The mind's own physician : a scientific dialogue with the Dalai Lama on the healing power of meditation

"By inviting the Dalai Lama and leading researchers in medicine, psychology, and neuroscience to join in conversation, the Mind & Life Institute set the stage for a fascinating exploration of the healing potential of the human mind. The Mind's Own Physician presents in its entirety the thirteenth Mind and Life dialogue, a discussion addressing a range of vital questions concerning the science and clinical applications of meditation: How do meditative practices influence pain and human suffering? What role does the brain play in emotional well-being and health? To what extent can our minds actually influence physical disease? Are there important synergies here for transforming health care, and for understanding our own evolutionary limitations as a species? Edited by world-renowned researchers Jon Kabat-Zinn and Richard J. Davidson, this book presents this remarkably dynamic interchange along with intriguing research findings that shed light on the nature of the mind, its capacity to refine itself through training, and its role in physical and emotional health"--Provided by publisher. Read more... Abstract: The science behind how mindfulness meditation can heal the human mind. Read more... Draws On Studies With Leading Neuroscience Researchers And The Dalai Lama To Examine The Health Benefits Of Meditation, In A Transcript Of A Scientific Conference At Washington, D.c.'s Mind And Life Institute That Explores The Mind's Capacity For Influencing Physical Disease. Introduction: A Confluence Of Streams And A Flowering Of Possibilities -- Session 1. Meditation-based Clinical Interventions : Science, Practice, And Implementation. How Buddhist Meditative Practices Can Inform Our Understanding Of Pain And Suffering, The Potential For Healing, The Relief Of Suffering, And The Underlying Nature Of The Human Mind And Body / Ajahn Amaro. Some Clinical Applications Of Mindfulness Meditation In Medicine And Psychiatry : The Case Of Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (mbsr) / Jon Kabat-zinn. Mind-brain-body Interaction And Meditation / Richard J. Davidson. Session 1 Dialogue -- Session 2. Possible Biological Substrates Of Meditation. Synchronization Of Brain Rhythms As A Possible Mechanism For The Unification Of Distributed Mental Processes / Wolf Singer. The Neurobiology Of The Adaptive And Deleterious Features Of Stress / Robert Sapolsky. Session 2 Dialogue -- Session 3. Clinical Research 1 : Meditation And Mental Health. Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy And The Prevention Of Relapse In Recurrent Depression / Zindel Segal. Paths To Recovery : Neural Substrates Of Cognitive And Mindfulness-based Interventions For The Treatment Of Depression / Helen Mayberg. Session 3 Dialogue -- Interlude Preceding Session 4. The Buddhist Science Of Human Flourishing / Alan Wallace. Interlude Dialogue -- Session 4. Clinical Research 2 : Meditation And Physical Health. Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction And Cardiovascular Disease / David Sheps. Neural-immune Interaction / John Sheridan. Session 4 Dialogue -- Session 5. Integration And Final Reflections. Meditation And The Future Of Health Care / Ralph Snyderman. Some Reflections On The Evolution And Nature Of Mind And Self And Their Implications For Humanity / Wolf Singer. Session 5 Dialogue. Edited By Jon Kabat-zinn & Richard J. Davidson, With Zara Houshmand. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. In Washington, DC, the Dalai Lama met with Jon Kabat-Zinn, author of Full Catastrophe Living, Richard Davidson, and other leading meditation researchers to explore the intersection between ancient meditation techniques and modern neuroscience. The result is a fascinating and revealing conversation about the potential of the human mind to heal itself through mindfulness meditation, transcribed and presented to the public for the first time in The Mindís Own Physician.