Investigating the Mind 2005 is an exciting conference scheduled for November in DC, the theme being “The Science and Clinical Applications of Meditation.” It is sponsored by the Mind & Life Institute, founded by the Dalai Lama and a neuroscientist to “create a rigorous dialogue and research collaboration between modern science, and Buddhism,” and co-sponsored by the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and Georgetown University Medical Center.

This is the 13th conference. The 12th was held last year in Dharamsala, India, under the theme “Neuroplasticity: the Neural Substrates of Learning and Transformation.” The 11th conference , which was the first open to the public, was held in conjunction with the MIT McGovern Institute of Brain Research.

From the announcement:

Recent studies are showing that meditation can result in stable brain patterns and changes over both short and long-term intervals that have not been seen before in human beings and that suggest the potential for the systematic driving of positive neuroplastic changes via such intentional practices cultivated over time. These investigations may offer opportunities for understanding the basic unifying mechanisms of the brain, mind and body that underlie awareness and our capacity for effective adaptation to stressful and uncertain conditions.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 5th, 2005 at 10:18 and is filed under neurotheology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.