This presentation overviews a number of projects that are part of a larger research agenda focusing on the intersection of contemplative practices and technology use. Our overarching research goal is to understand how technology is currently being used by contemplative individuals and communities, which, we believe, is a step toward exploring a more balanced, middle-way …
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Concurrent Session 3 – Integration and Engagement: Personal and Professional Practice in the Lab, the Clinic, and Education
In some visions for contemplative studies, considerable importance is given to the integration of personal and professional practice. How might this work in practice, and what challenges and potentials does this entail in the laboratory, the clinic, and other contexts of research and application? Drawing on examples from our research projects and interventions, we offer …
Concurrent Session 3 – Mindfulness, Compassion, and the Therapeutic Presence: Utilizing Contemplative Studies in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Contemplative studies are integrated into clinical mental health counseling in order to promote one’s natural drive towards self-exploration, self-awareness, and self-actualization. This panel comprises counseling professionals and current doctoral candidates who specialize in various mental health-related topics, including interpersonal trauma, identity and the holistic self, and substance-use treatment. Panelists will create an interactive and discussion-based …
Concurrent Session 3 – Does Mindfulness Meditation Employ Distinct Brain Mechanisms From Placebo-Related Analgesia?
Growing evidence reveals that mindfulness meditation significantly reduces pain responses in experimental and clinical settings. Recent neurobiological findings confirm that the cognitive state of mindfulness significantly modifies sensory, cognitive, and affective dimensions of nociceptive processing. However, there are likely nonspecific effects associated with mindfulness meditation-related pain relief that are also consistent with placebo-related responses. For …
Concurrent Session 3 – Brain-Network Reconfiguration and Perceptual Decoupling During Rhythm Induced Trance
Shamans often listen to rhythmic drumming to induce trance states. Using fMRI, we examined the brain networks associated with trance. Experienced shamanic practitioners listened to rhythmic drumming and entered a trance state or remained in a non-trance state. Trance was associated with stronger network hubs (i.e., greater centrality) in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), anterior …
Concurrent Session 3 – Are We Ready to Investigate Non-Dual Awareness?
Non-dual awareness (NDA) has been identified as an important aspect of spiritual awakenings, from contemplative trainings practiced in both traditional wisdom traditions and in emerging contemporary “Dharma” teachings (such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and mindfulness-oriented recovery enhancement). Although NDA itself may not necessarily be an ultimate goal or destination, attaining NDA may signify an important …
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Concurrent Session 3 – Being in the Body: Contemplative Practice, Interoceptive Awareness, and Health
Interoception, awareness of one’s body, informs our sense of being in the world.Over time, we form associations between experiences and embodied responses,creating a set of expected body responses. While these expectations allow for rapid, proactive responses to life’s challenges, they can also mask unexpected embodied feelings. Meditation often contains an interoceptive focus such as breath …
Concurrent Session 3 – Half Empty: Measuring Indicators of Emptiness Awareness Through Contemplative Practice
Traditional Mahayana Buddhist teachings emphasize the importance of understanding emptiness — the absence of independent substantiality of phenomena — through contemplative study and practice. Contemplative practices are becoming more widely integrated into the fields of education and clinical training. While self-report methodologies for assessing mindfulness have allowed researchers to quantify some of the changes that …
Concurrent Session 3 – Clinical Applications of Meditation for War-Related Mental Health Consequences and Co-Occurring Conditions
The prevalence of post-deployment mental health conditions is high. Deployment to a war zone is associated with a threefold increase in new-onset posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), often co-occurring with depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, sleep disturbance, and chronic pain and resulting in high long-term personal and societal costs. High prevalence, combined with the complex chronic …
Concurrent Session 3 – Dream Neurophenomenology and Contemplative Sciences
In recent years, significant advances have been made in the cognitive neuroscience of conscious experiences, including contemplative states, sleep, and dreaming. A wealth of evidence suggests that contemplative practices influence processes of attention, emotion regulation, and brain plasticity. On the other hand, sleep and dreaming have been consistently linked to memory, emotion regulation, and brain …
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