Zindel Segal, PhD is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough. He pioneered the use of mindfulness meditation for promoting wellness in the area of mood disorders. He is the recipient of several awards, including the Douglas Utting Research Prize and the Mood Disorder Association of Ontario’s Hope Award and has been continuously funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for the past 15 years. Segal’s program of research has helped to characterize psychological markers of relapse vulnerability in affective disorder, especially the link between affective and self-devaluation components of dysphoria. This work has, in turn, provided an empirical rationale for offering training in mindfulness meditation to recurrently depressed patients in recovery.

An author of ten books and more than 200 scientific publications, including The Mindful Way Through Depression—a patient guide for achieving mood balance in everyday life—he continues to advocate for the relevance of mindfulness-based clinical care in psychiatry and mental health. His recent book, Better in Every Sense, describes the surprising role of sensation in mental health.

This profile was last updated on May 1, 2024

Mind & Life Connections

2020
2018

Mind & Life Videos

ISCR 2018 Opening Keynote – Contemplative Practice Enters the Digital Age

Mind and Life Institute • November 8, 2018

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Keynote Panel “Contemplative Practice Enters the Digital Age”

Moderators: Zindel Segal
Panel: Acacia Parks, Jack Kornfield, Darnell Lamont Walker, Zindel Segal

Topics: Body-based Practices | Compassion & Empathy | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Interconnection | Mindfulness | Social Change

2016

Mind & Life Videos

ISCS 2016 – Keynote – Zindel Segal

Mind and Life Institute • November 11, 2016

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Mindfulness

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Keynote: Mindfulness Therapeutics in the Promotion of Mental Health

Zindel Segal

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mental Health | Mindfulness

2014

Mind & Life Videos

ISCS 2014 – Master Lecture – Zindel Segal

Mind and Life Institute • November 1, 2014

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mindfulness

2014 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Master Lecture – Contemplative Clinical Science

Zindel Segal

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mindfulness

Audio AvailableVideo Available

2007
2005

Mind & Life Videos

Mind & Life XIII – Session 3

Mind and Life Institute • November 8, 2005

Topics: Mental Health | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience