Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation

Google Tech Talks
February, 28 2008

ABSTRACT

Mindfulness meditation, one type of meditation technique, has been shown to
enhance emotional awareness and psychological flexibility as well as induce
well-being and emotional balance. Scientists have also begun to examine how
meditation may influence brain functions. This talk will examine the
effect of mindfulness meditation practice on the brain systems in which
psychological functions such as attention, emotional reactivity, emotion
regulation, and self-view are instantiated. We will also discuss how
different forms of meditation practices are being studied using
neuroscientific technologies and are being integrated into clinical
practice to address symptoms of anxiety, depression, and stress.

Speaker: Philippe Goldin
Philippe is a research
scientist and heads the Clinically Applied Affective Neuroscience group in
the Department of Psychology at Stanford University. 

He spent 6 years in India and Nepal studying various languages,
Buddhist philosophy and debate at Namgyal Monastery and the Dialectic
Monastic Institute, and serving as an interpreter for various Tibetan
Buddhist lamas. He then returned to the U.S. to complete a Ph.D. in
Clinical Psychology at Rutgers University. His NIH-funded
clinical research focuses on (a) functional neuroimaging investigations of cognitive-affective mechanisms in adults with anxiety disorders, (b)
comparing the effects of mindfulness meditation and cognitive-behavioral
therapy on brain-behavior correlates of emotional reactivity and regulation, and (c) training children in family and elementary school settings in mindfulness skills to reduce anxiety and enhance compassion, self-esteem and quality of family interactions.