Podcast

Episode 49: The Enlightenment Hack: with Jay Sanguinetti

Jay Sanguinetti brings his fascinating line of research to reveal the concept, potential, ethics and mitigations for using ultrasound to stimulate the brain during meditation.

Episode 48: Death and the Information Gap with Dr Mark Miller

We need to start prepping our minds for death. Welcome to a train your brain special, diving into new research plans from our very own Dr Mark Miller

Episode 47: Speaking in Tongues: Josh Brahinsky

What happens when people start speaking in tongues? Enter Josh Brahinsky, researcher at UC Berkeley Social Interaction Laboratory. Josh is fascinated with the phenomenology and neuroscience of what goes on when people speak in tongues.

Episode 46: Your Brain and God: The Principles of Neurotheology with Andrew Newber

Andrew Newberg is a Professor at the Department of Integrative Medicine and Nutritional Sciences and Director of Research at the Marcus Institute of Integrative Health at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital. In this episode, Andrew Newberg shares his findings from an illustrious career researching neurotheology - and discusses how the inner workings of the brain intersects with spirituality. Our ideal guest!

Episode 45: Unbroken - How to Deal with Grief with Dr Rachel Taylor

How do we deal with grief? And how can we better prepare ourselves? Enter Dr Rachel Taylor, neuropsychologist and founder of UnBroken. Learn more about the importance of our environment in how it shapes our response.

Episode 44: The Lessons of a Buddhist Monk with Kevin Berryman

Our very own Kevin Berryman joins Jamie and Mark on this insightful episode where they discuss Kevin's research on moral psychology, karma and the 'self'.

Episode 43: Meditation - An Active State

Episode 43 our Contemplative Science Podcast saw Giuseppe Pagnoni come on to the show to talk about the neuroscience of meditative practice and why ‘inaction’ on the mat is far from a passive process.

Episode 42: Psychedelics, Trauma and Men's Therapy with Liam Farquhar

Trauma needs a rethink. Here to tell us why is Liam Farquhar, a London-based legal psychedelics guide and somatic experiencing expert. He shares insights on how the current psychedelic protocols only address trauma at a narrative level, and fail to treat the root of the issue. As such, his practice takes on a whole-body approach - creating a path to healing that uses discussion, breathwork and movement to ingrain a deep understanding of psychedelic processes in his clients.

Episode 41: Pain Reconceptualised: With Alex Jinich

We can reconceptualise pain. Taking us through a fascinating walkthrough of the mechanics of pain is Alex Jinich, PhD student at UC San Diego. Alex’s mission is to contribute to our understanding of how meditation and other novel therapeutic techniques help reduce pain and improve wellbeing. Sharing research results, theories and lessons in foundational cognition, we dive into meditation’s links to spheres of suffering, neuroplasticity, chronic pain, placebo and more.

Bonus Episode: Guided Meditation with Dr Mark Miller

A really special episode. Dr Mark Miller guides us through a 20 minute practice extremely close to his heart. Developed by Lama John Makransky, the co-founder of Sustainable Compassion, this practice aims to open the heart and relax the body.

Episode 40: Cognitive Biases and Emotional Reactions: with Dr Norman Farb

Confidence is critical in emotional regulation. Here to uncover the world of cognitive biases, emotional reactions and wellbeing is Dr Norman Farb from the University of Toronto.

Episode 39: Meditation and Psychotherapy

Ian Singer is a psychotherapist and experienced meditator who has worked with thousands of clients and students across the world. An expert in mindfulness-based skills development, Ian is a faculty member at the Centre for Mindfulness Studies, Toronto.

Episode 38: Soul and Interconnectedness

Dr Anna Yusim is a spiritual teacher, psychiatrist and author of ‘Fulfilled: How the Science of Spirituality Can Help You Live a Happier, More Meaningful Life’. The founder of Yale University’s new Spirituality & Mental Health Centre and colleague of previous guest Daniel Ingram, her work dives to the heart of the intersection of science and spirituality.

