CNMB Lab, Nashville, TN
dvago@bwh.harvard.edu

Tag: david vago

Brigham and Women's Hospital

Can Enlightenment be traced to specific correlates of the Brain, Cognition, or Behavior?

The term “Enlightenment” is quite a big word with a lot of semantic baggage. It’s really an imprecise construct for the field of contemplative neuroscience. Friend and colleague, Jake Davis, a Buddhist scholar and I comment in a recent issue of Frontiers in Consciousness about the forseeable future of unpacking the concept into clearly observable…
Read more

Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, & Self-Transcendence (S-ART): A Framework for Understanding the Neurobiological Mechanisms of Mindfulness

Hi all, I wanted to take this space-time to introduce you to an integrative systems-based neurobiological model and theoretical framework for understanding the mechanisms by which mindfulness functions to reduce attention-specific and affective biases related to self processing and creates a sustainable healthy mind. The model attempts to integrate findings from the extant empirical literature…
Read more

Contemplative Practices and Mental Training: Prospects for American Education

The Mind and Life Education Research Group met regularly for 4 years (2007-2011) to create a research agenda for contemplative education. A scholarly white paper manifested as a result drawing on research in neuroscience, cognitive science, developmental psychology, and education, as well as scholarship from contemplative traditions concerning the cultivation of positive development, to highlight a set of mental…
Read more

Contemplative Education supported by the 1440 Foundation

Hi Everyone, I wanted to share some great videos explaining the benefits of contemplative education and the research being conducted around the world supported by the 1440 Foundation. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/44255731 w=500&h=281] David Vago on Contemplative Science from 1440 Foundation on Vimeo. [vimeo http://www.vimeo.com/44142663 w=500&h=281] Dr. Robert Roeser on Supporting the Support System from 1440 Foundation…
Read more

Presenting to His Holiness The Dalai Lama – Probably the highlight of my life (after meeting my wife and the birth of my baby girl)

Mind and Life XXIV: Latest Findings in Contemplative Science The Brochure [ML24_Brochure] Why is this meeting interesting? B/C we represent how the younger generation of scientists arewilling to examine some of the more difficult and even taboo aspects of deep contemplative transformation – topics the first generation of more cautious researchers were never explicit about.…
Read more

More about Pain and Meditation

Can meditation practice eliminate pain? NO, but it can it reduce the emotional intensity in which it is anticipated and experienced! There have been a few studies up to today (jan. 4, 2012) that have investigated the effects of specific meditative practices that involve the state of mindfulness on the experience of pain. Some studies…
Read more

The Effects of meditation and contemplative practice on Pain

Fadel Zeidan and David Vago were recently guests on NPR affiliate in Charlotte, NC – WFAE 90.7 discussing the effects of meditation and contemplative practice on pain. Listen HERE. Charlotte Blogs about it HERE.

Happiness and the Brain

What makes us happy? Are there correlates in the brain? Can positive emotions like happiness find a place in rigorous scientific research? These were some of the questions addressed in the recent TV program, The Agenda with Steve Paikin. See description HERE. You can see the video stream HERE. Happiness and the Brain with Steve…
Read more

The effects of Meditation on Fibromyalgia

Meditation has been shown to have benefits in many clinical disorders. An 8-week course in which women diagnosed with fibromyaliga are practicing mindfulness and meditation skills 5 days/week and meeting once/week for 2 hours, along with 1 full-day retreat at week 6 have shown benefits in attention, stress reduction, and emotion regulation. David Vago and…
Read more