{"product_id":"altered-traits-isbn-9780399184383","title":"Altered Traits","description":"\u003cb\u003eTwo \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e–bestselling authors unveil new research showing what meditation can really do for the brain.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e In the last twenty years, meditation and mindfulness have gone from being kind of cool to becoming an omnipresent Band-Aid for fixing everything from your weight to your relationship to your achievement level. Unveiling here the kind of cutting-edge research that has made them giants in their fields, Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson show us the truth about what meditation can really do for us, as well as exactly how to get the most out of it.\u003cbr\u003e             \u003cbr\u003eSweeping away common misconceptions and neuromythology to open readers’ eyes to the ways data has been distorted to sell mind-training methods, the authors demonstrate that beyond the pleasant \u003ci\u003estates \u003c\/i\u003emental exercises can produce, the real payoffs are the lasting personality \u003ci\u003etraits \u003c\/i\u003ethat can result. But short daily doses will not get us to the highest level of lasting positive change—even if we continue for years—without specific additions. More than sheer hours, we need smart practice, including crucial ingredients such as targeted feedback from a master teacher and a more spacious, less attached view of the self, all of which are missing in widespread versions of mind training. The authors also reveal the latest data from Davidson’s own lab that point to a new methodology for developing a broader array of mind-training methods with larger implications for how we can derive the greatest benefits from the practice.\u003cbr\u003e             \u003cbr\u003eExciting, compelling, and grounded in new research, this is one of those rare books that has the power to change us at the deepest level.“A happy synthesis of the authors’ remarkable careers, which grew from the intuition they shared as students that there was something deep and transformative about meditation, \u003ci\u003eAltered Traits\u003c\/i\u003e tells the story of what has been discovered since and why it matters critically at this moment on the planet.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of \u003ci\u003eFull Catastrophe Living \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e Mindfulness for Beginners\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This exquisite duet between a down-to-earth science writer and path-breaking neuroscientist is a tour-de-force, revealing how training the mind can transform the brain and our sense of self, inspiring us to create a greater sense of well-being, meaning, and connection in our world\u003ci\u003e.\u003c\/i\u003e Bravo!\"\u003cbr\u003e—\u003cb\u003eDaniel J. Siegel, M.D., author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best sellers, \u003ci\u003eMindsight\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBrainstorm\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This is a book that really can change your life. Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson not only show the power of meditation, but also the smartest way to practice for the maximum possible benefit. \u003ci\u003eAltered Traits\u003c\/i\u003e is your roadmap to a more mindful, compassionate, fulfilling life — who doesn’t want that?\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Arianna Huffington, author of the\u003ci\u003e New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best seller \u003ci\u003eThe Sleep Revolution\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Here is a message that is both powerful and joyful. Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson reveal groundbreaking science showing how mindfulness and compassion practices can help each of us individually and thus the entire planet.  One of the most exciting books I have read!\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Chade-Meng Tan, author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best sellers, \u003ci\u003eJoy on Demand\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eSearch Inside Yourself\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"In this engaging and well-researched book, Goleman and Davidson help us sort out the many claims now being made about the benefits of meditation. Drawing on their own long personal meditative experience and the ever increasing number of scientific studies, \u003ci\u003eAltered Traits\u003c\/i\u003e breaks new ground in illuminating the power of meditation to transform our lives.\"\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e—Joseph Goldstein, author of \u003ci\u003eMindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"One of the world’s most eminent psychological scientists and most gifted science writers have written the definitive book on the science of meditation. Rigorously researched and deeply illuminating, \u003ci\u003eAltered Traits\u003c\/i\u003e is a must-read for anyone interested in the hidden potential of the human mind.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Daniel Gilbert,  PhD, author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e best seller \u003ci\u003eStumbling on Happiness\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A remarkable collaboration between two brilliant and courageous pioneers, \u003ci\u003eAltered Traits\u003c\/i\u003e shares the scientific basis and practical realities of the remarkable impact meditation has on altering the mind. As I have personally experienced, regular meditation practice brings compassion, calm, and clarity for all of us, from beginners to experienced practitioners.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Bill George, Senior Fellow, Harvard Business School; former Chair \u0026amp; CEO, Medtronic; and author of Discover Your True North\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eAltered Traits\u003c\/i\u003e is an informative book that is sure to be controversial. Highly recommended.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eSuccess Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eDaniel Goleman, Ph.D., \u003c\/b\u003eknown for his bestselling books on emotional intelligence, has a long-standing interest in meditation dating back to his two years in India as a graduate student at Harvard. A psychologist who for many years reported on the brain and behavioral sciences for \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, Dr. Goleman previously was a visiting faculty member at Harvard. Dr. Goleman has received many journalistic awards for his writing, including two nominations for the Pulitzer Prize for his articles in the \u003ci\u003eTimes\u003c\/i\u003e, and a Career Achievement award for journalism from the American Psychological Association.