Mind & Life

In this episode, Wendy speaks with Tibetan Buddhist teacher Mingyur Rinpoche about how contemplative practice can lead us to awareness, compassion, and wisdom. Their conversation covers many topics, including: his involvement in early contemplative research; translating concepts between Buddhism and science; what Buddhists mean by "emptiness"; non-conceptual meditation, open presence and foundational awareness; the three kinds of self, and which one is like shaving foam; the problem of othering; making friends with panic and difficult emotions; the experience of a "wandering" retreat; and building trust through contemplative practice. Full show notes and resources  

In this episode, Wendy speaks with social psychologist Buju Dasgupta about her work on implicit bias, and the role of social context in shaping the mind. Their conversation covers many topics, including: her path to merging science and social justice; the crucial role of social context in implicit bias; the malleability of implicit bias & the "wallpaper" of the mind; how scientists measure unconscious processes (like implicit bias); changing bias against women and underrepresented groups in STEM education; links from this work into contemplative science; increasing cross-disciplinary collaboration to advance research around equity; the subtle ways we can change implicit bias by changing the wallpaper of our lives; and turning research into social impact. Full show notes and resources  

In this episode, Wendy speaks with cognitive psychologist Larry Barsalou about his work on grounded cognition, concepts, stress, and habits. Their conversation covers many topics, including: a historical look at how psychology has viewed and studied the mind; simulation and prediction in the brain; what a concept is, and benefits and harms they can bring; stereotypes, implicit bias, and how we might change them; the "situated action" cycle that drives our behavior; understanding habits, and the role of mindfulness in breaking unhealthy habits; how humans form self-concepts, and how meditation can help us move beyond them; the importance of context (situatedness) in cognition, and how to study it scientifically; and how he got interested in contemplative science. Full show notes and resources

In this episode, Wendy speaks with clinical psychologist and contemplative researcher Sona Dimidjian. Sona's career has focused on using contemplative practices to improve mental health, with a focus on systems of inequality. Their conversation covers many topics, including: her path to contemplative practice and research; using collaborative teams in science to reduce bias; how she applies mindfulness to help with postpartum depression; working with young women around stereotypes about appearance; embodied practices delivered through peer instruction; community-engaged participatory research, working "with" and not "for"; creating digital platforms for more equitable dissemination of contemplative programs; and how she brings a lens of anti-racism to her research and teaching. Full show notes and resources

Buddhist scholar John Dunne discusses integrating Buddhism and science, defining meditation for research, focused attention vs. open monitoring meditation, meta-awareness, subject/object duality, different ways of experiencing the self, hallucinogens, ego dissolution, decentering and dereification, and the future of the field.

Eric Garland, clinical researcher and psychotherapist, discusses using mindfulness for addiction and chronic pain. Topics include early mystical experiences, meditation's healing power, self-transcendence, Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for addiction and chronic pain, reappraisal, savoring natural rewards, deconstructing pain, clinical trial results, and lessons learned.

In this episode, Wendy speaks with Buddhist scholar and teacher Anne Klein. They speak about the role of the body in practice and transformation, and touch on many topics, including: her interest in Buddhism as a lens on the mind; the role of the body in contemplative practice; the dangers of not being embodied; microphenomenology; Eastern conceptions of the subtle/energy body; the construction of self and other; how the body can help us break out of rigid self-concepts; the power of the imagination; why we think things will always stay the same; and how studying the feminine sheds light on interdependence. Full show notes and resources

We launch our second season featuring a conversation with psychologist, neuroscientist, and emotion researcher Lisa Feldman Barrett. She and Wendy discuss a broad range of topics about the mind, including: her unexpected path into studying emotions; how our brains construct and predict our reality; the brain's essential role in regulating the body; emotions as interpretations of our bodily state; how our past shapes and filters our present experience; the difference between affective feelings (mood) and emotions; our capacity to influence our own emotions; deconstructing our experience through mindfulness; how to improve our emotional lives; connections with Buddhist theories of mind; implications for our understanding of the self; how we regulate not only our own, but others' nervous systems; and how stress and modernity might lead to clinging to entrenched views. Full show notes and resources

As 2020 draws to a close, Wendy speaks with Buddhist teacher, author, and psychologist Jack Kornfield in a special episode. Their conversation covers a wide range of topics, including: how he's interpreting our current moment, and what's needed most; his path into Buddhism & psychology, reflecting on family and coming of age in the 1960s; the value of going on a meditation retreat; links between Buddhism and psychology in terms of healing and self; the problem of spiritual bypassing; how to work with difficulties through allowing and gratitude; the role of Buddhist ideas in activism and social justice work; and the most important thing researchers can measure as an outcome of meditation practice. Full show notes and resources

In this bonus episode, Wendy speaks with psychologist and contemplative researcher Adam Hanley. Adam studies mindfulness-based interventions for addiction and pain, seeking to understand how they work, and how they can best be applied in these populations. In this conversation they discuss: how he became a contemplative scientist; automaticity, habits, and addiction; his research showing how mindfulness may help us de-automatize our thought processes, and stay more in the present; self-transcendence and how he's beginning to study it; and the importance of understanding the nature of self, and moving beyond egocentric views, as we seek to build a healthier society. Full show notes and resources