Take a deep breath. Focus. Silence your mind.
Meditation is just one of the topics Louis Ritz will address today in his speech at Santa Fe College. Ritz, a UF professor of neuroscience, will discuss spirituality and its effects on health at 2 p.m. in room 260 of Building P.
The speech will last about one hour and is free and open to the public.
"Meditation is the ultimate complement to medicine," he said. "It doesn't cost anything, and there are no harmful side effects. It is such a powerful benefit to people's health."
Ritz will give a general overview of spirituality and health and talk specifically about how the brain is activated during meditation. He will also discuss addiction, its biological basis and how spiritual intervention can help manage it.
He said there are a number of medical benefits to practicing any form of spirituality. One of the most predominant effects is stress release and anxiety reduction. While spirituality cannot cure a disease, he said, it can reduce a patient's suffering by eliminating excess stress and strain on the body and mind.
Ritz, director of UF's Center for Spirituality and Health, teaches classes in the medical school and two undergraduate classes which focus on different forms of spirituality, self-reflection, living in the present, mindfulness and brain circuitry.
He said these topics were not discussed at a state university for a long time, but the center has found a way to integrate these topics into a rigorous, academic setting that is appropriate for learning.
He said one-third of the students in the medical school is enrolled in a spirituality class. Being in the present and focusing on a patient is essential in medicine, so it is important for medical students to understand and practice some form of spirituality.
Ritz's interest in mysticism was sparked during the 1960s, and he considers himself a product of the changes of the time and the musical messages of The Beatles. While majoring in science at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, he researched spirituality in his free time. He later received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from UF and joined the faculty in 1985.
He said spirituality is a journey to rediscover one's true self and requires practice and concentration. He said the mind is like an inner roommate who does not stop talking. Spirituality is about becoming aware of and quieting one's emotions and mind.
"When we silence the mind, you realize it's not silent in there," he said. "You can hear other voices of guidance. You start reflecting on yourself and ask why it's so noisy."