\u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003eRichard J. Davidson,\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003ePh.D., \u003c\/b\u003eis the William James and Vilas Research Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry, director of the Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior, and founder of the Center for Healthy Minds at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin, Madison. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in psychology and has been at Wisconsin since 1984. Davidson has published more than 320 articles, as well as numerous chapters and reviews, and edited fourteen books. His research has received many awards.One bright fall morning, Steve Z, a lieutenant colonel working in      the Pentagon, heard a \"crazy, loud noise,\" and instantly was      covered in debris as the ceiling caved in, knocking him to the      floor, unconscious. It was September 11, 2001, and a passenger jet      had smashed into the huge building, very near to Steve's office.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The debris that buried Steve saved his life as the plane's      fuselage exploded, a fireball of flames scouring the open office.      Despite a concussion, Steve returned to work four days later,      laboring through feverish nights, 6:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., because      those were daytime hours in Afghanistan. Soon after, he      volunteered for a year in Iraq.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"I mainly went to Iraq because I couldn't walk around the Mall      without being hypervigilant, wary of how people looked at me,      totally on guard,\" Steve recalls. \"I couldn't get on an elevator,      I felt trapped in my car in traffic.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His symptoms were classic post traumatic stress disorder. Then      came the day he realized he couldn't handle this on his own. Steve      ended up with a psychotherapist he still sees. She led him, very      gently, to try mindfulness.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Mindfulness, he recalls, \"gave me something I could do to help      feel more calm, less stressed, not be so reactive.\" As he      practiced more, added loving-kindness to the mix, and went on      retreats, his PTSD symptoms gradually became less frequent, less      intense. Although his irritability and restlessness still came, he      could see them coming.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Tales like Steve's offer encouraging news about meditation. We      have been meditators all our adult lives, and, like Steve, know      for ourselves that the practice has countless benefits.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But our scientific backgrounds give us pause, too. Not everything      chalked up to meditation's magic actually stands up to rigorous      tests. And so we have set out to make clear what works and what      does not.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some of what you know about meditation may be wrong. But what is      true about meditation you may not know.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Take Steve's story. The tale has been repeated in endless      variations by countless others who claim to have found relief in      meditation methods like mindfulness-not just from PTSD but from      virtually the entire range of emotional disorders.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Yet mindfulness, part of an ancient meditation tradition, was not      intended to be such a cure; this method was only recently adapted      as a balm for our modern forms of angst. The original aim,      embraced in some circles to this day, focuses on a deep      exploration of the mind toward a profound alteration of our very      being.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e On the other hand, the pragmatic applications of meditation-like      the mindfulness that helped Steve recover from trauma-appeal      widely but do not go so deep. Because this wide approach has easy      access, multitudes have found a way to include at least a bit of      meditation into their day.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e There are, then, two paths: the deep and the wide. Those two paths      are often confused with each other, though they differ greatly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We see the deep path embodied at two levels: in a pure form, for      example, in the ancient lineages of Theravada Buddhism as      practiced in Southeast Asia, or among Tibetan yogis (for whom      we'll see some remarkable data in chapter eleven, \"A Yogi's      Brain\"). We'll call this most intensive type of practice Level 1.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e At Level 2, these traditions have been removed from being part of      a total lifestyle-monk or yogi, for example-and adapted into forms      more palatable for the West. At Level 2, meditation comes in forms      that leave behind parts of the original Asian source that might      not make the cross-cultural journey so easily.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Then there are the wide approaches. At Level 3, a further remove      takes these same meditation practices out of their spiritual      context and distributes them ever more widely-as is the case with      Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (better known as MBSR), founded      by our good friend Jon Kabat-Zinn and taught now in thousands of      clinics and medical centers, and far beyond. Or Transcendental      Meditation (TM), which offers classic Sanskrit mantras to the      modern world in a user-friendly format.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The even more widely accessible forms of meditation at Level 4      are, of necessity, the most watered-down, all the better to render      them handy for the largest number of people. The current vogues of      mindfulness-at-your-desk, or via minutes-long meditation apps,      exemplify this level.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We foresee also a Level 5, one that exists now only in bits and      pieces, but which may well increase in number and reach with time.      At Level 5, the lessons scientists have learned in studying all      the other levels will lead to innovations and adaptations that can      be of widest benefit-a potential we explore in the final chapter,      \"A Healthy Mind.