Integrating Contemporary Behaviorist and Traditional Contemplative Approaches: Towards an Effective Technology of Behavior Change
Topic Archives:
Mindfulness and Racial Bias: Resources For Deeper Understanding
In early December 2015, Mind & Life was honored to host a live chat with MLI Fellow and Law Professor Rhonda Magee that explored the following theme: Many who examine the growth of the field of contemplative practice see it as coming only from straight, middle-class whites and corporate America. How might we work to …
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Mindfulness and Racial Bias: Straight Talk with Rhonda Magee JD
Ready for some straight talk about racial bias and mindfulness? Many who examine the growth of the field of contemplative practice see it as coming only from straight, middle-class whites and corporate America. How might we work to shift that perception and to broaden the reach of our work? What practices can assist us in …
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The Mind & Life Institute
Developing Measures of Compassion, Empathy, Care, and Kindness
As contemplative approaches are being applied in educational settings with increasing frequency, early studies using self-report and academic outcomes suggest that these programs hold promise for the well-being of both teachers and students. However, the field currently lacks empirically rigorous measures to evaluate important real-world behavior and psychological change due to the cultivation of compassion, …
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Call to Care: Overview
john powell: The Heart of Contemplative Practice
Francisco J. Varela Research Awards
Neuroscientist, philosopher, and Mind and Life co-founder Francisco Varela (1946-2001) believed that contemplative training offers modern science novel methods for investigating the depth of human experience. In his vision, contemplative training such as meditation not only provides a new domain for scientific study, but it also offers resources for advancing scientific models of consciousness, emotion, …
The contemplative path: How do we learn?
In my own experience with meditation, I’ve often wondered about the difference between reading a thoughtful analysis or set of instructions, listening to an inspiring teacher, and sitting on the cushion to practice. These varied activities represent different ways of integrating information into our minds and bodies—in short, different ways of learning. Is one mode …
Fear, Acceptance, and Compassion: Perspectives from Contemplative Neuroscience
This presentation will highlight what we know about the neuroscience of fear and anxiety and discuss its antidotes in compassion and related qualities. Distinctions will be made between fear as a state and trait. The impact of different forms of contemplative practice on the neuroscientific bases of fear and anxiety will be highlighted. Particular attention …
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