Given the modern divide between mind and body widening since the Renaissance, the last two decades have seen a revolutionary shift in modern neuroscience towards a new paradigm of mind-brain-body integration. This 180 degree about face is historic not just because it reverses the five century old reigning paradigm of reductive dualism, but even more so because it effectively validates many of the non-dualistic, integral models and methods preserved in India’s timeless traditions of yoga and meditation. In this two session course, Dr. Joe Loizzo, a contemplative neuropsychiatrist, Indic scholar and meditation researcher at Weill Cornell, guides participants through the great scientific revolution of the twenty-first century: the rediscovery of embodied mind and the arts of mind-brain integration. Setting the stage by reviewing the modern history of the mind/body problem in the West, he surveys the last few decades of breakthroughs in research on stress, plasticity, yoga and meditation that have recently converged in the emerging multi-disciplinary paradigm of mind-brain integration. Next he leads participants in a cross-cultural exploration of the yogic neuroscience of the subtle body, and finally concludes by unpacking his own clinical research at Weill Cornell integrating Indic practices into his Compassion-Based Resilience Training for cancer survivors.
Nonduality, in its many guises, can be seen as the pinnacle of the spiritual path. This experience, however brief, can usher one into the profound depths of the mystery of consciousness. This lecture will present a brief overview of the history and philosophy of nonduality, outlining the differen...
Why and how some individuals are more resilient and others more vulnerable, is a question that has perplexed me and other scientists who study trauma and the clinicians who work with the survivors. Coincident with my acknowledgment that there were variations in responses to stressful and traumati...
Riz Virk explores the intersection of religions, consciousness, quantum physics and computer science in this talk about one of the most consequential questions of our time: Do we live inside a computer simulation? Using examples from science fiction, Virk explores how today's virtual reality coul...
