Exploring the Neuroscience of Mindfulness and Well-being

Speaker: Lesley Schimanski (Ph.D., Department of Psychology)

Join us to learn about experience-dependent changes in brain function that can influence well-being without medications or biomedical devices.

In this session we will explore how to increase well-being by engaging in mental activity that can cause long-lasting changes in your brain! We will explore how brain wave recordings can monitor the effects of mindfulness practices on mental state, including a live demonstration. Reading brainwaves can provide feedback to help a person modify their immediate state of consciousness. Neuroscience research also shows that long-term spiritual practice corresponds with long lasting and measurable changes in brain characteristics, supporting the idea that such practice can enhance overall well-being. Prayer and meditation influence areas of the brain involved in cognitive control, emotional regulation, and attentional networks. Neuroscience research demonstrates there are changes in brain activity, connectivity, and neurochemistry following spiritual practices. The neuroscience of spirituality can inform the development of evidence-based techniques to improve well-being and mental health.

This talk will be in-person and virtual. In-person space is limited, please register below.

About Lesley

Lesley (PhD) is a professor in the Psychology Department and specializes in neuroscience and cognition. She became inspired to study neuroscience when she first learned in high school that personal experiences can cause changes in the biology and physical connections within the brain. Since then, her scholarship has focused on topics including learning and memory, neurophysiology, the aging brain, and animal behaviour. She also enjoys teaching classes in research methods, statistics, and neuropsychology.

Lesley lives in nature in Roberts Creek on the unceded territories of the shíshálh (Sechelt) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) nations with her human and canine family members, and is a student of meditative practices. She aspires to bring her interests in meditation and mindfulness together with her expertise in brain function to enhance well-being.

If you require accessibility accommodations, please email outreach@gibsonslibrary.ca.

Zoom info:

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83512648168

Meeting ID: 835 1264 8168