Podcast Episodes

March 11, 2022

In this episode, Wendy speaks with addiction psychiatrist and contemplative researcher Jud Brewer. Jud is one of the leading figures in the use of mindfulness for addiction and anxiety, and his work emphasizes the brain’s habit cycle, and how to change it. He’s also developed a number of smartphone apps to deliver contemplative interventions widely, which research is finding to be highly successful. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• his own use of meditation to relieve stress, and where that led;
• the failure of willpower for treating addictions;
• the benefits and downsides of the brain’s habit mechanisms;
• commonalities between Buddhist philosophy and modern psychology;
• the key role of awareness in changing habits;
• the basic “habit loop” (trigger – behavior – result);
• anxiety as a habit;
• mindfulness for habit change;
• divisiveness as a bad habit;
• research on the effectiveness of app-based interventions;
• next steps for digital therapeutics;
• insights on communicating science to the public;
• and the power of kindness and connection as the ultimate reward.

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February 25, 2022

In this episode, Wendy speaks with Zen Buddhist teacher and author Roshi Joan Halifax. A pioneer in the field of end-of-life care, Roshi Joan was instrumental in developing the dialogue between science and Buddhism, and has been an advocate for engaged Buddhism, social activism, and compassion in response to today’s crises. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• the birth of dialogues between the Dalai Lama and scientists;
• how our minds are “enactive”;
• compassion as emergent and dependent on context;
• the trainable factors that set the stage for compassion;
• the importance of embodiment in health care;
• non-referential compassion;
• interdependence, compassion, and climate change;
• working with dying people;
• how letting go is safe;
• clinical use of psychedelics;
• and reflections on the field of contemplative science.

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December 17, 2021

In this episode, Wendy speaks with neuroscientist and contemplative researcher Cliff Saron. Cliff is a pioneer in studying the effects of meditation on attention and emotion, and has been deeply embedded in the field of contemplative science since the earliest days. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• his winding path into contemplative research;
• drilling down and pulling back;
• conducting research with Tibetan monks in India;
• how brain signals can predict behavior, and implications for free will;
• the importance of context in meditation research;
• effects of intensive meditation on attention, markers of cellular aging, and purpose in life;
• community-engaged participatory research;
• communicating the nuance and uncertainty inherent in science;
• Ubuntu, and living into our interdependence.

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December 3, 2021

In this episode, Wendy speaks with professor and Episcopal priest, Bobbi Patterson. Bobbi’s work integrates Christian contemplation, Buddhist meditation, contemplative pedagogy, the role of place, and adaptive resilience. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• contemplative Christian traditions;
• the power of silence;
• dialogue between Christianity and Buddhism;
• a Christian contemplative view of mind;
• women in the church;
• how to listen to a place;
• bringing students into nature and urban settings;
• the role of the body in contemplation;
• understanding burnout;
• and adaptive and land-based resilience.

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November 19, 2021

In this episode, Wendy speaks with researcher, translator, and Buddhist teacher, Cortland Dahl. Cort’s work integrates science, psychology, meditation, and Tibetan Buddhism. This conversation covers many topics, including:

• how meditation helped with his social anxiety as a young person;
• benefits and challenges in the dialogue between Buddhism and science;
• customizing meditation practice in the Healthy Minds app;
• understanding the diversity of contemplative practice;
• analytical meditation;
• meditation as a treatment for mental health problems;
• transcending the conceptual mind, and loosening concepts of self;
• seeing the limits of science;
• looking at well-being through the lens of learning;
• the key role of social connection;
• and moving forward with intellectual humility (knowing that we don’t know).

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