Meditation Is Doing Something to the Brain Nobody Expected

0:03Darin Olien:Welcome to Super Life with me, Darin Olien, a podcast where we explore, discover, and share solutions that promote a healthier life and a better world. Together, we'll ignite possibilities, inspire change, and build sovereignty, creating a roadmap towards a super life for you and for all. Get ready to start living your super life.

0:32Darin Olien:Before we get into today's episode, I want to acknowledge the company helping to support this conversation, Alchemist. You know, most of us spend so much energy thinking about what we put into our bodies. The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe outside. But here's something that doesn't get nearly enough attention. The air inside your home. Here's a fact that floored me. conventional paints, which are petrochemical-based, are off-gassing, endocrine-disrupting chemicals for not just days, for years after they've been applied. This means the walls of your bedroom, your kids' rooms, your kitchen, they could literally be releasing toxic chemicals into the air you're breathing every single day.

1:21Darin Olien:That's why I want to talk about Alchemist. Alchemist is the world's first wellness paint. Their paints are mineral-based, VOC-free, and completely free of PFAS, those damn forever chemicals that have no business being anywhere in our environment, especially in our home. And because the formula is rooted in natural minerals, it's inherently anti-mold, anti-fungal, so there's no synthetic additives needed to perform. Nature has already done the work. On top of all of that, Alchemist paint is class A fire resistant, which I love here in Southern California, because guess what? Rocks, i.e. minerals, don't burn.

2:08Darin Olien:So you're not just protecting your family's health, you're protecting your home on every level. No downside. And here's the thing that really speaks to me. Alchemist is cradle to cradle certified. If you're not familiar with that, it's one of the most rigorous sustainability certifications in the world. It means the product has been evaluated across its entire life cycle from the ingredients sourced to make it all the way to what happens when it is no longer needed. Nothing is an afterthought with this company. That's a standard most companies never even attempt to meet, but they do. They've rethought the entire formula from the ground up so you don't have to choose between a beautiful home and a safe home.

2:53Darin Olien:We put so much thought into the products that touch our bodies or go into our bodies. It just makes sense to extend the same standard to the surfaces that literally surround us. If you're repainting a room or now inspired to do so, building something new, or just ready to make a healthier swap, check out Alchemist. Go to alkemis.com. Use the code Darren Tan, D-A-R-I-N-T-E. In April 2026, a team at USC San Diego published something I haven't been able to stop thinking about. They scanned the brains and blood of 20 people after just seven days of meditation. The brain patterns they saw didn't look like relaxation.

3:44They looked like the brain on psilocybin, some mystical experience signature, right? So the same neuroconductivity, no mushrooms though. Today, we're going to dive into what that means, what actually happened in there, and the seven-day protocol you can run yourself starting tomorrow. I love this stuff. If you've ever sat with psilocybin or even microdosed, I mean really sat with it, you know that there is a moment where the boundary of you softens, the noise quiets, something underneath the talking, the incessant talking we have in our head, the planning, the anxiousness of self comes forward.

4:31And for a few hours, you remember what you actually are. For thousands of years, people have used plants, obviously, fasting and drumming and breath work to get there. And now scientists are saying there's another door, a door that's free, that doesn't require a guide, a license, a substance, or a single dollar. It takes just seven days. I want to tell you what they found and how you might walk through that door yourself. because I know I am. So this isn't a 1970 study. The UCSD work was published in 2025 in communications biology, peer-reviewed, top tier, and went mainstream in April of 2026.

5:23It used real brain imaging and real blood biology, not self-reporting questionnaires. This meditation research is suggesting this renaissance. In the same window, Harvard's Meditation Research Program at MGH is mapping Hana and secession states using 7 T-MRIs and high -density EEGs. The University of Montreal scanned 12 Thai forest monks with 15 ,000 hours of practice each. Something is being recovered scientifically that the contemplative traditions have always known. This is exciting. This is landing in a moment where psychedelics are kind of surging and about to be FDA approved. The same culture that's racing towards the molecule is also being shown that the door doesn't require one.

