NEW YORK PSYCHOANALYTIC SOCIETY & INSTITUTE:
Arnold Pfeffer Center for Neuropsychoanalysis
Marianne and Nicholas Young Auditorium
247 East 82nd St., between 2nd & 3rd, NY, NY 10028
212-879-6900
www.psychoanalysis.org
www.nypsi.org
Saturday, April 6, 2013, 10 am – 12 pm, Zoran Josipovic, Ph.D., NYU
Finding Nonduality: Meditation in Light of Neuroscience & Modern Psychology
Discussant: Maggie Zellner, Ph.D.
RSVP at www.nypsi.org under Events and Lectures
Human experiences can be broadly divided into those that are external and related to interaction with the environment, and experiences that are internal and self-related. The cerebral cortex likewise appears to be divided into two corresponding systems: an “extrinsic” system composed of brain areas that respond more to external stimuli and tasks and an “intrinsic” system composed of brain areas that respond less to external stimuli and tasks. These two broad brain systems seem to compete with each other, such that their activity levels over time is usually anti-correlated, even when subjects are “at rest” and not performing any task.
Asian contemplative philosophies, going back to at least fourth century CE, and perhaps much earlier, have described the structuring of human experience along the subject- object dichotomy, accompanied by a competition between internally and externally related mental processes. According to this idea, it might be possible to use meditation to voluntarily alter this fragmentation. Our results suggest that practicing different forms of meditation can alter the anti-correlation between these networks and that their relationship can be modulated in either direction through the choice of a cognitive strategy. The results support the intuitive, but speculative, idea that the typical anti- correlation between the extrinsic and intrinsic systems might reflect the duality of external and internal experiences, and that nondual awareness meditation enables an atypical state of mind in which extrinsic and intrinsic experiences are increasingly synergistic rather than competing.
Dr. Zoran is the director of Contemplative Science Lab and an adjunct assistant professor for cognitive and affective neuroscience at the Psychology Dept., New York University. He is also the founding director of Nonduality Institute, where he teaches a nondual approach to meditation, and a founding member of Margam: Metro-area Group on Awareness and Meditation, a venue for researchers in the field of contemplative neuroscience. In his previous life he worked as a clinical psychotherapist and a bodyworker. http://www.psych.nyu.edu/josipovic/
Students, academics and clinical professionals in the analytic community are encouraged to attend. Members of the public are also welcome.
Educational Objectives: After attending, participants will be able to
identify the neural substrates involved in representing environment-related and self-related experiences.
acquire knowledge of the relationship of extrinsic and intrinsic networks in the brain.
learn contemplative views on human suffering and how they relate to modern psychology.
Information regarding CME credit for psychiatrists:
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education through the joint sponsorship of the American Psychoanalytic Association and the New York Psychoanalytic Society and Institute. The American Psychoanalytic Association is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The American Psychoanalytic Association designates this Live Activity for a maximum of [2] AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE INFORMATION FOR ALL LEARNERS: None of the planners and presenters of this CME program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Information regarding CE credit for psychologists:
The New York Psychoanalytic Society & Institute is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education programs for psychologists. NYPSI maintains responsibility for this program and its content. APA-approved CE credits are granted to participants with documented attendance and completed evaluation forms. Upon receipt of the completed evaluation form, attendees will receive a PDF via email documenting CE credits.
Persons with disabilities: This building is wheelchair accessible.
IMPORTANT DISCLOSURE: None of the planners and presenters of this CE program have any relevant financial relationships to disclose.
For information about NYPSI training programs please visit us at www.psychoanalysis.org or www.nypsi.org
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