Lecture Notes on Attention and Interoception

Key Concepts

• Attention Rewiring Tool: A simple 17-minute practice can rewire brain circuitry for better focus.
• Target Audience: Effective for both children and adults, with or without ADHD.

The Importance of Focus

• Focus can improve significantly in a single session.
• Attentional Blinks: Everyone experiences these, with increased frequency in people with ADHD.
  • Over-focusing on one element can lead to missing other important information.
  • Suggests a different view of ADHD: not inability to focus but an issue with attentional distribution.

Open Monitoring and Visual Processing

• Open Monitoring: A concept often linked with meditation (e.g., vipassana) but can be simplified.
• Visual System Modes:
  • Soda Straw View: Focused, narrow attention.
  • Panoramic Vision: Broad, dilated gaze that allows awareness of the surrounding environment.

Practice of Interoception

• Interoception: Focus on internal body states and breathing.
• A simple practice: Sit quietly for 15-20 minutes, focusing on breathing and body sensations.
  • Effectiveness: Can significantly reduce attentional blinks after just one session.

Age and Cognitive Decline

• Cognitive decline in aging is associated with increased attentional blinks.
• Simple interoceptive practices may help mitigate age-related cognitive decline.

Conclusion

• Universal Applicability: Beneficial for everyone, regardless of age or cognitive status.
• Long-lasting Effects: The benefits are significant and long-lasting from just one meditation session.
• Engaging in Panoramic Vision: A powerful tool for detecting more information quickly.
• Final Recommendation: Encouragement to try a 17-minute session to enhance attention.