6:24I don't think that's an accident. I think we're revealing something that something doesn't have to be outside of us to access. That's what I love. So by the end of this episode, you'll know exactly what changed in those brains, why it's happening, and what the limits of the research are, and you'll have the seven-day protocol that you can actually start tomorrow morning. Okay, so the study, the UC San Diego seven-day retreat, it was published by the Communications Biology. It was 20 healthy adults, no control group. So I just want to say that there was no control group. So I have to be honest.

7:07There might be some interesting things here. The seven-day residential retreat led by Joe Dispenza. Believe me, there's some other studies to support what I'm saying. 33 hours of guided meditation, breath work, and group healing practice. They did brain scans, so EEGs before and after. They did blood plasma draw before and after. and then applied to lab-grown neurons in a dish to test what the post-retreat plasma actually does biologically. Very interesting. What they found was reduced activity in brain's regions associated with the default mode network. It's like the background noise of our brain.

7:56And there was less. It's where the mental chatter, the rumination, constant stimulation, second-guessing yourself, all of that stuff. That's the default mode network, essentially. So post-retreat blood plasma caused lab-grown neurons to extend new branches and form new connections. The blood literally became more neuroplastic. And the cells exposed to the post-treatment plasma showed increased glycolytic activity, meaning more energetic, more metabolically active cells. Also, an increased endogenous opioids. So that means internally the body's own natural painkillers and reward chemistry inside the body showed inside and in the bloodstream.

8:53So we're seeing the same mystical experiences and neuroconnectivity patterns that typically require psilocybin now achieved through meditation practice alone. Also, there was another study, 12 monks, University of Montreal in 2026, 12 Thai forest traditional monks at the monastery outside of Rome, averaging 15 ,000 plus hours of practice. They did what's called like an MEG, which is also a, it's kind of like a magnetic resonance diagnostics. And during two different meditation styles, one was the samantha, which is focused attention on the breath. The other was vipassana, open monitoring of present moment experience.

9:54both styles increased the complexity of the brain activity and altered neuro oscillations. Vipassana moved the brain closer to criticality, the sweet spot between order and chaos, where neurons and the neural systems are more flexible, most adaptive, and most efficient at processing information. The Samantha produced a more stable, focused, and lower critically critical state, basically. Takeaway, meditation isn't resting the brain, it's reshaping it. And with the style you practice changes what the reshaping can look like. There was a third study, Harvard's Advanced Meditation Map. This was done in 2025 at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard.

10:54We're treating advanced meditation as a new empirical paradigm for studying consciousness itself. They focus on two phenomena. So eight progressive states of concentration, absorption related to the Buddhist ways of doing things. and they saw some secession events. So these brief moments where consciousness dropped out entirely. These aren't fringe phenomenon either. They're being measured by this 7TFMRI and this high-density EEG. What it tells us, there's a structured, replicable map of consciousness that advanced practitioners have virtually known for 2 ,500 years and that neuroscience is now starting to catch up and see.

11:49So the UCSD study had no control group. We can't rule out placebo, social effects of the retreat, or selective bias. The monks obviously are not the average practitioner with 15 ,000 hours. That's a very mastered situation. And also the brain activity similar to psilocybin is a kind of invocative claim. It's hard to put your finger on it. But they are suggesting that there are things from the imaging that show there's some identity there that are correlation to something similar. And the default mode network suppression seems to hold up. and similar measures of neural complexity, similar reports of mystical experiences.

12:43But the direction of how to get there seems to be ambiguous a bit. So what the hell is actually happening in there? The default mode network goes quiet. It is something that through these practices seems to dampen. That motor in the brain, we want to kind of calm down. This default mode network is part of the brain that runs when you're not focused on a task, when you're not centered and you can't concentrate. It's that inner narrator that just goes crazy. Past conversations, worrying about tomorrow, all this about me, me, me stuff, right? This is kind of ego. The overactivity in the default mode network is correlated with anxiety, depression, rumination, addiction.

