Hello Dr. Micallef, I found your perspectives unique and novel, as your masterpiece addresses the overlooked intersection of secular mindfulness practices and religious beliefs, challenging the common misconception that mindfulness is exclusively Buddhist. You provide a nuanced discussion on how mindfulness can coexist with and even enhance religious practices, highlighting examples from Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. This inclusive approach to mindfulness, emphasizing its universal applicability, adds a fresh perspective to the discourse on spirituality and mental health. Exploring how secularism can create a neutral space for diverse beliefs is innovative and thought-provoking, offering new insights into the integration of mindfulness in a multicultural and multi-faith context. Your findings and perspectives from your research and practices fully align with my 30 years of research on meditation and mindfulness in cognitive science. I helped hundreds of religious people from different religions in Australia, a multicultural and multi-religious country to try meditation and thrive. Some of those people benefited it from angles and a few even increased their creativity and productivity getting senior executive roles in their professions. I documented these case studies. Here is one sample: https://medium.com/sensible-biohacking-transhumanism/the-simplicity-and-power-of-a-mantra-made-an-uptight-exec-a-zen-master-in-10-years-58e54876f827 I have also written several papers and many articles over the last three decades based on experimentation and literature reviews. I study the impact of meditation on our cognitive system. Here is a summary of my latest study showing physical changes of contemplative practices in the brain.
Meditation Can Boost the Cortical Thickness in the Brain and Prevent It from Thinning
At cellular, genetic, and systemic levels, meditative practices might alter the structure and biochemistry of the brain.
