It's only reasonable to assume that attending a seven-day meditation retreat would have a calming and restorative effect on a person. The fMRI data showed that after the meditation, brain activity was reduced in the default mode network, which is associated with self-referential and internally directed thought. Brain activity was also reduced in the salience network, which helps detect both internal and external stimuli. Related: Meditation Can Reshape Your Brain Activity, Study RevealsBut while we should be cautious about how we interpret these findings, they are certainly not the first to suggest meditation can have powerful effects. Another recent study captured evidence of meditation reshaping brain activity, and other research shows meditation can help with pain relief, or reduce the burden of stress and aging.