What’s happening in (and to) my brain when I meditate? This question is asked time and time again by individuals undertaking contemplative practices, journalists writing articles about mindfulness, and scientists trying to figure out what is happening on a neurobiological level during these practices. A growing number of studies have been published in an attempt …
Topic Archives:
Keynote: Mindfulness Therapeutics in the Promotion of Mental Health
In the past 15 years, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has achieved broad appeal and effectiveness for depressive and anxiety disorders. This presentation will trace the personal and scientific milestones behind MBCT’s development, including initial failures and subsequent revisions of the approach in advance of controlled evaluation. It will also highlight advances in MBCT dissemination achieved …
Continue reading “Keynote: Mindfulness Therapeutics in the Promotion of Mental Health”
Opening Keynote, Contemplative and Neuroscientific Perspectives on Personal and Social Well Being: A Conversation with Matthieu Ricard and Richard J. Davidson
Join two renowned leaders in the field of contemplative studies for a conversation reviewing a 15-year history of collaboration between contemplatives and neuroscientists, with perspectives from both traditions. The discussion will explore the philosophical and scientific issues germane to the investigation of well-being. The possibility of cultivating well-being will be considered, along with the underlying …
2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies
The Mind & Life Institute’s International Symposium for Contemplative Studies (ISCS) seeks to encourage and help shape a cohesive interdisciplinary field of contemplative studies in which basic and applied science, scholarship, education, the arts, and contemplative traditions collaboratively develop an integrated way of knowing.
In 2016 we gathered the most innovative thought leaders and present their ground breaking research in neuroscience, psychology, clinical science, the humanities, philosophy, and education – all with the goal of advancing our understanding of the mind, reducing human suffering, and enhancing our well-being.
Closing Keynote “Where Is This All Going, and What’s Love—and Insight, Embodied Wisdom, and Community—Got to Do With It?”
In this closing keynote, Jon will ask some hard questions about the mindfulness explosion and contemplative studies at the intersection and cutting edges of science, scholarship, society, and the larger world. As background, it might be helpful to read his paper, linked below.
Catherine Kerr Award Ceremony and Lectures: “How to Choose Between Beautiful Stories”
Given the rising popularity of meditation and many scientific claims about its benefits, it seems important that we understand how and why contemplative practice works. Indeed, there are many wonderful, inspiring, and beautiful stories for why meditation is helpful, descriptions that often serve to justify a particular system of practice. Unfortunately, not all accounts agree …
Master Lectures: Mindfulness to Meaning: Healing Hedonic Dysregulation in Addiction, Stress, and Pain with Mindfulness–Oriented Recovery Enhancement
Meaning–making is fundamental to biological survival, insofar as hedonic valuation (i.e., “is this good for me, or bad for me?”) drives behavior to facilitate homeostatic goal attainment. Yet, the dysregulation of hedonic value is at the root of many of the most pressing maladies afflicting modern society, including addiction, stress, and chronic pain. For instance, …
Master Lectures: The Neural and Physiological Mechanisms Supporting Mindfulness–induced Pain Relief
Pain is a multidimensional experience that involves interacting sensory, cognitive, and affective factors, rendering the treatment of chronic pain challenging and financially burdensome. The widespread use of opioids to treat chronic pain has led to an opioid epidemic characterized by exponential growth in opioid misuse and addiction. The staggering statistics related to opioid use highlight …
Master Lectures: Integrating First–person Inquiry in the Higher Education Classroom
At the heart of contemplative pedagogy is the cultivation of what psychologist DeWit (1991) and neurobiologist Varela (1996) have called “first–person inquiry,” a method that valorizes critical subjectivity in science and social science endeavors. This lecture briefly surveys diverse theoretical foundations of this method, with emphasis on application to higher education teaching and learning in …
Contemplative Session: Putting the Mind in the Heart: Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Tradition
This two-part workshop will explore the practice of centering prayer from both a theological and neurological perspective, with an emphasis on how this no-frills method of meditation in the Christian tradition differs from the standard ‘entry-level’ mindfulness practice with which it is often confused. Each session will include teaching and a short practice.
