2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research

The Mind & Life International Symposium for Contemplative Research (ISCR) is the flagship conference for interdisciplinary investigations of the mind, meditation, and other contemplative practices. We are teachers, researchers, scientists and scholars. We are activists, politicians and business leaders. We are parents, students, social workers and first responders. We are instructors, writers, filmmakers and philosophers. We are all change-makers.

Program Sessions

THURSDAY

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

FRIDAY

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Yoga

Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Session: Watching the Breath

Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Standing Meditation and Qigong

Louis Komjathy

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Session: Ancient Hebrew Sound Meditation

Zvi Ish-Shalom

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Keynote “Toward A Transformed Vision of Contemplative Education Centering Social Justice”

Laura Rendón

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Social Change

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: Social Justice Panel: “From Awareness to Embodied Change: A Conversation Toward Contemplative Justice”

Moderators: Dominique A. Malebranche
Panel: Helen Weng, Oliver Hill, Rhonda Magee, Dominique A. Malebranche

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other | Social Change

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: Contemplative Studies Panel: Contemplating the Future of “Contemplative Studies”

Moderators: Erin McCarthy
Panel: Amishi Jha, Harold Roth, Ed Sarath, Erin McCarthy

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Self & Other

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: Mindfulness Training in High Demand, Time-Pressured Real-world Settings: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Amishi Jha

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

The Ceremony of Art: Mindfulness In Indigenous Art and Vision

Gregory Cajete

Topics: Education | Mindfulness | Self & Other

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Session: Putting the Mind in the Heart: Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Tradition

Cynthia Bourgeault

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Dinner & Dialogue hosted by The Fetzer Institute: Consciousness and Contemplative Studies: Worldview Matters

Ed Sarath, Mohammed Hamid Mohammed

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Self & Other

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Arts Evening Performance

Srinivas Reddy, Robert Kaplan, Ed Sarath, Patricia Wallace

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection

SATURDAY

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Yoga

Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Session: Putting the Mind in the Heart: Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Tradition

Cynthia Bourgeault

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Session: Awakening the Presence Body

Zvi Ish-Shalom

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Keynote: To Be of Benefit: The Promise of Contemplative Research and Practice

Sona Dimidjian

Audio AvailableVideo Available

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: Integrating First–person Inquiry in the Higher Education Classroom

Judith Simmer-Brown

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: The Neural and Physiological Mechanisms Supporting Mindfulness–induced Pain Relief

Fadel Zeidan

Topics: Body-based Practices | Brain & Cognitive Science | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: Seeing Reality: Interdependence, Relationality and the Expansion of Contemplative Practice

Chikako Ozawa-de Silva

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Mindfulness | Self & Other

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Master Lectures: Mindfulness to Meaning: Healing Hedonic Dysregulation in Addiction, Stress, and Pain with Mindfulness–Oriented Recovery Enhancement

Eric Garland

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Mental Health | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Contemplative Session: The Four Elements

Pir Zia Inayat-Khan

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Bridging Contemplative Science and Business: An Emerging Global Industry, Innovation Panel co-hosted by The Eagle and The Hawk Foundation and the Aetna Foundation

Moderators:
Panel: Acacia Parks, Cyd Crowse, Charlie Hartwell, Hamet Watt, Mark Bertolini

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom | Interconnection | Mental Health | Mindfulness

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Social Justice Breakout Session

angel Kyodo williams

Topics: Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other | Social Change

SUNDAY

2016 International Symposium for Contemplative Studies Session

Yoga with Mary Taylor and Richard Freeman

Mary Taylor, Richard Freeman

Topics: Body-based Practices | Contemplative Wisdom

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Catherine Kerr Award Ceremony and Lectures: “Education for Peace: Transforming our Schools with Mindfulness and Compassion”

Patricia (Tish) Jennings

Topics: Compassion & Empathy | Education | Mindfulness | Stress & Resilience

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Catherine Kerr Award Ceremony and Lectures: “How to Choose Between Beautiful Stories”

Norman Farb

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Self & Other

2018 International Symposium for Contemplative Research Session

Closing Keynote “Where Is This All Going, and What’s Love—and Insight, Embodied Wisdom, and Community—Got to Do With It?”

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Topics: Brain & Cognitive Science | Contemplative Wisdom | Education | Interconnection | Mindfulness

Video Available

Keynote Speakers and Panelists

Sona Dimidjian, PhD

Renée Crown Wellness Institute

Board Member

Sona Dimidjian, PhD is Director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute and Professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at the University of Colorado Boulder. Her current research … MORE

Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD

University of Massachusetts

Fellow, Founding Steward

Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D. is Professor of Medicine emeritus at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, where he founded the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society (in 1995), … MORE

Jack Kornfield

Spirit Rock Center

Board Member

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to … MORE

Darnell Lamont Walker, PhD

Darnell Lamont Walker, Ph.D., is an award-winning writer and filmmaker, currently traveling and living around the globe collecting stories to share. He is a native of Charlottesville, Virginia, and a … MORE

Acacia Parks

Dr. Parks’ research focuses on self-help methods for increasing well-being via books and digital technology. She is Chief Scientist for tech startup Happify, which brings the cutting edge in research-based … MORE

Laura Rendón, PhD

University of Texas, San Antonio

Fellow, Mentor

Laura I. Rendón, PhD, is a renowned advocate, scholar, and educator. As a speaker with SpeakOut-The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture, she has addressed audiences worldwide on education and … MORE

Zindel Segal, PhD

University of Toronto-Scarborough

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Planning Committee Member

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 … MORE

Catherine Kerr Lecturers

Norman Farb, PhD

University of Toronto Mississauga

Fellow, Grantee, Reviewer

Norman Farb, PhD is an Associate Professor in Psychology at the University of Toronto Mississauga, where he directs the Regulatory and Affective Dynamics laboratory (www.radlab.zone). A Fellow at the Mind … MORE

Patricia (Tish) Jennings, MEd, PhD

University of Virginia

Convening Faculty, Fellow, Grantee, Reviewer

Prof. Jennings is a Professor of Education at the Curry School of Education at the University of Virginia. She is an internationally recognized leader in the fields of social and … MORE