The Dark Night of the Soul is a unique, scary and transformative experience

On a quest to track the history and improve the resources on the Dark Night is Nathan Fisher, PhD student at University of California Santa Barbara.

Nathan is an expert on the texts and phenomenology of these states in Abrahamic traditions and Buddhism, diving into the intricacies of how mystic traditions meet with modern day clinical practice.

Today, he outlines how these experiences occur, the potential for empirical research and the crossover of the different religious discussions - getting to grips with the complexity of the matter!

Meditation is about getting to grips with the way we construct the world.

Today we are delighted to welcome Dr Shamil Chandaria from the Centre for Eudaimonia and Human Flourishing at University of Oxford.

An expert in his field, Shamil leads us on an investigative journey into predictive processing and its implications for perception and spiritual practice.

Touching on Bayesian models, priors, dereification, Buddhist philosophies, Amor Fati and homeostatic control - our conversation today is packed with delicate and refined observations on the different ways we construct reality.

What links spirituality and psychic ability with diet?

Here to explore the topic of his pioneering PhD is Michael Daw of Northampton University.

Michael outlines a long history of the connectedness of dietary practice (veganism, vegetarianism and fasting) with spiritual tradition, from Shamanism to the Abrahamic religions.

Talking us through different types of psychic ability and the prevalence of scientific research, our conversation uncovers details about Extra Sensory Perception and spirituality - referencing quantum physics, his own empirical research and more along the way.

Let's talk about Jhāna, some of the peak experiences on the spiritual journey.

Here to lead us on a journey into these peak experiences is cognitive neuroscientist and wellbeing aficionado Jonas Mago.

Jonas is currently pursuing doctoral studies at McGill University, diving into the various cognitive mechanisms that underlie human flourishing.

He reflects on findings and anecdotes from his pioneering research: exploring Jhāna as a refined ability to ‘slip into a pocket’ of deep concentration, with huge potential for positive habit-building and self improvement!

Humans are incredibly complex. Spiritual practice is incredibly powerful. But do contemplative frameworks show how to be a human in full?

Welcome to our inaugural review of the year.

Hosts Jamie and Mark reflect on some key lessons learned from picking the brains of nearly 40 academics, scientists and spiritual teachers over the course of 2022.

Join us as they share anecdotes from their own contemplative paths, emphasise the virtue of patient practice and offer a sneak peek into what you can expect to learn from guests going into 2023.

Stay tuned!

Meditation does not always yield positive results.

Joining today to talk us through the ‘Dark Side of Meditation’ is Christine Kupfer.

Medical anthropologist and expert in Rabindranath Tagore's philosophy, Christine breaks down how meditation practice is often perceived as a cure-all for productivity, happiness, spiritual fulfilment.

In reality, people can suffer from experiences of non-shared reality: spiritual crisis.

We explore its many facets, incorporating Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and clinical perceptions to illuminate the significance of improving the literature on these experiences.

What exactly is the role of Psychedelics in the development of the world's spiritual traditions?

Joining today is researcher and co-founder of Eudelics, Dr Richard Chambers.

Richard illuminates a history of psychedelic traditions, its suppression over many years by religious groups and governments, and its potential for exploring higher consciousness in safe and mindful settings.

Touching on neuroplasticity, his particular interest in psychedelics for leadership development, and the cross-over of Hindusim and Buddhism, our discussion leaves no stone unturned!

Today’s episode is a deep dive into all things connected to non-dual awareness, led by cognitive expert Dr David Vago.

We explore flow states, brain-body environment dynamics, concentration practice, meditation, depression, compassion…

You are not your brain.

Today we are joined by Dr Jeffrey Schwartz - one of the world’s leading experts in neuroplasticity and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Jeffrey’s publications include You Are Not Your Brain and Brain Lock.

Suffering isn’t new - but mindfulness can help.

Joining to uncover the reasons and remedies for rising stress levels in young people, is Dr Eric Loucks.

Our discussion today picks apart the challenges of his research, the importance of the prefrontal cortex and why ‘meditation isn’t always for everyone’.

What are the mechanics of anxiety? How can we understand and alleviate it?

Here to share her insights on this enduring issue is Lynn Koerbel.

Author, bodywork therapist and Assistant Professor at Brown University, Lynn has dedicated herself to combating mental health issues through movement and mindfulness.

Is compassion something you can train?

Absolutely, according to today’s guest Dr Paul Condon.

Co-writer of the Sustainable Compassion Training (SCT) model along with John Makransky, it provides a system of compassion and wisdom practices to enrich compassion in our daily lives.

The ‘self’ in the Buddhist tradition is a complex and rich topic.

Walking us smoothly through potentially choppy water is Monash University's Dr Monima Chadra, a senior lecturer in Philosophy.

Monima’s research focuses on the cross-cultural philosophy of mind - and she's particularly interested in how the self overlaps with how we typically think of of self control and perception.

How can equanimity improve the human experience?

Joey’s book Why Mindfulness Is Not Enough… paints a fascinating picture in which equanimity is a bridge that moves mindfulness to compassion.

How can we effectively integrate mindfulness into education?

Monash University's very own Professor Craig Hassed is an author and internationally renowned mindfulness expert.

Hosts Jamie Slevin and Dr Mark Miller reflect on the lessons of the podcast so far. Mixing their own experiences with the key themes of the Contemplative Science Podcast, Mark and Jamie share their thoughts on what we've covered so far.

Recently co-founding the European Institute for Global Well-being, her research develops and applies frameworks on the nature of cognition.

We dive into the free energy principle, the relationship of digitisation and wellbeing, and why ‘cognition is everything that we do’!

Change is a hugely challenging part of the human experience. Today, we're joined by author, Buddhist teacher and former nun Kaira Jewel Lingo.

Sharing philosophies and learnings to help us deal with change, Kaira walks us through the role equanimity and impermanence in dealing with change.

What is the ideal dose of mindfulness? Like with any medicine, dose is a complex topic.

Does bigger dose equal bigger benefit? How do we measure such subjective outcomes?

What do we mean when we talk about guidance?

We welcome scholar and researcher Dr Michael Lifshitz to break down his work in the field.

Michael is interested in practices that aim to transform our subjective experience, whether meditation, hypnosis, placebo, prayer, psychedelics… the list goes on.