Description: Mind wandering is a pervasive and ubiquitous experience. Our attention commonly drifts away from what we are doing in the moment to other internal thoughts and experiences. This can be disruptive when attention is critical for performance. But mind wandering can also be an opportunity for deeper awareness and recognition of one’s own patterns of attention and thought. This presentation will describe research on mind wandering and dynamic patterns of attention and thought characterizing one’s moment to moment experience during task performance. Connecting to these themes is emerging research on mindfulness meditation as one approach for learning to calm and stabilize attention and recognize when it has wandered. The second part of the presentation will describe findings on intensive meditation training during residential retreats, and shorter-form mindfulness programs, supporting…

Description: Growing literature suggests the feasibility of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) among youth with mental health conditions (Zoogman et al., 2015). Many protocols, however, have been implemented in outpatient settings with little attention given to psychiatric inpatient youth, most of whom have history of trauma and acute psychopathology. In this presentation Dr. Kostova will present results from a pilot study, investigating the feasibility and efficacy of an adapted version of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy for Children (MBCT-C; Semple & Lee, 2011) in an inpatient young adult unit. The presentation will start with an overview of the type of population and rates of trauma and psychiatric symptoms among youth in inpatient settings, evidencing some service needs and gaps in treatment. Dr. Kostova will describe an MBCT-C prototype intervention, which address the specific needs…

Description: There is a growing body of literature supporting the use of Mindfulness-Based Interventions (MBIs) for helping people cope with chronic illness, including cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel syndrome, pain, HIV/AIDS and many other conditions. Our own work developing and testing the Mindfulness-Based Cancer Recovery (MBCR) program in cancer patients and survivors has spanned over 20 years and investigated a range of outcomes covering psychological symptomatology such as mood, stress, anxiety and depression, as well as common disease and treatment side-effects including sleep, fatigue and pain. We have also investigated biomarkers including blood pressure, cardiovascular and cortisol acute stress reactivity, daily salivary cortisol slopes, pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and telomere length. Recently we have been testing online interactive synchronous and app-based versions of the MBCR program for patients both during and…

Dr. Rael Cahn, MD, PhD Rael Cahn did his PhD thesis work with the UCSD Department of Neurosciences comparing and contrasting the impact of long term mindfulness (Vipassana) meditation practice and the acute effects of the psychedelic drug psilocybin on perception, attention, and brain activity using EEG methods. After completing residency in Psychiatry at UC Irvine he joined the faculty with the USC Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Cahn is currently Assistant Clinical Professor with the USC Department of Psychiatry doing research at the USC Brain and Creativity Institute.  He is a clinician-scientist with extensive personal experience as a meditation practitioner and experience teaching mindfulness meditation practices to clinicians and patients alike. His research expertise is in the neuroscience of meditation and altered states of consciousness. Dr. Cahn has investigated the…

Description: Secular and religious sources often both assert that 'mindfulness begins with the breath'- so why is breath awareness still so rarely studied, particularly in the contemplative sciences? This presentation will explore the theoretical basis of breath awareness as a vehicle for personal transformation. The importance of breath awareness (and sensory awareness more broadly) will then be contextualized via neuroimaging evidence suggesting that stress-evoked sensory inhibition contributes to depression vulnerability. After reviewing existing progress and challenges in researching breath awareness, a novel paradigm for the behavioral and neuroimaging investigation of breath awareness will be introduced, including some novel neuroimaging data demonstrating the profound effects of breath-focused attention on cortical activity. Finally, future directions in incorporating objective assessment of breath awareness as a training/intervention feedback tool will be discussed.

Description:  What is Mindfulness? What can Mindfulness do? Join Drs. Rael Cahn and Allen Weiss in a 2 hour workshop on the practice and science of mindfulness as part of the one-day, interdisciplinary educational and experiential USC IIHW Virtual Conference 2020 "Wellness Is An Inside Job: Healing The Mind & Body, Heart & Soul. This talk is part of the Mindfulness Track co-sponsored by the USC Center for Mindfulness Science.

Description:  The Center for Mindfulness Science is co-sponsoring a Mindfulness track for the USC Institute for Integrative Health and Wellness online conference this year.  We have coordinated a series of talks on mindfulness as part of the conference including a 2-hr workshop presented by Center director Rael Cahn and director of Mindful USC, Allen Weiss, PhD, on the practice and science of mindfulness, as well as a presentation from some of our other faculty experts on mindfulness research - Drs. Randye Semple & Matthew Goodman speaking on their research on utilizing mindfulness and biofeedback for children and Dr. David Black from Department of Preventive Medicine speaking on his research utilizing mindfulness practices for people suffering with addiction. This one-day, virtual, interdisciplinary educational and experiential conference will advance the knowledge and…

Description:  Meaning-making is fundamental to biological survival, insofar as hedonic valuation (i.e., “is this good for me, or bad for me?”) drives behavior to facilitate the pursuit of beneficial goals. Yet, the dysregulation of hedonic value is at the root of many of the most pressing maladies afflicting modern society, including addiction, stress, and chronic pain. For instance, the current opioid crisis may be in part propelled by hedonic dysregulation, evident in the blunted brain and autonomic responses to natural rewards and heightened responses to drug-related cues observed among opioid misusers. To restore adaptive hedonic regulation, novel behavioral interventions are needed. This lecture will describe the development, optimization, and testing of a mindfulness-based approach to addiction treatment - Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE). MORE is distinct from extant mindfulness-based interventions in that it…

The brain changes and adapts as a result of experience. Learning to play the piano, for example, leads to structural and functional neuroplastic changes in the brain. The same is true for mindfulness meditation, an attention-based practice that requires focusing on the present-moment experience with a non-reactive attitude. The neuroplastic changes induced by mindfulness correlate with enhanced physiological health, cognitive performance, emotional stability, and overall well-being. Mindfulness-based interventions are growing in popularity as they help to ameliorate mental, physical, and emotional symptoms and facilitate positive behavior change. Despite their effectiveness, mindfulness practices are difficult and time-consuming for most patients, creating a significant barrier to therapeutic effects. Thus, a technology that accelerates mindfulness training would be clinically valuable because the benefits would be more accessible to patients. In this talk, I present…

Methods for non invasively modulating human brain function with weak electric currents and magnetic fields have become popular in the last few decades. These tools have been useful scientific tools and have shown promise in the treatment of disorders like depression. In this talk, I will discuss our ongoing research with a novel neuromodulation technique using transcranial ultrasound (TUS) to influence mood and accelerate mindfulness training in healthy participants. In five experiments with over 200 volunteers, we have found that TUS to the right inferior frontal gyrus enhances mood, overall emotional states, and functional connectivity. Our team tested this new technique on a group of patients with depression and found that a single dose reduces depression and anxiety scores, suggesting a novel intervention for depression. Then I will turn to…