Teachers are the most important factor in determining student achievement compared to any other aspect of schooling. They operate on the front lines of society’s efforts to promote equity and play a pivotal role as gatekeepers of academic opportunities. Despite good intentions, teachers like the rest of society are racially biased. Studies indicate that teachers …
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Widening the circles of compassionate action: A social justice, school-based mindfulness intervention for youth
Amidst glaring evidence of racism and social inequities brought to the forefront in the recent past, there is heightened urgency to explore how youth gain critical consciousness about social issues, and growing interest in supporting youth engagement in positive social change. The Peace of Mind-Social Justice (PoM-SJ) curriculum integrates skills typical in mindfulness-based programs—mindfulness and …
Leveraging contemplative science to build mindful digital engagement: Supporting adolescents in a hyperconnected era
Adolescents are growing up in a radically connected world. Mobile devices provide near-constant access to apps intentionally designed to hijack focus and to social media platforms that tap developmental social sensitivities. This project proposes mindful digital engagement as an antidote. In Phase 1, we will create and test the reliability and validity of a mindful …
An intensive longitudinal study on a Centering Meditation: Exploring the temporal dynamics of nondual awareness and prosociality
Carl Rogers once said, “a high degree of empathy in a relationship is possibly the most potent and certainly one of the most potent factors in bringing about change”. Mental health counselors need empathy, compassion, and prosociality to provide quality care and reduce the unacceptably high rate of health disparities for Black, Indigenous and People …
Inspiring Minds – January 2022
Our January 2022 conversation features Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche and Elissa Epel. They discuss how contemplative practice can build resilience to address injustice and the climate crisis.
2022 Summer Research Institute
SRI 2022 explores the crisis of disconnection and othering. The challenges we face—from racial injustice to conflict within and across borders to climate change—demand concerted action; yet we remain more divided than ever. What is the role of our minds in creating these divisions, and how can our minds transform to create a more connected world?
Embracing Humility and Complexity: Our Journey to Engage in Anti-Racist Practices
Lao Tzu famously said, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Four years ago, we took that step at Mind & Life with a commitment to engage in anti-racist practices. It has been a humbling journey of deep reflection and meaningful transformation, along with missteps along the way. Today, I am …
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Transformative Social and Emotional Learning as a Catalyst for Climate Action
There’s a saying in the climate movement that to change everything will take everyone. In my work as an educational leader of color dedicated to transforming school communities through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), I believe it’s imperative that schools ultimately position SEL in service of a shift in collective consciousness.
Resistance through Resilience: A Compassionate Approach to Interrupting Privilege
Our two UW Centers have recognized that the dual pandemic of racism and COVID-19 exacerbated stressors on our most vulnerable populations. In response, we are creating a collaboration between the Center for Communication, Difference, and Equity (CCDE) and the Resilience Lab that bridges CCDE’s landmark Interrupting Privilege program with Be REAL, a program developed by …
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Master Plants and Mindful Medicine: Towards Reciprocation and Recontextualization of Indigenous Practices and Western Psychedelic Research
The new movement in psychedelics transforms ideas and practices related to mental health and the science of transcendent experience. It is on a path, though, to exclude Indigenous voices and millenary knowledge from which these medicines originate. Indigenous contemplative practices are noticeably absent in psychedelic-assisted therapies. No involvement of Indigenous Peoples determines best practices in …
