Sounds Can Activate the Brain’s Compassion Hub
Children at HoPE Learning Centers
Get Trained in the Neurology of Compassion
Coimbatore, India: During a TEDx talk on October 3rd, 2013 organized by GRD College in Coimbatore, Elaine Kueper, Global Director, Tripura Foundation, unveiled a scientific, sound-based technique that activates the specific area of the brain that processes compassion.
This technique is part of the brain-training technology called Phonemic Intelligence, which is based on phonemes (smallest units of sound). It is developed by Dr. Baskaran Pillai, Founder, Tripura Foundation, and implemented at all the Tripura Foundation educational initiatives world-wide in India, US and Mexico.
“I have been searching for a tool other than preaching or counseling, that will help people to take care of one another. Our latest study has shown a new dimension to sociology – something we refer to as the ‘Neurology of Compassion’. Compassion is not just a cultivated behavior. Now, it is a neurological fact”, said Elaine.
In her presentation, Elaine shared the results of a pilot study to examine the impact of Phonemic Intelligence on the brain using EEG (Electroencephalography) recordings. This study was done by Brain Science International, a reputed brain institute in San Francisco, US.
“The study showed a signature sound wave for each of the sounds studied, demonstrating that each of these sounds has a unique impact on the brain. Another very interesting result was that the sounds activated one of the most important parts of the brain for learning, which is called the anterior cingulate – an area of the brain right below the cortex”, shared Elaine in her talk.
The anterior cingulate contains special cells called Von Economo neurons, according to Dr. Andrew Newberg, a leading neuroscientist at the University of Pennsylvania, US. These neurons are believed to be involved in integrating our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. Specifically, when the anterior cingulate is activated, empathy and compassion are experienced.
Elaine, as part of her talk, presented a video clip of testimonials from two children attending Tripura Foundation’s HoPE Learning Center in Kannan Kottai, a village near Chennai, India. By caring for the needy elderly of their community, the children demonstrated that their acts of kindness are rooted in their newly-acquired neurology of compassion.
