I am developing and validating two behavioral assessments of nonjudgmental orientation to experience, a key dimension of mindfulness. Currently, mindfulness is most commonly assessed by self-report questionnaires, which suffer from numerous limitations. Developing measures beyond self-report to assess nonjudgment is essential to exploring its role in mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) and contemplative practices. Additionally, the development …
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Unseaming the secular: Poetry, process, and belief in the world
Our “real responsibility,” H.H. the Dalai Lama has suggested, is to find a “new approach” or “more holistic view” for the 21st century. A good place to begin might be a holistic understanding of meditation. Yet, is such a view fully articulable in current contemplative science and embodied philosophy? Do concepts such as cognitive ecology …
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A community-engaged approach to contemplative neuroscience in a diverse contemplative community
We are working to increase diversity within neuroscience of meditation studies to reflect the increasingly diverse population of the United States and to improve representation of minorities. We are using community engagement and dialogue with the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) in Oakland, CA, one of the most diverse meditation communities in the U.S. EBMC …
Bridging the empathy gap: Effects of brief mindfulness training on helping outgroup members in need
When humans witness others in need, we empathize with them and often help them. It is well documented that empathy occurs automatically, but when those in need are not members of a social ingroup, empathy and helping are often lower. One major social division in America and in other countries is based on race. Although …
The effects of mindfulness on gender stereotype threat
Gender stereotypes are thought to contribute to the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Many studies have shown that gender-based stereotypes prevent women from performing to their academic potential. Interestingly, mindfulness meditation has been shown to reduce worry, increase working memory, and decrease social evaluative threat—all key aspects of mental functioning that …
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An ethnographic analysis of the integration of contemplatives in neuroimaging laboratories
Research into the physiological effects of meditation comprises a significant domain within neuroimaging studies. While such research studies contemplatives and their practices, the practitioners themselves have yet to be fully integrated into the research process. Appropriately, a key issue at the 2013 Mind & Life Summer Research Institute was the need to integrate contemplatives and …
Neurofeedback Informed Meditation Techniques (NIMT) for modulating somatosensory alpha activity and acute pain perception: A novel paradigm for treatment development
My project is testing out a novel experimental approach with applications for research which seeks to elucidate relationships between neurophysiological and experiential processes, and identifying and developing mental training techniques for modulating targeted neurophysiological signals. This approach will involve working with expert meditators as research collaborators and using real-time recordings of brain activity (i.e., neurofeedback) …
Neural mechanisms of self-transcendence: Insights from noninvasive brain stimulation
Religious beliefs and mystical experiences can be found in human societies across the globe and throughout history. Self-transcendence (ST)—a state characterized by the loss of boundaries between self and others and a feeling of connectedness to everything—is a primary feature of such spiritual experiences. However, little is known about the brain’s role in this uniquely …
Mechanisms of mindfulness and stress resilience: A mobile app mindfulness training study
Thousands of studies show that mindfulness interventions improve cognitive, affective, stress, and health outcomes, but very little experimental work attempts to explain the mechanisms underlying this broad range of effects. This study uses a novel smartphone training paradigm to experimentally dismantle the components of mindfulness training and test their effects on affective and stress outcomes. …
Does meditation cause pain relief through endogenous opioids?
There is growing evidence that meditation practice can reduce the experience of pain. However, what is going on in the brain during meditation that causes this pain relief has been a mystery. We guessed that meditation might reduce pain by releasing natural brain chemicals called endogenous opioids. Endogenous opioids reduce pain via the same brain …
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