Norm Farb - Meditation and the Brain

In this episode, Wendy speaks with neuroscientist and mental health researcher Jyoti Mishra. Jyoti has been investigating how mindfulness and attention training affect our brains, and can help in the context of mental health challenges related to climate disasters and other trauma. This conversation covers many topics, including: her intertwined interests in neuroscience, meditation, and mental health; understanding climate trauma and its unique impacts on mental health; community resilience and action in the face of disaster; the rise of mental health issues worldwide; studying the mental health and brain function impacts of the deadliest fire in CA history; healing broken relationships with nature through mindfulness and ecotherapy; social justice issues around climate vulnerability; how childhood adversity affects brain circuitry for emotional awareness; developing contemplative tech interventions for disadvantaged youth, and impacts on brain and daily life functioning; nature and the sense of self; regulating the stress response through mindfulness and social connection; and empowering youth through the Climate Change & Mental Health Initiative. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with psychologist and contemplative researcher Simon Goldberg. Simon uses tools drawn from psychotherapy research to better understand the therapeutic processes and outcomes of mindfulness and meditation-based interventions. This conversation covers many topics, including: coming to practice through one's own suffering; what we know from science about whether and how meditation "works;" the nuts and bolts of meditation research, and the importance of control groups; the file drawer effect and publishing negative findings; common factors in healing interventions; working with the self in psychotherapy vs. Buddhism; the critical role of acceptance; some challenges when measuring effects of meditation; individualizing contemplative practice to suit the person; delivering and studying meditation interventions through apps; and the possibilities of AI to help support meditation practice. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with educational leader, writer, and climate activist Diana Chapman Walsh. Diana had a long and successful career in public health at Boston and Harvard University, and then became the president of Wellesley College, a position she held for 14 years. Diana has become an icon in educational leadership, and advocates that education can be both an intellectual and a spiritual journey. This conversation covers many topics, including: her path into contemplative practice and leadership; the importance of knowing and questioning oneself; vulnerability and responsibility in leadership; how the qualities of a leader influence the system they are leading; hierarchical vs. inclusive systems; the five principles of trustworthy leadership; interconnectedness as an underlying truth; building community amidst the climate crisis; how feedback loops can accelerate harm or spur change; and encouragement to tell our stories. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with psychologist and author Daniel Goleman. Dan has been fostering and contributing to contemplative science since the very early days of the conversation between science and Buddhism, and his long experience with meditation helped shape his notable work on emotional intelligence. This conversation covers many topics, including: his interest in both Western and Asian systems of mind; his relationship with the Dalai Lama and involvement in Mind & Life dialogues; how the conversation between science and Buddhism has influenced both sides; when emotions become "destructive;" the birth of contemplative science; social emotional learning (SEL) in education; links between emotional intelligence and contemplative science; "McMindfulness" and the varying goals of practice; nonconceptual states and dissolving the self; navigating the complexities of science communication; the latest research on emotional intelligence in organizations; how awareness is (or isn't) showing up in the world; and how he relates to meditation now. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with neuroscientist Robin Nusslock. Robin has long been interested in the mind through both scientific and Buddhist lenses, and he trained with Richie Davidson. His work focuses on the brain's role in our emotional life, how stress impacts many of our bodily systems, as well as social determinants of health. This conversation covers many topics, including: his long interest in mind & Buddhism; basic pathways of how stress gets into the body; how the brain learns threat and safety; effects of early life trauma on brain and behavior; our brain's reward systems and relevance to Buddhist ideas; craving and addiction; pathways toward change, neuroplasticity and pause; social and environmental determinants of health; epigenetics and intergenerational trauma; biology is not destiny; how we can intervene and promote flourishing; family-level interventions; reducing exposure to adversity; economic interventions (e.g., universal basic income); teaching science and research to Tibetan monastics; studying lucid dreaming with monks; and fruits of the exchange between Buddhism and science. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with philosopher and cognitive scientist Hanne De Jaegher. Hanne was influenced by Francisco Varela's ideas from an early age, and has been working to extend enactive theories of mind into social contexts. This conversation covers many topics, including: roots in Varela's work and an early interest in thinking; sense-making and embodiment as foundational to cognition; how our habits and models fit (or don't) with our experience; participatory sense-making and the primacy of interaction; how interpersonal dynamics can have a life of their own; loving and knowing, letting others be; over- vs. underdetermining (how our projections of others shape interactions); emotional capacity and dementia; understanding autistic people from their own side; the need for people in dominant positions to listen; the importance of silence in dialogue; problems with the way social media platforms discourage interaction; interactions within one person; synthesis and breakdown; tension between self and interdependence (creating boundaries); and applying these ideas to our relationship with nature. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with musician, contemplative, researcher, and activist Grant Jones. Grant is working to develop and implement contemplative and liberatory tools for underserved populations. This conversation covers many topics, including: blending music, psychology, contemplation, and activism; music and mindfulness for healing race-based anxiety; collaborating with Lama Rod Owens, Esperanza Spalding, and others; the absence of research on black music; music medicine vs. music therapy; pleasure activism as a form of disruption; balancing structure and freedom; the Black Lotus Collective; links between psychedelics and meditation; potential benefits and harm of psychedelic treatment, and how race plays in; the power of music to transcend language and culture; balancing identity with non-self; and letting go, having fun, and not being too serious. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with psychosocial oncology researcher Linda Carlson. Linda has pioneered the application of mindfulness and contemplative practice for cancer patients, focusing on both psychological and biological outcomes. This conversation covers many topics, including: her path to integrating psychology, mindfulness, and cancer; early clinical trials and positive outcomes; how and why meditation can help with the stress of cancer; problems with battle metaphors related to cancer; opportunities to re-evaluate self and identity; connecting with boundlessness and interdependence; living well vs. living long; study design and control groups in meditation research; effects of mindfulness on cellular aging (telomeres); media coverage of meditation research; the power of preference in interventions; sneak preview of gene expression results; impacts on inflammation; increasing accessibility and diversity; working towards structural change in health care; and building an academic society for contemplative research. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with social psychologist and contemplative researcher Paul Condon. Paul's work integrates psychological theory with the Buddhist contemplative tradition, looking at meditation through the lens of attachment theory. This conversation covers many topics, including: his long interest in the intersection between Buddhism and psychology; measuring compassion in the real world; meditation's effects on prosocial behavior and relating to suffering; barriers to compassion; the relevance of vulnerability and safety to compassion; understanding secure and insecure attachment; shifting our attachment style: how contemplative practice can help develop our secure base; security as adaptability; limitations of viewing meditation as self-help and individual effort; the relational starting point of meditation; open vs. closed secular contexts; identifying a caring moment or benefactor; the power of mental simulation; changes he's noticed from practice; and what these practices can offer in our current moment as a society. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with cognitive scientist, contemplative practitioner, and ballet dancer Marieke Van Vugt. Marieke is a pioneer in studying mind wandering and meditation through computer modeling, and is also advancing participatory research through her collaborations with Tibetan monastics. This conversation covers many topics, including: her braided interests in meditation, dance, and cognitive science; computer modeling of mind and meditation; exploring distraction, mind wandering, and becoming aware; how thoughts can get "stuck" in our minds; creating a meditating computer; the relevance of stuck thoughts to various mental disorders; trauma through the lens of predictive models of mind; analytical meditation and Tibetan monastic debate; collaborating with monastics in research; humility and fluidity of mind; re-thinking the tasks used in cognitive science; the phenomenon of brain synchrony; dance and embodiment; the roots of thinking in the body; problems with abstraction in science; curiosity vs. the critical mind in ballet; flow, responsiveness, and compassion; and advice to young scholars. Full show notes and resources