Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have long shown evidence of medium-sized effects for stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Dr. King's research group and others have shown that MBIs can lead to enduring alterations in large-scale neural networks. This talk will explore specific adaptations of MBIs for depression and trauma / PTSD, potential neural mechanisms and treatment targets underlying their effects, and possible shared and unique pathways for MBIs in the treatment of depression and PTSD.

What is neurophenomenology? Dr. Aviva Berkovich-Ohana will examine the neurophenomenological approach, which aspires to bridge the gap between and integrate first- person and third-person processes to understanding consciousness. Her presentation will explain a proposed framework to study self-consciousness and its embodied and minimal aspects (phenomenology and related cortical networks). She will also explore theory in practice by describing a series of neurophenomenological studies investigating the sense of self accessed via the dissolution of the sense of boundaries with trained meditators, shedding new light on the multi- dimensionality and flexibility of embodied selfhood.

Meditation training shows promise for alleviating anxiety and stress symptoms, but a rigorous trial methodology is necessary to assess its effectiveness and determine how it compares to other treatments. In this talk, Dr. Hoge will present research findings that address the capability of mindfulness meditation training for anxiety, stress, depression, and resilience in the psychiatric setting, including exploration into biological processes associated with anxiety and resilience, such as stress hormones and neuroimaging. Large randomized, controlled clinical trial results that address whether mindfulness meditation training could be equivalent to an antidepressant when compared head-to-head will be included.    

Arnaud Delorme is a CNRS Professor at Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France, Research Scientist at the Swartz Center for Computational Neuroscience at University of California, San Diego, and Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. At the Salk Institute and UCSD, he developed the free EEGLAB software for advanced analysis of EEG signals in collaboration with Scott Makeig, software which is now amongst the most used in EEG research worldwide. Through his work in developing and refining the freely downloadable EEGLab software he has contributed to the advance of EEG methods in published neuroscience research. His research has focused on both pure neuroscience and applied mathematical methods, especially as applied to EEG signals, as well as on the neuroscience of mindfulness, mindwandering, and meditation. Specifically, Dr. Delorme has a…

This class is for those who feel stuck from habits caused by the uncertainties of everyday life and for those who are new to meditation and would like to start a regular mindfulness meditation practice. If you are sometimes overwhelmed with worry, distracted by recurring thoughts, experiencing problems with restlessness, tension, or insomnia you may have a habit or even be addicted to anxiety or stress which is often an upstream cause of other habits and behaviors. An estimated 40 million Americans are affected by anxiety on a regular basis. For many it’s a developed habit that can be untangled with mindfulness practices. Stress and anxiety follow a habit loop of specific triggers, behaviors, and rewards that support this loop when we get anxious. Our brains get caught up in…

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is an intensive 8-week program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn a scientist, author, and the creator of the world-renowned Stress Reduction Clinic and the Center for Mindfulness in Medicine, Health Care, and Society at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. Studies of MBSR have consistently found several key developments that demonstrate its effectiveness as a health-promoting activity. During this intensive program, some participants experience a newly found state of self-awareness. This is particularly helpful in helping recognize mind habit patterns that contribute to unhelpful thoughts and emotions. According to research done by Dr. Daniel Siegel, after taking the 8-week MBSR program participants were able to alter their brain function in a way that confirmed they could distinguish the “narrative chatter” creating the ability to develop discernment. This…

In this presentation, Dr. Garrison will discuss her research on mindfulness using methods in neuroimaging, neurofeedback, and digital health. She’ll present work on how mindfulness is represented in the brain. This includes insights on the link between the subjective experience of mindfulness and objective neuroimaging data, gained using neurofeedback. Next, she’ll discuss how mindfulness can be used to help individuals cope with craving. She will highlight how the first-person experience of craving can be linked to brain activation patterns to gain insight into craving and how to extinguish it using mindfulness interventions. Finally, she’ll describe studies delivering mindfulness interventions using digital health tools such as apps and wearables.

This two-hour presentation will explore the growing scientific terrain and integral nature of psilocybin-assisted therapy. Each speaker will present for approximately 30 minutes with dedicated moderation to allow for an integrated community discussion, including question and answers for the speakers. Dr. Presti will start off the panel presentation, covering the history and mycology of psychedelic mushrooms, their entry into contemporary society, the chemistry and neurobiology of psilocybin and psilocin, and wrap things up by briefly tying together psychedelics, contemplative practice, and the nature of mind and reality. Dr. Cahn will follow, giving an overview of the neurophysiological and neural circuit changes evoked by psilocybin and related tryptamine psychedelics. He will then transition to an overview of his studies with psilocybin and mindfulness practice in healthy normal volunteers investigating the changes…

In this interactive workshop neuroscientist Clifford Saron and cellist Barbara Bogatin will explore the intersection of contemplative practice, neuroscience, and music practice, three distinct yet intertwined disciplines. They will talk about how meditation can inform and complement whatever it is that we practice in our lives, and learn about aspects of brain function that help us understand neuroplasticity, as well as how we perceive and respond to music. Audience members will experience a performance of Bach Prelude in G major leading into a guided meditation. The great American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein said, “Music speaks when words cannot; it can name the unnameable and communicate the unknowable.” Music has the power to connect people, to change our brains, to incite anger or make us calm, to heal our pain.…

This presentation will 1) Describe a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between mindfulness and mentalization (self-other understanding) 2) Explain how this framework underpins mentalizing imagery therapy (MIT); 3) Discuss acceptability of MIT for both English language (Latino and non-Latino) caregivers and Spanish language Latino caregivers; 4) Report clinical and neuroimaging evidence for the effects of MIT on (a) reducing depressive symptoms and stress and (b) improving mentalization and mindfulness in family caregivers; 5) Compare delivery modes of MIT via in-person, virtual and smartphone application approaches.