activation (relaxation). In contrast, Vajrayana meditation did not show
any evidence of parasympathetic activity but showed an activation of the
sympathetic system (arousal).
The researchers had also observed an immediate dramatic increase in
performance on cognitive tasks following only Vajrayana styles of
meditation. They noted that such dramatic boost in attentional capacity
is impossible during a state of relaxation. Their results show that
Vajrayana and Theravada styles of meditation are based on different
neurophysiological mechanisms, which give rise to either an arousal or
relaxation response.
Applications of the research findings
The findings from the study showed that Vajrayana meditation can lead
to dramatic enhancement in cognitive performance, suggesting that
Vajrayana meditation could be especially useful in situations where it
is important to perform at one’s best, such as during competition or
states of urgency. On the other hand, Theravada styles of meditation are
an excellent way to decrease stress, release tension, and promote deep
relaxation.
Further research
After seeing that even a single session of Vajrayana meditation can
lead to radical enhancements in brain performance, Assoc Prof
Kozhevnikov and Dr Amihai will be investigating whether permanent
changes could occur after long-term practice. The researchers are also
looking at how non-practitioners can benefit from such meditative
practices.
Assoc Prof Kozhevnikov said, "Vajrayana meditation typically requires
years of practice, so we are also looking into whether it is also
possible to acquire the beneficial effects of brain performance by
practicing certain essential elements of the meditation. This would
provide an effective and practical method for non-practitioners to
quickly increase brain performance in times of need."
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