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The deep transformations of Level 1 fascinated us when we      originally encountered meditation. Dan studied ancient texts and      practiced the methods they describe, particularly during the two      years he lived in India and Sri Lanka in his grad school days and      just afterward. Richie (as everyone calls him) followed Dan to      Asia for a lengthy visit, likewise practicing on retreat there,      meeting with meditation scholars-and more recently has scanned the      brains of Olympic-level meditators in his lab at the University of      Wisconsin.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Our own meditation practice has been mainly at Level 2. But from      the start, the wide path, Levels 3 and 4, has also been important      to us. Our Asian teachers said if any aspect of meditation could      help alleviate suffering, it should be offered to all, not just      those on a spiritual search. Our doctoral dissertations applied      that advice by studying ways meditation could have cognitive and      emotional payoffs.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The story we tell here mirrors our own personal and professional      journey. We have been close friends and collaborators on the      science of meditation since the 1970s, when we met at Harvard      during graduate school, and we have both been practitioners of      this inner art over all these years (although we are nowhere near      mastery).\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e While we were both trained as psychologists, we bring      complementary skills to telling this story. Dan is a seasoned      science journalist who wrote for the New York Times for more than      a decade. Richie, a neuroscientist, founded and heads the      University of Wisconsin's Center for Healthy Minds, in addition to      directing the brain imaging laboratory at the Waisman Center      there, replete with its own fMRI, PET scanner, and a battery of      cutting-edge data analysis programs, along with hundreds of      servers for the heavy-duty computing required for this work. His      research group numbers more than a hundred experts, who range from      physicists, statisticians, and computer scientists to      neuroscientists and psychologists, as well as scholars of      meditative traditions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Coauthoring a book can be awkward. We've had some of that, to be      sure-but whatever drawbacks coauthorship brought us has been      vastly overshadowed by the sheer delight we find in working      together. We've been best friends for decades but labored      separately over most of our careers. This book has brought us      together again, always a joy.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e You are holding the book we had always wanted to write but could      not. The science and the data we needed to support our ideas have      only recently matured. Now that both have reached a critical mass,      we are delighted to share this.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Our joy also comes from our sense of a shared, meaningful mission:      we aim to shift the conversation with a radical reinterpretation      of what the actual benefits of meditation are-and are not-and what      the true aim of practice has always been.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Deep Path\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After his return from India in the fall of 1974, Richie was in a      seminar on psychopathology back at Harvard. Richie, with long hair      and attire in keeping with the zeitgeist of Cambridge in those      times-including a colorful woven sash that he wore as a belt-was      startled when his professor said, \"One clue to schizophrenia is      the bizarre way a person dresses,\" giving Richie a meaningful      glance.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e And when Richie told one of his Harvard professors that he wanted      to focus his dissertation on meditation, the blunt response came      immediately: that would be a career-ending move.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Dan set out to research the impacts of meditation that uses a      mantra. On hearing this, one of his clinical psychology professors      asked with suspicion, \"How is a mantra any different from my      obsessive patients who can't stop saying 'shit-shit-shit'?\" The      explanation that the expletives are involuntary in the      psychopathology, while the silent mantra repetition is a voluntary      and intentional focusing device, did little to placate him.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These reactions were typical of the opposition we faced from our      department heads, who were still responding with knee-jerk      negativity toward anything to do with consciousness-perhaps a mild      form of PTSD after the notorious debacle involving Timothy Leary      and Richard Alpert. Leary and Alpert had been very publicly ousted      from our department in a brouhaha over letting Harvard undergrads      experiment with psychedelics. This was some five years before we      arrived, but the echoes lingered.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Despite our academic mentors' seeing our meditation research as a      blind alley, our hearts told us this was of compelling import. We      had a big idea: beyond the pleasant states meditation can produce,      the real payoffs are the lasting traits that can result.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e An altered trait-a new characteristic that arises from a      meditation practice-endures apart from meditation itself. Altered      traits shape how we behave in our daily lives, not just during or      immediately after we meditate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The concept of altered traits has been a lifelong pursuit, each of      us playing synergistic roles in the unfolding of this story. There      were Dan's years in India as an early participant-observer in the      Asian roots of these mind-altering methods. And on Dan's return to      America he was a not-so-successful transmitter to contemporary      psychology of beneficial changes from meditation and the ancient      working models for achieving them.