Before knowing if meditation can cure illnesses, we must ask ourselves about the influence it can have on the body.

According to several studies^1-4 , the brain would have a certain plasticity, that is to say, it could be trained like a muscle. By emphasizing his ability to concentrate, on the observation of our own interior, that is to say our thoughts and emotions, meditation is part of these mental trainings. Performing it would increase the concentration of gray matter in several areas of the brain, such as the left hippocampus or the cerebellum. In addition, people who have a long experience in meditation have a thicker cerebral cortex than comparable people who do not practice meditation. This difference is even more marked in the elderly, whose cortex gradually becomes thinner with age.

It is therefore now scientifically proven that a purely spiritual activity can have a certain power over the body, and in particular over the brain. But what do these changes in the brain mean for the functioning of the body and for the treatment of diseases in general?

R. Jerath, V.A. Barnes, D. Dillard-Wright, et al., Dynamic Change of Awareness during Meditation Techniques: Neural and Physiological Correlates, Front Hum Neurosci., 2012 S.W. Lazar, C.E. Kerr, R.H. Wasserman, et al., Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness, Neuroreport., 2006 P. Verstergaard-Poulsen, M. van Beek, J. Skewes, et al., Long-term meditation is associated with increased gray matter density in the brain stem, Neuroreport., 2009 B.K. Hölzel, J. Carmody, M. Vangel, et al., Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density, Psychiatry Res, 2011