Symposium on Technology-Assisted Meditation at Harvard University

Researchers, Ethicists, Engineers, Educators, and Practitioners Review Ethics, Innovations, Outcomes, Measurements & Safety for Adults and Children

News provided by

Center for Mindfulness and Compassion

Sep 04, 2018, 09:20 ET

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Sep. 04, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- DATE

  • Saturday, September 29, 2018 / 8:30 - 5:30 pm

PLACE

  • Harvard University Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA

HOST

  • Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA)

CORE SPONSORS

  • Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing
  • Harvard Center for Wellness and Health Promotion
  • The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy

COMPLETE PROGRAM SCHEDULE

INTRODUCTION
Learning, engagement, connection and practice (9:00-9:15)

MODERATORS

  • Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD, Executive Director and Research Director, CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion
  • Richa Gawande, PhD, Research and Programs Manager, CHA Center for Mindfulness and Compassion

ETHICS
TALK #1: Technology-Assisted Meditation: Harm, Hype or Help? (9:15-9:35)

  • Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche, PhD, Head of the Trungram lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, Founder and Spiritual Leader, Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing

INNOVATIONS & OUTCOMES

PANEL #1: Enhancing Delivery of Mindfulness for Chronic Pain (10:00-10:30)

  • Paula Gardiner, MD, MPH, UMass Medical School: Adapting Mindfulness Skills for an Internet-Based Platform for a Low Income Diverse Patient Population with Chronic Pain and Depression
  • Vitaly Napadow, PhD, LicAc, MGH/HST Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging: Boosting mindfulness-based interventions with targeted neuromodulation

PANEL #2: Sensors Guiding the Path? (10:40-11:25)

  • Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, Center for Mindfulness, UMass Medical School: Mechanism matters. Developing brain-based neurofeedback for meditation from the bottom up
  • Neema Moraveji, PhD, Co-Founder and Chief Scientist, Spire: Augmenting Mindfulness in Daily Life Using Near-Invisible Biosensors
  • Norman Farb, PhD, Univ. of Toronto Mississauga: Reflections on Doing Research with Technology-Assisted Meditation

SAFETY IMPLICATIONS

TALK #2: Some things to consider as we go digital (11:30-11:55)

  • Willoughby Britton, PhD, Director, Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory, Brown University, Asst. Professor of Psychiatry at Brown University Medical School

Experiential biofeedback session (12:45-1:10)

  • Inna Khazan, PhD, BCB, Clinical Psychologist, Lecturer, Harvard Medical School, Founder, Arete Institute for Performance Excellence

INNOVATIONS & OUTCOMES

PANEL #3: Meditation technology for changing our minds and hearts (1:20-2:20)

  • Jay Vidyarthi, UX/UI Director - Collaborator with Muse, Sonic Cradle, A Mindful Society, Brightmind: Design as Attention Activism
  • Megan Jones Bell, PsyD, Chief Science Officer, Headspace: How Headspace is using scientific evidence to improve health and happiness
  • Ausiàs Cebolla, PhD, University of València (Spain): Putting into the body of others: The path to self-compassion through virtual reality

PANEL #4: Developmental implications for children and youth (2:50-3:50)

  • Nicole Cardoza, Founder, Yoga Foster, Product Lead, Mind Yeti: How tech increases access and representation for the next mindful generation
  • Holly Rogers, Co-Founder, The Center for Koru Mindfulness: Technology supported mindfulness mentoring: The Koru app and teacher dashboard
  • Tara Cousineau, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Founder, BodiMojo, Inc.: Cultivating Digital Wisdom and Engaging with Digital Means

Writing Exercise (3:50-4:05)
Large Group Q & A (4:05-4:40)
Conclusion (4:40-5:00)

ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

  • Organized by Zev Schuman-Oliver MD, the Director of the CHA Center for Mindfulness, and Richa Gawanda PhD, the Research and Programs Manager, the Symposium was funded by an unrestricted educational grant from the Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing. An informal meeting between Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche and Dr. Schuman-Olivier at a CHA talk on "EEG, Neuroimaging and Meditation" in June 2017 sparked a series of conversations that led to the sponsorship of this program.

ABOUT THE HOST

  • The Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC) at Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) CMC, a division of Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital, aims to enhance the health and well-being of CHA and the local community by integrating mindfulness and compassion into healthcare.

ABOUT THE CORE SPONSORS

  • Dharmakaya Center for Wellbeing. Founded by Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche, a world-renowned Buddhist lama, the Dharmakaya Center is situated on a beautifully wooded hillside in Cragsmoor, New York. It offers afternoon and weekend programs, short-term retreats for individuals and groups, of all skill levels.                    
  • Harvard Center for Wellness and Health Promotion. The Center cultivates individual and collective wellbeing through holistic educational experiences, offering workshops, services and classes to all Harvard community members.
  • Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy (IMP). IMP is a non-profit organization dedicated to the education, training and support of mental health professionals in integrating mindfulness, meditation and psychotherapy.

Media contacts:
For Center for Mindfulness and Compassion: Lisa Kim, ljkim(at)challiance.org, 617-591-6087
For Trungram Gyalwa Rinpoche: Sandy Bodner, sandybodner(at)comcast.net, 617-549-8523

SOURCE Center for Mindfulness and Compassion

Related Links

https://www.chacmc.org/