Episode 37: How To Be Human

Humans are incredibly complex. Spiritual practice is incredibly powerful. But do contemplative frameworks show how to be a human in full? Welcome to our inaugural review of the year.

Episode 36: The Dark Night of the Soul

The Dark Night of the Soul is a unique, scary and transformative experience. On a quest to track the history and improve the resources on the Dark Night is Nathan Fisher, PhD student at University of California Santa Barbara. Nathan is an expert on the texts and phenomenology of these states in Abrahamic traditions and Buddhism, diving into the intricacies of how mystic traditions meet with modern day clinical practice.

Episode 35: Constructing Our Lives

Meditation is about getting to grips with the way we construct the world. We are delighted to welcome Dr Shamil Chandaria from the Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing at University of Oxford onto the show to talk about refined observations on the difference ways we construct reality.

Episode 34: Spirituality and Psychic Abilities

What links spirituality and psychic ability with diet? Here to explore the topic of his pioneering PhD is Michael Daw of Northampton University. Michael outlines a long history of the connectedness of dietary practice (veganism, vegetarianism and fasting) with spiritual tradition, from Shamanism to the Abrahamic religions.

Episode 33: Jhãna and Peak Experiences

Let's talk about Jhāna, some of the peak experiences on the spiritual journey. Jonas is currently pursuing doctoral studies at McGill University, diving into the various cognitive mechanisms that underlie human flourishing. He reflects on findings and anecdotes from his pioneering research: exploring Jhāna as a refined ability to ‘slip into a pocket’ of deep concentration, with huge potential for positive habit-building and self improvement!

Episode 32: Mental Health and Buddhism

Dr Elli Weisbaum is a mindfulness practictioner and Assistant Professor for the Buddhism, Mental Health and Psychology programme at University of Toronto. Since attending her first retreat with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh at the age of ten, Elli is passionate about the translation of mindfulness practice into everyday life.

Episode 31: The Dark Side of Meditation

Dr Christine Kupfer came on to the show to talk about the meaning of spiritual crisis and how these experiences are spoken about in religious and clinical settings.

Episode 30: Psychedelics and Spiritual Traditions

Dr Richard Chambers came on to the show to talk about the history of psychedelics in religious and contemplative traditions, neuroplasticity and how they can be explored in safe and beneficial ways.

Episode 29: Flow States and Meta Awareness

Dr David Vago is a Research Associate Professor at Vanderbilt Brain Institute and Research Associate at Harvard Medical School. Currently a Fellow at Mind and Life Institute, he is a renowned researcher in the field, serial meditator, and one of Dr Mark Miller’s personal research heroes!

Episode 28: You Are Not Your Brain

Dr Jeffrey Schwartz is one of the world’s leading experts in neuroplasticity and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Jeffrey’s publications include You Are Not Your Brain and Brain Lock.

Episode 27: The Mindful College Student

Suffering isn’t new - but mindfulness can help. Joining to uncover the reasons and remedies for rising stress levels in young people, is Dr Eric Loucks. Professor, researcher and pioneer in the study of mindfulness and health, Eric recently authored The Mindful College Student - based on work that sees him teach and study the impact of introducing mindfulness to year groups who are still in cognitive development!

Episode 26: Understanding Anxiety

What are the mechanics of anxiety? How can we understand and alleviate it? Author, bodywork therapist and Assistant Professor at Brown University, Lynn has dedicated herself to combating mental health issues through movement and mindfulness.

Episode 25: Compassion, Wisdom and Training

Is compassion something you can train? Absolutely, according to our guest Dr Paul Condon. Co-writer of the Sustainable Compassion Training (SCT) model along with John Makransky, it provides a system of compassion and wisdom practices to enrich compassion in our daily lives.

Episode 24: The Self Made Simple

The ‘self’ in the Buddhist tradition is a complex and rich topic. Walking us smoothly through potentially choppy water is Monash University's Dr Monima Chadha, an Associate Professor in Philosophy.

