The Contemplative Science Podcast

Ian Gardner, founder and CEO of Acreia, is creating supported spaces for contemplative practice and research. He explores what happens when light and sensory anchors disappear, how dark retreats are structured, and why preparation, screening, guidance, and integration matter. They discuss fear, surrender, spiritual safety, emerging EEG research, and the expanding global network of retreat centers.

Dave Smith, Dharma teacher and founder of the Secular Dharma Foundation, blends Insight Meditation with secular approaches. He explores loving-kindness, compassion, appreciative joy, and equanimity as practices that support insight and emotional regulation. They discuss real-world teaching in prisons, integrating these practices with awakening factors, nature-supported retreats, and plans for an Authentic Intelligence program.

In this episode, I’m joined by Adam Lobel, PhD, a meditation teacher, scholar-practitioner, and professor of ecopsychology and Buddhist psychology. Adam’s work brings together contemporary philosophy, Dzogchen Tibetan Buddhism, ecopsychology, and transformational politics, asking how contemplative practice can respond to a society undergoing profound ecological, cultural, and spiritual change. We discuss ecodharma, cultural therapeutics, the role of Buddhist practice in ecological and social justice movements, and what it might mean to meet our metamorphosing world with clarity, compassion, and courageous action.

Zach Buck, a cognitive science researcher studying spirituality, psychedelics, and ritual, explores why people report encounters with spirits and deities. He discusses predictive processing accounts, how sensory uncertainty and ritual aesthetics shape perceived agents, and how social and cultural scaffolding guides interpretations during altered states. The conversation also covers collective ritual dynamics and implications for integration and therapy.

Nicholas Buscall, a humanistic integrative psychotherapeutic counsellor and meditation teacher, blends therapy with contemplative training. He discusses grounding meditation in clear intent and safeguards to prevent confusion or harm. Conversations cover translating insight into compassionate action, integrating practice with relationships, and using therapeutic check-ins to keep progress steady and connected to real life.

Brother Phap Linh, a Buddhist monk from the Plum Village tradition and a student of Thich Nhat Hanh, explores the intersection of Buddhism and science. He discusses his journey from skepticism to monastic life and shares insights on using Buddhist teachings as practical maps for reducing suffering. The conversation delves into the concept of store consciousness, grief, and how grounding in potentiality fosters hope. Emphasizing interdependence, Brother Phap Linh offers practical advice on cultivating mindfulness and returning to sensory experience.

In this episode, we explore the role of goal-setting and purposeful behaviour in Buddhist contemplative practice. While many traditions emphasize letting go, Buddhist training is also deeply structured by intentionality, effort, and purposeful cultivation. Nadav Amir brings a computational neuroscience perspective to these questions, examining how minds generate goals, how agency emerges, and how these processes relate to frameworks from early Buddhist epistemology and ethics. Together, we discuss paradoxes of striving, the tension between effort and non-attachment, and what modern neuroscience can tell us about intention on the contemplative path.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Paul Condon to explore his new book How Compassion Works and the science behind cultivating compassion that lasts. We discuss what compassion really is, how it can be measured and taught, and why sustaining compassion matters for individuals and communities alike. Paul shares insights from his research on compassion training, its impact on mental health and social connection, and how these practices can be taught in a rigorous, evidence-based way without losing their heart.

What if understanding pain was a contemplative act? Richmond Stace, creator of Pain Coaching, brings together neuroscience, psychotherapy, and contemplative insights to rethink chronic pain not just as a biological condition, but as a human experience shaped by meaning, attention, and awareness.

What does it really mean to be deeply well—not just symptom-free or spiritually polished, but truly grounded, embodied, and alive? In this episode, Dharma teachers Melina Bondy and Arti Mehta explore this question through the lenses of contemplative practice, psychotherapy, somatics, art, and community care. Together we reflect on how meditation and the Dharma shape our understanding of wellness—not as an escape from life’s struggles, but as a courageous turning toward them. We discuss how to stay with discomfort without bypassing, the role of the body in healing, and the tensions between spiritual ideals and lived experience. We also ask: Can wellness itself become a form of resistance? What does it mean to be well together? And how can we honour both safety and challenge in our communities? This is a rich and honest conversation about the nonlinear path to being deeply well—and what it takes to share that path with others.