Hey! At MIT from 10/25 to 10/27, our student groups Ekkolápto, Augmentation Lab, and Meditation Artifacts are hosting a research event at MIT uniting interdisciplinary minds to explore how emerging paradigms can address the age-old inscrutability of aging and consciousness, inspired a bit by Don Hoffman, Michael Levin, Karl Friston, and many other similar thinkers. Much of what we want to build is cognitive and phenomenological innovation to potentially understand meditative states in not only humans, but in other organisms. Luca Del Deo and others will be discussing jhana meditation states, stream entry, advanced forms of lucid dreaming, altered logic within dreams (mathematically speaking), tulpamancy, and more. Let me know what you think and if there's any questions!

Curt from Theories of Everything is also joining and has covered various of topics in cognition and consciousness quite deeply on his podcast. Just recently he covered the consciousness iceberg, he's had Friston and Levin on multiple times for in-depth discussions. RSVP for free and more info here: https://lu.ma/minds

Hello everyone,

I’m a cognitive science student at the University of Silesia in Katowice (Poland), and I’m currently conducting a study for my master's thesis on how meditation influences visual perception.

The study involves a brief questionnaire about your age, gender, education, and meditation experience, followed by four rounds of a visual perception test. Each round displays 10 images for different exposure times (34 ms, 50 ms, 100 ms, and 150 ms), and after each image, you'll be asked what was shown. The entire process takes about 8 minutes to complete.

This isn’t just a typical survey—it’s an engaging experiment where you can test your visual perception threshold, and you'll see your results immediately after finishing the test.

If you meditate regularly or have never meditated but are curious, I warmly invite you to participate. Your contribution will help further the understanding of how meditation may impact cognitive processes.

Here’s the link to the study: https://perceptionthresholdthesis.site/

Thank you so much for your time and participation!

Hello, I hope this is ok to post here. I am part of a group of researchers from the University of Westminster. We are looking to hear from UK based healthcare professionals on their opinions about yoga as a wellbeing intervention for the health and wellbeing of HCPs (no yoga knowledge or experience needed! All views welcome - positive and negative!) The survey is completely anonymous and it is hoped the results will inform ways in which to support healthcare worker wellbeing. You can participate using the following link:

https://westminsterpsych.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_834pRgH49PM8c6i

All participation is very much appreciated.

Hey everyone,

I'm curious about your experiences with retreats. Have you ever attended one? If so, I'd love to hear about it!

What kind of retreat was it? How has it impacted your life?

I'd love to hear any valuable lessons or skills you learnt from it.

Read the article here https://www.schoolofpositivetransformation.com/blog?p=can-meditation-help-with-depression-exploring-the-mind-body-connection

Hi guys,

I am currently doing a study on meditation and self-transcendent states for my research project for my bachelor's in psychology.
I am desperately looking for participants who would enjoy helping out with this research and who have experience with meditation practices!
The research will ask a few questions on your pro-sociality and a few questions on self-transcendence.
You can participate via this link: https://psychru.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_0Pw5hyW6vcNbatM

I would be extremely grateful if you could help me with my research! and if you know more people how meditate feel free to share the link with them!! <3

Read the full article here: https://www.schoolofpositivetransformation.com/blog?p=can-meditation-help-adhd-understanding-the-benefits-and-techniques

Read More Here: https://www.schoolofpositivetransformation.com/blog?p=are-meditation-and-mindfulness-the-same-thing-understanding-the-distinctions

Hello everyone! I am a master’s student looking to study the experience of meditation (compared to other experiences such as psychedelic substances, dreaming, and religious experiences) through using corpus linguistic methods. However, I am having some trouble finding an existing corpus of meditation experiences (I’m thinking of something analogous to Erowid for substance reports or dreamjournnal.net for dream reports). Does anyone know of something in existence like this?

Or, does anyone know of any academic papers/studies where open ended reports of meditation experiences were used (especially if the study is looking at the language used to describe the experience itself)?

Thanks in advance!

This is a student from India, and I have a 5 minute survey that you can fill out that might end up helping someone in need!
I really appreciate any responses. Hit me up if you wanna talk...
https://forms.gle/bzL8bs9GPzXHkBkv7

I am a beginner in meditation. Recently, during my meditation, I happen to see images that I can't explain. It didn't look like anything from the real world. But I could feel things moving fast and in regular intervals. I could feel some kind of heightened pace in the image and the images kind of had infinite nature, it's like it's a never ending image, but I can't really explain the structure of the image. I was lost in it for while. And then I suddenly opened my eyes. After I opened my eyes, I could still feel the that pace of the image all over me. Can anyone help me figure out what it was?