13:33So both psilocybin and meditation quiets this default mode network. That's where it's very interesting. That's where the mystical experience overlap is coming from both the meditation and the psilocybin. So the boundary of this and why that shows up sometimes, why that does in other times, is something still obviously they don't know. But beginner studies show that the default mode network activity can start decreasing after two to three weeks of 10 to 20 minutes per day. Brain criticality goes up. So criticality is that sweet spot between the rigidity and the chaos. A brain at criticality processes information more efficiently learned.

14:22So that's why meditation and when microdosing psilocybin, that's why that helps. The wildest thing is the blood changes. Post-treatment, the plasma, when applied to neurons in the dish, made those neurons grow. In meditation, this is huge. That means that meditation isn't only a brain state phenomenon. It's a systemic body-wide signaling event. Neurotropic factors are released. Endogenous opioids. metabolic shifts. The whole body chemistry is absolutely changing when you calm down, when you are quiet, when you give your mind something to do. This is why people report better sleep, less pain, better digestion, calmer hormones.

15:18It's not just feeling calmer. The biochemistry of the entire body is shifting. Meditation is not just relaxation. It's not just a relaxation technique. It is a whole body intervention with measurable effects on neural complexity, neuroplasticity, immune function, metabolism, and pain regulation. The contemplatives weren't lying. they were just early. They couldn't point to it all scientifically. But now we know, without a doubt, meditation is that pill in a bottle that doesn't have to be a pill in a bottle and you don't have to buy it. Okay, so what is that seven-day protocol? I'd like to take a quick break from this podcast to talk to you about my incredible new sponsor,

16:18Darin Olien:You know, most of us spend so much energy thinking about what we put into our bodies. The food we eat, the water we drink, the air we breathe outside. But here's something that doesn't get nearly enough attention. The air inside your home. Here's a fact that floored me. Conventional paints, which are petrochemical based, are off-gassing endocrine disrupting chemicals for not just days. for years after they've been applied. This means the walls of your bedroom, your kids' rooms, your kitchen, they could literally be releasing toxic chemicals into the air you're breathing every single day. That's why I want to talk about Alchemist.

17:02Darin Olien:Alchemist is the world's first wellness paint. Their paints are mineral-based, VOC-free, and completely free of PFOS, those damn forever chemicals that have no business being anywhere in our environment, especially in our home. And because the formula is rooted in natural minerals, it's inherently anti-mold, anti-fungal, so there's no synthetic additives needed to perform. Nature has already done the work. On top of all of that, Alchemist paint is class A fire resistant, which I love here in Southern California because guess what? Rocks, i.e. minerals, don't burn. So you're not just protecting your family's health, you're protecting your home on every level.

17:51Darin Olien:No downside. And here's the thing that really speaks to me. Alchemist is cradle-to-cradle certified. If you're not familiar with that, it's one of the most rigorous sustainability certifications in the world. It means a product has been evaluated across its entire life cycle from the ingredients sourced to make it all the way to what happens when it is no longer needed. Nothing is an afterthought with this company. That's a standard most companies never even attempt to meet, but they do. They've rethought the entire formula from the ground up so you don't have to choose between a beautiful home and a safe one.

18:31Darin Olien:We put so much thought into the products that touch our bodies or go into our bodies. It just makes sense to extend the same standard to the surfaces that literally surround us. If you're repainting a room or now inspired to do so, building something new, or just ready to make a healthier swap, check out Alchemist. Go to A-L-K-E-M-I-S.com. Use the code Darren10, D-A-R-I-N-10. So the UCSD retreat was 33 hours over seven days. That's not the home protocol, However, here's the research aligned at-home version. So daily dose matters more than total hours. Consistency builds the neuro and biochemical patterns.

19:24Combine the two techniques. The science actually validates. So the Samantha-focused attention to settle and stabilize and the Vipassana, open monitoring to push the brain forward towards criticality. Add a body component. The biggest UCSD effect came from a retreat that involved breath work, movement, and group practice, not just sitting. Okay, so days one to three. So the morning, 20 minutes, seated, focused attention, eyes closed, attention rests on the breath, at the nostrils, or the belly. So just put that attention there. When the mind wanders, and of course it will, hundreds of times, gently bring it back when you're aware of it, and keep doing that repetition.

