Dr. Richie Davidson and Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn got together with neuroscientist Amishi Jha to discuss the science of consciousness and its role in mental and physical health.
Richie Davidson spoke at Sanford University last autumn. You can read Richie Davidson’s Lecture At Stanford.
Jon Kabat-Zinn spoke in San Francisco in January. You can read The Science Of Yoga And Healing.
These are two of my favorite people in the world of mindfulness and neuroscience.
I have heard of Amishi Jha but I don’t know much about her. She is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Miami. Her interests lie in the areas of attention and working memory.
In the interview, AMishi Jha talked about how mindfulness reduces stress. Paying attention is one aspect of how mindfulness reduces stress. Things seem to fall apart when people no longer have the capacity and the willingness to guide what their mind does. Developing resilience counteracts the stress response.
The conference also dealt with how we can train the mind to become more flexible and adaptable, and what cutting-edge neuroscience is revealing about the transformation of consciousness through mindfulness and contemplative practice.
I think many wonderful insights came out of this conversation. Please share you feelings and thoughts with me.