Transforming the Science of Mindfulness Through Pioneering Collaborative Research
Mindfulness is a term that refers to an increasingly popular and accessible set of mental training practices and skills that can be used to improve health, wellness, and psychological functioning in a low-cost, non-pharmacological manner. Mindfulness practices have formed a central component of Hindu and Buddhist traditions for over 2,500 years and, consequently, are a long-standing topic of scholarship within the humanities.
Strikingly, within the 21st century, secularized versions of these practices have gained widespread adoption within Western culture as well, and as a result, are becoming a focus of intense transdisciplinary research interest.
Approach
The Mindfulness Science and Practice cluster will bring together a diverse set of researchers, scholars and mindfulness practitioners that represent a wide range of Arts & Sciences departments as well as other units at the university to transform the science of mindfulness. Our team will produce innovative and pioneering collaborative research while applying a critical scholarly lens toward what has been termed the “modern mindfulness movement.”
Ambitions
The cluster will advance Arts & Sciences and university-wide strategic initiatives through a range of activities, including:
- Developing a new interdisciplinary undergraduate minor
- Expanding mindfulness programming to support campus and community needs
- Hosting high-visibility, public-facing events, including interdisciplinary seminars, lecture series and a scientific conference
- Launching the first-of-its-kind mindfulness certification program to fully incorporate DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) perspectives
Who we are:
A Community
We are a community that is both deep and wide. We welcome Wash U students, faculty and staff as well as those outside of the university interested in personal and/or professional exploration of mindfulness.
Transdisciplinary
We are transdisciplinary with members from business, cognitive science, medicine, public health, education, social work and the arts, including practitioners, teachers, scholars and researchers.
Committed
We are committed to promoting and engaging in evidence-based mindfulness research, practice, teaching and service that is rooted in the principles of equity, compassion and cultural humility.
Working Together
We are working together to integrate mindfulness into the culture of research, teaching, clinical practice and community outreach.
Community
Our community includes a transdisciplinary team of researchers across Danforth and Medical campuses, as well as outside of Wash U, with a key goal of encouraging conversations, innovation, and collaborations, both within our group, among other units and departments, and with the larger community.
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