Interested in the scientific study of meditation, mindfulness and contemplative practices?

Deric Bownds has provided a link to the Mind and Life Institute, which offers a quarterly bibliography with short descriptions of research done on the effects of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT). I post these links here as well, for those interested in the science of meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative practices, as well as other bridges forming between Buddhism and science. I have studied and practiced mindfulness meditation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. I and a number of other skeptical science-oriented people that I know strongly endorse meditation, CBT, and their wonderful synergistic combination.

Finding meaning in wonder and well-being: An ex-fundamentalist’s tale

In what is one of the top WordPress stories today, Karen at de-Conversion presents the story of an ex-Christian fundamentalist (Southern Baptist), Bryan, who after leaving his faith eventually finds meaning in wonder and promoting well-being in self and others. This is a beautiful story that speaks to the indescribable value of a number of easily secularizable Buddhist values: mindfulness, an intrinsic appreciation for ourselves and our world, and compassion for the self and others.

The Cultivation of Wisdom and Well-Being, Installment 1: Mindfulness and Meta-Cognition

Welcome to the first post dedicated to wisdom, one of the intended pillars of this blog. This posting is the first of a series of posts addressing posited pillars of wisdom and well-being, including mindfulness and meta-cognition, process orientation, egolessness and openess. Mindfulness and meta-cognition will be the subject of this first installment, with major sub-units being meditation and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Notice to Skeptics: Neither this nor any other of my writings on wisdom or anything else will involve the endorsement of faith.

A Quick Post On Dealing With Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

Today I discovered an excellent Cognitive Science blog: Deric Bownd’s MingBlog. Bownd is a Cognitive Psychologist at the esteemed University of Wisconsin, where he has studied visual cognition for 35 years. If you’re interested in Cognitive Science and CogSci & Society, his blog is definitely worth a look.

 Anyhow, while reading his blog I discovered a posting on Seasonal Affective Disorder, an affliction that is fairly prevalent in my region of North America, Toronto. According to the stats reported by Bownd, the 9.7% of New Hampshire citizens have SAD. I speculate that the rate in Southern Ontario is over 10%, given that its prevalence increases as one moves toward the poles. Given that most of the people reading this blog are within this relatively unfriendly section of North America, I thought I’d share some potentially valuable information.

A Skeptic’s Testimonial on Mindfulness Meditation

One of the things that I like to promote on The Frame Problem is Mindfulness Meditation. Meditation is a practice I began a few years ago. I am a rigorous skeptic. What brought me to meditation was having read a number of scientific papers published in leading Psychology and Medical journals on its scientifically demonstrated efficacy at promoting enhanced psychological well-being, focus, self-awareness, present-moment orientation, and as a means of treatment for depression and anxiety. I have personally experienced each of the just-mentioned benefits, in addition to insight—I’m not sure if insight has been scientifically demonstrated. The body of this post however will not be my work, but that of a good friend of mine. This friend, Randy McVeigh, like me is a steadfast skeptic—once when we were in a room alone together he threw a crumpled up piece of paper at me and then exclaimed “YOU CAN’T PROVE ANYTHING!”. Well, anyway, he’s a skeptic. Like me, what made him interested in trying meditation was hearing of the strong scientific support for the practice in addition to positive testimonials from skeptical friends. Below the fold is a story of Randy’s personal experiences with meditation. Because I’m a social science educated skeptic, I expect that some readers may be skeptical of a testimonial from a stranger, as well they should be. So here is a link to the Wikipedia article on meditation, which broadly outlines some of the research and medical uses of meditation.

Meditation can change brain function: U of T Psychology and Psychiatry

A study on the effects of meditation on brain function at the University of Toronto by Cognitive Psychologist Dr. Adam Anderson, PhD candidate Norman Farm, and Psychiatrist and internationally reknowned leader in research on mindfulness meditation, Dr. Zindel Segal, has found that training in meditation can produce changes in brain function in nonclinical populations.