Sang-Hyuk Lee, MD, PhD

"We investigate and explore the human mind through neuroimaging and mindfulness."

Neuroimaging

 Neuroplasticity is the concept that the brain can change, a process of neural adaptation where the brain alters its own neural circuits through growth and reorganization.

 Our brain, which strengthens with practice, can undergo this process of neural adaptation by forming new synapses and creating neural circuits through systematic and consistent mindfulness meditation.

‘How meditation works = Neuroplasticity’

 Since 2007, we have developed mindfulness-based therapies for various kinds of psychiatric disorders and investigated the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and affective disorders such as panic disorder and depressive disorder using Neuroscience with structural and functional neuroimaging.

Mindfulness

 Traditional cognitive behavioral therapy focuses on how to control symptoms after they have already appeared, but mindfulness, known as third-world cognitive behavioral therapy, has significant advantages in stress management. In other words, it helps patients develop the ability to control stress attacks before they occur. ‘mindfulness’ therapy is a process that changes the whole brain. 

 The first method of mindfulness is meditation, which involves allowing stressful situations to pass without accepting them as stress when they first arise, and this has a significant impact on stress management. The second step is to train patients to stop thinking and focus on the present when important stressful situations trigger an attack.

 In mindfulness and stress management programs, when worries start to spiral out of control, we are taught that they are not real. In other words, when thoughts start to spiral, we are repeatedly trained to become aware of ourselves. This training is defined as “focusing on the present, concentrating intentionally, and not judging things that have not happened.” This is the definition of mindfulness and this training continues. After about eight weeks of learning cognitive behavioral therapy and practicing mindfulness for stress management, it has been found that the frequency of seizures decreases, nervousness disappears, and the therapeutic effect is significant.

 Mindfulness teaches how to develop the ability to regulate the mind, while traditional cognitive behavioral therapy teaches how to cope with external events. Therefore, combining traditional cognitive behavioral therapy, medication, and mindfulness therapy can produce a synergistic effect.

  Mental illness > Languishing  > Moderate mental health  > Flourishing  

 Our research laboratory aims not merely to alleviate symptoms in individuals suffering from mental disorders, 

but to help them overcome and accept their distress, ultimately restoring positive emotions and fostering well-being.

 Our therapeutic modalities encompass not only pharmacotherapy and traditional cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), 

but also lifestyle modifications, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) grounded in neuroscience, resilience training, and positive affect-focused CBT.  

 Demonstrating the efficacy of these approaches through structural and functional neuroimaging evidences lies at the core of our lab's mission.