Episode 05: Mysticism and Modern Healthcare
Episode 5 of The Contemplative Science Podcast saw medical physician, author and meditation master Dr Daniel Ingram come on to the podcast to talk about the work of the Emergent Phenomenology Research Consortium (The EPRC).
For the full podcast, check out the episode here:
In this episode, we cover...
The different forms of emergent phenomena.
The ways in which the EPRC seek to redefine healthcare.
The depth of the challenges they face in achieving this goal.
Daniel Ingram is a renowned expert in the world of meditation. He is the author of a number of books, including Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha, and the founder of meditation social network group, Dharma Overground. The work of The EPRC, aims to bring together clinical, scientific and spiritual paradigms, to improve clinical outcomes.
Here are some of the key insights from the conversation...
The contemplative science sector can sometimes be clouded by biases, schools of opinion and intellectual disputes.
“And so that’s why we need lots of scientists who are willing to put aside their own biases. Because all of us are coming to this from our own traditions and experiences - can we just put those aside and actually do really good science? I would prefer that we have science do what it was designed to do, which was to answer questions in a straightforward, equanimous way.”
Clinicians with a more rounded understanding of a patient’s religion, preference or background may lead to more satisfactory results for the patient.
”The aim is to get these into protocols, where clinicians can go, “OK. You fit this pattern. We know from data that this strategy adds value to care.” And it can just be one more of those things, where maybe we don’t understand entirely what it is, but I think we can help you.”
These practices may be difficult to begin with, but long-term benefits could outweigh these concerns.
“This is something the clinical mainstream can understand at certain levels - say for example, surgery. Come in with an appendicitis, might hurt - you get a surgery, it might hurt worse - and then... you might do better.”
