Concentration and mindfulness meditations: Unique forms of consciousness?

Electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings from 19 scalp recording sites were used to differentiate among two posited unique forms of mediation, concent ration and mindfulness, and a normal relaxation control condition. Analyzes of all traditional frequency bandwidth data (i.e., delta 1-3 Hz; theta, 4- 7 Hz; alpha, 8-12 Hz; beta 1, 13-25 Hz; beta 2, 26-32 Hz) showed strong mea n amplitude frequency differences between the two meditation conditions and relaxation over numerous cortical sites. Furthermore, significant differen ces were obtained between concentration and mindfulness states at all bandw idths. Taken together, our results suggest that concentration and mindfulne ss "meditations" may be unique forms of consciousness and are not merely de grees of a state of relaxation.