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…

Mindfulness is rapidly being integrated into current psychological treatment protocols as a method of systematic training to stabilize attention, improve self-awareness, and reduce perseverative forms of emotional reactivity; however, clinical protocols remain diverse in their implementation and neurobiological mechanisms by which mindfulness functions in select populations are currently unclear. This presentation will contextualize mindfulness across clinical and scientific contexts. The psychological and cognitive processes as well as the underlying neurobiology supporting existing mindfulness-based meditation practices will be examined in detail for both novice and expert practitioners. A systems-based model of mindfulness will be presented describing a core set of skill-based meditative practices that function to improve self-awareness, self-regulation, and self-transcendence. Findings from the extant literature and the Contemplative Neuroscience and Integrative Medicine (CNIM) lab will be integrated into this model…

Interest in the use of mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) to enhance skilled performance within contexts such as music and athletics has grown significantly throughout the last two decades. However, issues stemming from inappropriate as well as decontextualized interpretations of existing research continue to hamper meaningful efforts at investigating and applying MBIs within these settings. Of particular concern is the absence of an investigative framework that accounts for how individuals’ values, intentions, and aspirations interact with and potentially mediate the efficacy of specific types of MBIs. Furthermore, despite progress in understanding some of the neurophysiological and psychological underpinnings of mindfulness, little is known about how these dynamics correspond to meditators’ lived experiences. In this talk, I discuss evidence from a recent study that used a neurophenomenological matrix to examine expectations, experiences, and…

The benefits of engaging in contemplative practice are pervasively promoted as being justified by scientific evidence. iPhones come with Mindfulness tracking alongside screens for logging steps and aerobic minutes. Yet this scientific evidence is often weak, taken out of context, and over-interpreted beyond what the data actually shows. This state of affairs is laden with implicit scientific hegemony that discourages rigorous methodological scrutiny and the relevance of personal understanding. It also plays into narratives that promise large results with little effort. One correction for this emerging view of “better living through all things mindful” may be to focus on what we can know through our lived experience and what we cannot know using our current research tools. He will use findings from research on intensive meditation in retreat contexts to explore the challenges of…

This talk will consider scientific evidence that suggests that we can change our brains by transforming our minds and cultivate habits of mind that will improve well-being. These mental training strategies can be used to improve the well-being of individuals and ultimately communities. The talk will provide an overview of neuroscientifically validated constituents of well-being and will illustrate how each of these is rooted in specific brain circuits that exhibit plasticity and thus can be modified through training. These practices can be applied in a wide range of contexts and have the potential to positively impact social change.