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Richie's own experiences with meditation led to decades pursuing      the science that supports our theory of altered traits. His      research group has now generated the data that lend credence to      what could otherwise seem mere fanciful tales. And by leading the      creation of a fledgling research field, contemplative      neuroscience, he has been grooming a coming generation of      scientists whose work builds on and adds to this evidence.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e In the wake of the tsunami of excitement over the wide path, the      alternate route so often gets missed: that is, the deep path,      which has always been the true goal of meditation. As we see it,      the most compelling impacts of meditation are not better health or      sharper business performance but, rather, a further reach toward      our better nature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e A stream of findings from the deep path markedly boosts science's      models of the upper limits of our positive potential. The further      reaches of the deep path cultivate enduring qualities like      selflessness, equanimity, a loving presence, and impartial      compassion-highly positive altered traits.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e When we began, this seemed big news for modern psychology-if it      would listen. Admittedly, at first the concept of altered traits      had scant backing save for the gut feelings we had from meeting      highly seasoned practitioners in Asia, the claims of ancient      meditation texts, and our own fledgling tries at this inner art.      Now, after decades of silence and disregard, the last few years      have seen ample findings that bear out our early hunch. Only of      late have the scientific data reached critical mass, confirming      what our intuition and the texts told us: these deep changes are      external signs of strikingly different brain function.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Much of that data comes from Richie's lab, the only scientific      center that has gathered findings on dozens of contemplative      masters, mainly Tibetan yogis-the largest pool of deep      practitioners studied anywhere.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e These unlikely research partners have been crucial in building a      scientific case for the existence of a way of being that has      eluded modern thought, though it was hiding in plain sight as a      goal of the world's major spiritual traditions. Now we can share      scientific confirmation of these profound alterations of being-a      transformation that dramatically ups the limits on psychological      science's ideas of human possibility.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The very idea of \"awakening\"-the goal of the deep path-seems a      quaint fairy tale to a modern sensibility. Yet data from Richie's      lab, some just being published in journals as this book goes to      press, confirm that remarkable, positive alterations in brain and      behavior along the lines of those long described for the deep path      are not a myth but a reality.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Wide Path\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e We have both been longtime board members of the Mind and Life      Institute, formed initially to create intensive dialogues between      the Dalai Lama and scientists on wide-ranging topics. In 2000 we      organized one on \"destructive emotions,\" with several top experts      on emotions, including Richie. Midway through that dialogue the      Dalai Lama, turning to Richie, made a provocative challenge.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e His own tradition, the Dalai Lama observed, had a wide array of      time-tested practices for taming destructive emotions. So, he      urged, take these methods into the laboratory in forms freed from      religious trappings, test them rigorously, and if they can help      people lessen their destructive emotions, then spread them widely      to all who might benefit.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e That fired us up. Over dinner that night-and several nights      following-we began to plot the general course of the research we      report in this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Dalai Lama's challenge led Richie to refocus the formidable      power of his lab to assess both the deep and the wide paths. And,      as founding director of the Center for Healthy Minds, Richie has      spurred work on useful, evidence-based applications suitable for      schools, clinics, businesses, even for cops-for anyone, anywhere,      ranging from a kindness program for preschoolers to treatments for      veterans with PTSD.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The Dalai Lama's urging catalyzed studies that support the wide      path in scientific terms, a vernacular welcomed around the globe.      Meanwhile the wide way has gone viral, becoming the stuff of      blogs, tweets, and snappy apps. For instance, as we write this, a      wave of enthusiasm surrounds mindfulness, and hundreds of      thousands-maybe millions-now practice the method.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e But viewing mindfulness (or any variety of meditation) through a      scientific lens starts with questions like: When does it work, and      when does it not? Will this method help everyone? Are its benefits      any different from, say, exercise? These are among the questions      that brought us to write this book.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Meditation is a catch-all word for myriad varieties of      contemplative practice, just as sports refers to a wide range of      athletic activities. For both sports and meditation, the end      results vary depending on what you actually do.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Some practical advice: for those about to start a meditation      practice, or who have been grazing among several, keep in mind      that as with gaining skill in a given sport, finding a meditation      practice that appeals to you and sticking with it will have the      greatest benefits. Just find one to try, decide on the amount of      time each day you can realistically practice daily-even as short      as a few minutes-try it for a month, and see how you feel after      those thirty days.","brand":"Avery","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301225255141,"sku":"NP9780399184383","price":27.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780399184383.jpg?v=1742923479","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/altered-traits-isbn-9780399184383","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}