This workshop will involve two methods of engaged contemplation in Islamic Sufism, consisting of silent and vocal forms of “remembrance” (dhikr). The ultimate purpose of these methods is to retrain the individual’s consciousness to respond — at each moment in one’s daily life — toward one’s consciousness and whatever appears in it, responding with an …
Continue reading “Engaged Contemplative Practice in Islamic Sufism: Silent Emphasis”
Colombia has recently made unprecedented progress towards ending one of the longest armed conflicts in the world, entering a peacebuilding process which includes the reintegration of ex-combatants into society. However, psychosocial support is currently a small though critical component for ex-combatant reintegration. Our project aims to deliver and evaluate a contemplative-practice based psychosocial support program …
Purpose in life refers to having a sense of goals, values and directions in life. Individuals whose life’s purpose is to benefit others beyond self-interests are thought to have self-transcendent purpose. Self-transcendent purpose is a trait as well as trainable skill: Some people are genetically predisposed to a tendency for compassion and prosociality, but others …
Continue reading “Neurogenetic mechanisms of self-transcendence and purpose in life”
Organizer Participants Interoception can be broadly defined as the sense of signals originating within the body. As such, interoception is critical for our sense of embodiment, motivation, and well-being. And yet, despite its importance, interoception remains poorly understood within modern science. This paper reviews interdisciplinary perspectives on interoception, with the goal of presenting a unified …
Social support is empirically linked to health and well-being, but the mechanisms of this link remain speculative along with target interventions that maximize social support during stressful times. Knowledge of these mechanisms and interventions is needed for a full understanding of the receipt and provision of care, particularly among those working in high stress environments …
Continue reading “Sustainable Compassion Training’s effects on neural threat and social support”
The Mind & Life 2020 Contemplative Research Conference is online November 5-8, 2020. The virtual conference is an international convening for rigorous interdisciplinary investigation of contemplative practices and programs in diverse contexts. The conference will feature plenary sessions and concurrent symposia on a diverse range of topics and best practices within contemplative research, including basic research, clinical studies, cultural and philosophical analyses, and education.
The Tibetan Sound Meditation is based on ancient texts and teachings from the Tibetan Bon Buddhist tradition as taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche (Tibetan Sounds Healing, SoundsTrue, 2006). Parts of this practice have been used at MD Anderson dating back to 1999. In 2008, a small randomized clinical trial using the Tibetan Sound Meditation program …
As part of NCCIH’s current strategic plan, there is a strong focus on advancing fundamental science of the mechanisms by which mind-and-body approaches affect health, resiliency and well-being. Additionally, NCCIH has a robust clinical research program to assess the safety and efficacy/effectiveness of a range of mind-and-body approaches for treatment and/or management of care for …
Continue reading “NCCIH Research Priorities and Funding Opportunities for Mind and Body Health”
Compassion is emerging as a major focus in the new field of contemplative science, which integrates scientific research with contemplative practice, exploring its real-world applications such as health, education and general well-being. Standardized protocols, such as Stanford University’s CCT (Compassion Cultivation Training), UCSD’s Mindful Self-Compassion, and Emory University’s CBCT (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), are today offered …
Continue reading “Master Lectures: Understanding the Psychology Behind Compassion Meditation”
Compassion is emerging as a major focus in the new field of contemplative science, which integrates scientific research with contemplative practice, exploring its real-world applications such as health, education and general well-being. Standardized protocols, such as Stanford University’s CCT (Compassion Cultivation Training), UCSD’s Mindful Self-Compassion, and Emory University’s CBCT (Cognitively-Based Compassion Training), are today offered …
