The Jewish springtime festival of Passover is known as the time of liberation. It is incumbent upon every person to retell the Passover story as if they were actually present and experiencing their own liberation. We are invited to have a visceral and somatic recreation of the experience of moving from bondage to freedom. Families …
Continue reading “Liberation Through Memory and Storytelling”
A new industry is emerging before our eyes, as contemplative research grows and companies, consumers, insurers, and healthcare systems are integrating mindfulness and other meditation-related products and services at an expanding rate. Hear from leaders how the industry is emerging and how to build bridges between contemplative science, entrepreneurs, large companies, investors, and healthcare systems …
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.
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: Vocal Emphasis”
While behaviorism offers effective approaches to behavior change, it operates from an understanding of contingencies in the external environment as the primary agent in shaping behavior. Through integration of contemplative practice into contemporary behavior change technologies, we can expand our understanding of “environment” to include our internal landscape, and our interaction with, versus mere reaction …
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 …
What’s happening in (and to) my brain when I meditate? This question is asked time and time again by individuals undertaking contemplative practices, journalists writing articles about mindfulness, and scientists trying to figure out what is happening on a neurobiological level during these practices. A growing number of studies have been published in an attempt …
In the past 15 years, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has achieved broad appeal and effectiveness for depressive and anxiety disorders. This presentation will trace the personal and scientific milestones behind MBCT’s development, including initial failures and subsequent revisions of the approach in advance of controlled evaluation. It will also highlight advances in MBCT dissemination achieved …
Continue reading “Keynote: Mindfulness Therapeutics in the Promotion of Mental Health”