20:20Keep noticing, not holding, not judging yourself, just notice. And then in the evening, do 10 minutes of a body scan. Slowly move attention from your feet, to the calves, to the knees, to the thighs, to the hamstrings, to the butt, to the stomach, to the chest, to the heart, to the shoulders, to the neck, to the head, out the crown, that kind of thing. Observing sensation, observing. This is good for your body, good for attention and awareness. So what is that doing? You're stabilizing attention so the deeper practice in days four and seven have somewhere to land. Okay, so days four and five, open the field.

21:08So days four to five, open the field, the Vipassana part. In the morning, 25 minutes, open monitoring. So sit, eyes closed. Don't focus on any one thing. Let sounds, sensation, thoughts arise, kind of a mindfulness. Notice each. Let it pass. Notice the next. The instruction is whatever is here is here. Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. And in the evening, 10 minutes box breathing. So that's in for five, out for five, in for five, out for five. So breathe the way out. Feel like you're pushing through a straw. Out for five. Take in through the nose. and for five this settles the nervous system beautifully before you go to bed this is the

22:01Darin Olien:practice that pushes the brain towards criticality you'll likely find days four and five harder than one and three that's the point and then days six and seven deepen and integrate the morning 30 minutes start with 10 minutes samantha to settle down then transition to 20 minutes midday 20 minutes outside walking meditation, 20-minute walk. So watch, feel your feet on the ground, feel the wind hit your face, hear the birds chirping, all of that stuff, no talking with a friend, whatever, 20 minutes mindfulness. In the evening, 15 minutes loving kindness practice. Generate the wish of well-being for yourself, for your loved ones, for your pets, for all beings, for all people.

22:53On the planet, all states of countries, you name it, send love. This will change the bagel tone, shift the heart rate, increase lower. This will lower inflammation markers. So three rules that will make or break this. Same time, same place. Don't decide each morning whether you do it. just decide seven days because distractions and and without intending will destroy this practice before it starts no phone the cost of one notification glance that just destroys the whole thing uh don't grade yourself oh i was bad it was good it was good today it was bad it was good today it was bad yesterday what's going on just don't even worry about any of that stuff If you want to go further, go day eight, keep the morning 20 to 30 minutes practice as a permanent state.

23:50Just keep doing it. And this will increase over time, lower the default mode network, allow you to flow in your life, have greater depth of reactions and emotions running your life, have more ability

24:06Darin Olien:to decision make in ways that are going to better support you. Okay, so the same culture that's about to legalize psilocybin is a culture that has forgotten how to sit still for 10 minutes. We are racing towards a molecule, something outside of ourselves, because we've lost this muscle. Psychedelics certainly can have a place. They are powerful. They have a place in our humanness when done correctly. But if you can't sit with yourself sober, the medicine will tell you the same thing that the medicine has always told people. Go home, sit, and be with yourself. That's what the medicine always tells you.

24:54I've done it, and I get it.

24:57Darin Olien:27 years ago was my first time. It said exactly the same thing. There is a part of the wellness industry that wants you to need a retreat for$5 ,000, a$300 headset, a subscription app. I get it. I'm even promoting some of this stuff. But you don't need it to thrive. But if you can use tools to help you along the way, great. The truth is we can do so much just by making a choice. Just by slowing down. just by taking a breath, just by closing our eyes. This isn't an escape. This is attention to ourselves. This isn't relaxation. This is the most radical reclamation available to us as human, as human beings.

25:49And the willingness to sit in a room and meet yourself without distraction. Everything we've built in our modern era

25:59Darin Olien:is designed to prevent us from that meeting. Be a badass. Push back against this modern world telling you who you are and sit down in silence to meet yourself because that person has been waiting for you the entire time. I love you. This is super life. I am dedicated to you having the best life ever. I'm Darren O 'Lean, and I got your back. Peace.