Episode 23: The Equanimity Factor

How can equanimity improve the human experience? Joining today is author, lecturer and equanimity enthusiast Dr Joey Weber. Joey’s book Why Mindfulness Is Not Enough… paints a fascinating picture in which equanimity is a bridge that moves mindfulness to compassion. A deeply engaging expert in his field, we discuss why mindfulness needs purpose and how you can become more equanimous - for the good of our interconnected human experience.

Episode 22: Mindfulness and Education: Professor Craig Hassed

How can we effectively integrate mindfulness into education? Monash University's very own Professor Craig Hassed is an author and internationally renowned mindfulness expert.

Episode 21: The Podcast So Far: A Fireside Conversation

Hosts Jamie Slevin and Dr Mark Miller reflect on the lessons of the podcast so far. Mixing in their own experiences with the key themes of the Contemplative Science Podcast, Mark and Jamie share their thoughts on what we've covered so far.

Episode 20: The Complexity Wanderer

Did you know that living beings defy the 2nd law of thermodynamics? Joining us for a fascinating discussion is Dr Ines Hipolito, a self-described ‘complexity wanderer’. Recently co-founding the European Institute for Global Well-being, her research develops and applies frameworks on the nature of cognition. We dive into the free energy principle, the relationship of digitisation and wellbeing, and why ‘cognition is everything that we do’!

Episode 19: How to Deal with Change: Lessons from a Buddhist Nun

Change is a hugely challenging part of the human experience. Today, we're joined by author, Buddhist teacher and former nun Kaira Jewel Lingo. Sharing philosophies and learnings to help us deal with change, Kaira walks us through the role equanimity and impermanence in dealing with change.

Episode 18: Getting The Dose Right: How Much Mindfullness?

What is the ideal dose of mindfulness? Like with any medicine, dose is a complex topic. Sharing her research is Dr Sarah Strohmaier, psychology lecturer and mindfulness researcher at Canterbury Christ Church University. Does bigger dose equal bigger benefit? How do we measure such subjective outcomes?

Episode 17: Guidance, Hypnosis and Tibetan practice: Dr Michael Lifshitz on well-being

In this episode, we cover hypnosis, the power of suggestion, and its comparisons to meditation practice; The social construct of the concept of wellness: what it means to be well! And cognitive research on expert tulpamancers - to see what’s going on under the hood. Dr Michael Lifshitz is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at McGill University and Jewish General Hospital, Montreal. Alumnus of McGill and Stanford University, he studies practices that aim to transform our subjective experience - including meditation, hypnosis, placebo, prayer and psychedelics.

Episode 16: Wellbeing and Psychedelics: caution, potential and meditation

Adam Safron is a Post Doctoral Research Fellow at The Centre for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine. A meditation practitioner himself, his work centres on characterising the nature of preferences and motivation. In this episode, we cover: Theories and discussion relating to the use of psychedelics to help wellbeing, How psychedelics create a period of plasticity in the brain and Discussion relating to psychedelics and their potential for enhancing freewill.

Episode 15: Self Love and Enlightenment

Janusz Welin discusses learning how to fall in love with every part of ourselves. And if we can't, then to love that we can't. You know, sometimes you'll be guiding someone and they'll say: I feel so blocked. There's so much block. It's like: great! Let's fall in love with that block. Why are we trying to get through this thing? It's so blocky. It's cosmically blocky. It's just doing such a good job at stopping the emotion. Like let's just take a minute and really love that.

Episode 14: Windows of Tolerance: the science of how to practice gently

More meditation does not always equal more progress! We are delighted to have the opportunity to share research from our very own Dr Mark Miller. Mark is a veteran meditator who supports anecdotes from his personal practice with scientific evidence and phenomenological discussion. Sharing insights from a recent paper, we break down the ‘self’, dissociative disorders and windows of tolerance to encourage a gentle and committed meditation practice.

Episode 13: The 5 Contemplative Landmarks

What are the five contemplative landmarks? And what do they say about our meditation practice? This episode we probe into the research of philosopher and meditation researcher Terje Sparby. Terje is a master meditator, whose work brings together the worlds of neuroscience, spirituality and community.