Feeling overwhelmed by the constant buzz of modern life? Does your mind feel like a never-ending to-do list, replaying past anxieties and projecting future worries? If you're looking for a quick escape, a moment of tranquility amidst the chaos, look no further than Buddhist meditation techniques.

Now, before you envision hours spent chanting in lotus position, fear not! Buddhist meditation offers accessible techniques for beginners, helping you calm your mind in mere minutes. These simple practices aren't about achieving some nirvana-like state, but rather cultivating awareness and finding peace in the present moment.

Here are three easy-to-learn techniques to get you started:

1. Mindfulness of Breath:

This foundational practice is as simple as focusing on your breath. Find a quiet place, sit comfortably with your back straight (but don't worry about perfect posture!), and close your eyes if that feels natural. Now, bring your attention to your breath - feel the air entering and leaving your nostrils, the rise and fall of your chest and abdomen. Don't try to control your breath, just observe it with gentle curiosity. If your mind wanders (and it will!), simply acknowledge the thought and gently guide your attention back to your breath. Start with just a few minutes and gradually increase the duration as you get comfortable.

2. Body Scan:

This technique invites you to pay attention to the physical sensations in your body, cultivating a sense of present moment awareness. Lie down comfortably, close your eyes (optional), and mentally scan your body from head to toe. Notice any sensations, big or small - warmth, tightness, tingling, anything at all. Don't judge or analyze, just observe with neutrality. As you scan, imagine gently breathing into areas of tension, releasing any discomfort with each exhale. Continue scanning until you've covered your entire body, then rest in the quiet awareness for a few moments.

3. Loving-Kindness Meditation:

This practice cultivates positive emotions towards yourself and others. Start by sitting comfortably, eyes closed (optional). Bring to mind someone you care about deeply, like a close friend or family member. Silently repeat phrases like "May you be happy, may you be healthy, may you be free from suffering." Really feel the sentiment behind the words. Then, repeat the same phrases towards yourself, sending yourself the same well wishes. Gradually expand your circle of kindness to include neutral people, acquaintances, and even those you find challenging. Remember, this is about cultivating kindness, not judgment.

Read: https://buddhanirvana.com/practical-buddhist-meditation-techniques-for-daily-use/

The difference between Biblical Meditation and Eastern Meditation- Kok Toh

I listened to this guy on YT and he claims that focused breath meditation just ends up shutting down your frontal, parietal, and temporal lobes. However, I've read in numerous places that meditation helps you stay present by retraining your awareness and focus to stay out of the default mode network and engage in life around you. That's what I've always seen as the value of meditation. Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else here has heard of the above and what your thoughts are on it?

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One of his main references is a book called Budda Pill....and he mentions a scientist named Andrew Nuba

Matthew Sacchet says, "This is the most rigorous study of advanced concentration meditation (jhana)"

PDF

(I already know everything that scientifically or obviously and directly helps to fight this condition: good sleep, nutrition, respiring vapors with expectorant, rest... pretty much, but wonder how meditation could help more).

As your sympathetic nervous system are responsible for the "flight or fight" system (and kind of "mobilize" the system to defend against exterior threats), keeping concentration on the parasympathetic should help the body concentrate its energy on producing antibody and limiting the spreading of the illness.

But what about the production of antibodies itself? I falsely believe it came from the thyroid (that I have it swelling), but in fact, it's coming from the bone marrow and the lymphoid organs, it seems (I don't study medicine, specifically). So maybe, (a big maybe), if our concentration can kind of "push" of "activating" more the production of antibodies, it would, in theory, help you fight the disease faster(?)

It is very most probably not a proven theory :), lol (but who really knows exactly?). And you know, the human knowledge in medicine is probably "pretty young", compared to what we will achieve in the far future. So, I wonder if you have any ideas about how meditation (or in the general sense, "doing more") can help fight infection.

We already scientifically know it helps PREVENT it, but directly helps fighting it, I've fought no study on this. Have you?

(Btw, I'm pretty sure anybody will raise homeopathy here... (that is obviously all placebo, very very most probably). But I always kept an eye on anything that could be logicaly possible).

Thanks!

Hi,

I would like to incorporate Vipassana meditation into my routine (involving closing the eyes and breathing normally, focusing on the natural breath and feelings, being mindful of each inhale and exhale, and observing thoughts, feelings, and sensations without reacting or judging) However, I was wondering if I could achieve a similar effect while stretching after my workouts by focusing on my body with each stretch. Or would that not work because targeting different parts of my body each time results in a different kind of stimulation compared to focusing on the breath for a continuous 20 minutes?

Thank you!