Podcast Episodes

Evan Thompson – Expanding Our View of the Mind

mlipodcast · August 19, 2020 ·

August 19, 2020

In this episode, Wendy speaks with philosopher of mind Evan Thompson about embodied cognition and contemplative science. This is one of our longer shows, and is full of rich content. Evan is one of the earliest contributors to advancing the dialogue between Buddhism and Western science through his work with Mind & Life co-founder Francisco Varela, and he’s spent decades exploring how the human mind extends beyond the brain, throughout the body and into the world. In this conversation, they discuss:

his unique upbringing and educational path;
his work with Francisco Varela and the beginnings of the conversation between Buddhism and cognitive science;
why philosophy matters;
the project of neurophenomenology and the integration of first- and third-person methods;
the problem of neurocentrism;
4E cognition (that mind is embodied, embedded, extended, and enacted);
the “self” as construction vs. illusion;
how predictive models of mind line up with the enactive view;
whether or not meditation is a special avenue to reveal the nature of the mind;
the need for more thought systems and religions at the table in contemplative science;
and why it’s critical today to understand the human mind in nuanced ways.

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Doris Chang – Critical Consciousness

mlipodcast · August 5, 2020 ·

August 5, 2020

In this episode, Wendy speaks with clinical psychologist Doris Chang about her work on race, ethnicity, culture, and other dimensions of social identity as they shape psychological experience and mental health treatment. They discuss a number of topics, including:

Critical Consciousness as the ability to recognize and analyze systems of inequality, and the commitment to take action against these systems;
that race is a social construct, not a biological fact;
the impact of race on measures of well-being and health;
how she brings critical consciousness into the classroom, and how it unfolds with students;
the role of contemplative practice in becoming aware of systems of oppression;
her research on these training programs;
where contemplative science needs to go next, and other topics.

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Richie Davidson – The Science of Meditation

mlipodcast · July 22, 2020 ·

July 22, 2020

In this episode, Wendy speaks with neuroscientist, psychologist, and director of the Center for Healthy Minds, Richard (Richie) Davidson. Richie is one of the founders of contemplative science, and shares his perspective on the past, present, and future of the field. Their conversation covers many topics, including:

his early interest in the mind and experiences with meditation;
the beginnings of meditation research, and a challenge from the Dalai Lama;
what we know (and don’t know) about how meditation changes the brain;
how investigating the self can lead to resilience;
current challenges to the field of contemplative science;
the need for research on analytic meditation;
negative findings and publication bias;
promises and pitfalls of research on psychedelics;
the value of training well-being, and other topics.

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Tanya Luhrmann – How Social Worlds Shape Our Minds

mlipodcast · July 8, 2020 ·

July 8, 2020

In this episode, Wendy speaks with anthropologist Tanya Luhrmann about how practices embedded in social realities change our minds and our experiences. They discuss:

her research on unusual spiritual experiences (voices, visions);
her work with magic practitioners and evangelical Christian communities;
the boundary between reality and imagination;
local theory of mind;
the psychological constructs of absorption and porosity, and how they relate to these spiritual experiences;
how mental training and mindfulness affect the way we relate to our thoughts;
the impacts of a relationship with the divine for self and society, and other topics.

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Amishi Jha – Attention, Mind Wandering, and Stress

mlipodcast · June 24, 2020 ·

June 24, 2020

In this episode, Wendy speaks with cognitive and contemplative neuroscientist Amishi Jha about using mindfulness to help improve our attention, and its usefulness particularly in high-stress situations. Amishi takes a broad and nuanced perspective on attention—arguing that it’s much more than just our ability to focus on the task at hand. Rather, attention is foundational for capacities like decision making, emotion regulation, and even empathy and compassion. Their conversation covers many topics, including:

her own experience of high stress and how that brought her to contemplative practice;
her research on how mindfulness can train attention and working memory;
the relationship between attention and stress;
bringing mindfulness to military populations;
the pros and cons of a wandering mind;
mindfulness during COVID;
the state of contemplative science, and current issues around gender and racial diversity.

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