Episode 12: Meditation, the Brain and Meta-cognitive Awareness

How can you fundamentally change your relationship with the external world? Joining the podcast to share the messages of the very latest cognitive research on yoga and meditation is Harvard Medical School's Sara Lazar. Sara’s research explores the brain at varying stages of life: tracking the effects of mindfulness on its composition and capability, and the applications this can have in patient care.

Episode 11: Collective Trauma and Recovery

What do you know about trauma? Joining the podcast to lift the lid on the weight of individual and collective trauma, is Michelle Cassandra Johnson. Activist, author, anti-racism consultant and yoga teacher - Michelle talks candidly on personal experiences, generational trauma and the whitewashing of yoga.

Episode 10: The Black History of Yoga

How much do you know about Kemetic Yoga? If you're like most people, not much! Enter Kemetic Yoga legend Yirser Ra Hotep, master instructor of Yoga and the creator of the YogaSkills Method. Yirser joins to lift the lid on the origins and principles of yoga-like practices in Africa, and how he translates this research into real life applications.

Episode 09: The Science of Romantic Love

References to romantic love is everywhere - in music, in films and in our lives. But what is actually happening when we fall in love? Diving into the heart of the matter is leading expert Dr Lucy Brown. Lucy's research is at the crossroads of love, neuroscience and meditation. Chatting to Mark and Jamie, Lucy reveals what happens in the brain during early love, committed relationships and heartbreak - and why knowing oneself is fundamental for fulfilment.

Episode 08: Pain, Brains and Reality

Can mindfulness aid addiction, depression and pain? Antoine Lutz, a pioneering researcher of contemplative practices is fascinated by the ways in which we perceive negative thoughts as tangible and real - but more importantly, what we can do to change them.

Episode 07: The Authentic Happiness Episode

What is authentic happiness? And how can you find it? Enter Doug Veenhof. Doug describes happiness as a 'process of subtraction'. Sharing his experiences as meditator and teacher at the Center for Contemplative Research, Doug talks religion, neuroscience and the fundamental difference between Eudaimonia and hedonic pleasure. Join us for a disarming and radical approach to achieving happiness.

Episode 06: The Well-Being Curriculum

Why isn’t wellbeing part of the school curriculum? Asking the question and doing the research is Dr Dusana Dorjee, a cognitive neuroscientist whose research uncovers how mindfulness impacts wellbeing.

Episode 05: Mysticism and Modern Healthcare: how Psychiatry and spirituality interact

How does modern psychiatry interact with the mystical, psychedelic or magical? With difficulty! Dr Daniel Ingram is attempting to change that. As a key member of the The Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (The EPRC), Daniel is on a mission to ‘tool up’ modern medicine to deal with the results of the spiritual path. This episode dives into the nature of spiritual development, emergent phenomena and the challenges of helping healthcare deal with the weird and wonderful of the spiritual path.

Episode 4: Why I am Not a Buddhist

Evan Thompson is a professor of philosophy at the University of British Columbia. His publications include ‘Why I Am Not a Buddhist’ and ‘Waking, Dreaming, Being...’ - tackling topics which join Western and Buddhist philosophies in dialogue.

Episode 03: An introduction to Indigenous Contemplative Science

What are the main differences between western and indigenous contemplative science? Enter Dr Yuria Celidwen, a Native of Indigenous Nahua and Maya descent. As Yuria explains, indigenous contemplative practices focus on the community, rather than just the self. If I flourish, the planet flourishes. We explore cognitive imperialism, individualist attitudes and the fundamental importance of intention.

Episode 02: The Meaning Crisis (and what to do about it)

We’re living in the midst of the meaning crisis. Enter Dr John Vervaeke. The world’s leading expert in diagnosing the spiritual, practical and cognitive causes of increasing isolation and disillusionment.

Episode 01: What is the Bottleneck to Well-being?

Julianna Raye is the CEO of Unified Mindfulness. She specialises in the teachings of Shinzen Young, has completed more than 20,000 hours of formal training, and has even had her brain studied by scientists. Join Jamie, Mark to hear about Julianna's journey with meditation. Listen to the episode here