Inside Contemplative Research:
The ISCR Podcast
Conversations at the Edge of Meditation, Mind & Science
Join leading scientists, scholars, clinicians, and contemplative practitioners for engaging conversations on how meditation, mindfulness, and contemplative practices shape the mind, brain, body. Each episode offers a fresh look at how we can cultivate health and well-being for all—from individual transformation to organizational change to broad-scale community and societal impacts. Inside Contemplative Research is the official podcast of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR), offering an accessible window into the latest discoveries at the intersection of ancient wisdom and modern science.
Author/Host
Michael Juberg is an American academic, registered therapist, and scientific journalist whose work focuses on mindfulness-based interventions, self-compassion, empathy, and psychedelic medicine. He is the founder of Science of Mindfulness and hosts podcasts for the International Society for Contemplative Research and Global Compassion Coalition.
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Episode 6 - Unlocking the Mind: Tibetan Buddhism and Modern Science
Dr. Chiara Mascarello, a researcher at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, Italy. She was the co-director and now a scientific consultant to the Italian Buddhist Union’s Research Center. Since 2024, she has been a founding and committee member of the Contemplative Education Network, which is dedicated to advancing research in the field of contemplative education. Her interests revolve around the possibilities of dialogue between contemplative traditions and current studies on consciousness, as well as the application of meditation in contemporary societies.
Episode 5 - The Future of Yoga in Medicine: Insights from Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa
Dr. Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, Corresponding Member of the Faculty of Medicine and Kundalini Yoga teacher, explores the science, history, and clinical application of yoga and meditation. He discusses how the four components of yoga influence mental health, contemplative practice and physical well-being, mindfulness, energy, mystical states, and how yoga teachers can use research to improve their ability to help people. Dr. Khalsa overviews the modern healthcare culture and contrasts it with a vision of lifestyle based preventative medicine.
Episode 4 - The Impact Skills Revolution: How Mindfulness Enhances Organizational Performance with Michael Coplen
Michael Coplen, the President and Founder of TrueSafety Evaluation, discusses how he uses organizational psychology frameworks to integrate business management with contemplative practices to promote workplace safety, mental health, and wellness. His interests are situated at the converging research areas of mindfulness, positive psychology, and emotional intelligence, and how innovations from these research domains might help improve transportation safety.
Episode 3 - Broadening Contemplative Science: Traditional Meditation Practices and Modern Psychology with Dr Jacob Lindsley
Dr Jacob Lindsley, a recently graduated doctoral student of psychology at Oregon State University, discusses his research on social-cognitive mechanisms of change in meditation practices and how meditation may impact people’s social attributions, altruistic feelings, and self-concepts. He discusses the nuances of meditation practices, the challenges of translating traditional concepts into scientific frameworks, and innovative approaches to making contemplative practices accessible and tailored to individual needs.
Episode 2 - Jainism and Mindfulness: Unlocking the Mysteries of Grief, Mindfulness, and Religious Tradition with Dr Anne Vallely
Dr Anne Vallely, an Associate Professor at the University of Ottawa discusses her works within the field of the anthropology of religion with a focus on South Asian religions, with a focus on Jainism. Her research interests intersect topics such ecology, animals, gender, psychedelics, and contemplative studies. She looks at the aesthetics of religious experience and phenomenology.
Episode 1 - Beyond Decomposition: Mysticism and Insight in to Death with Dr Tawni Tidwell
Dr Tawni Tidwell, a Research Assistant Professor at the Center for Healthy Minds, at the University of Wisconsin at Madison shares her experience as a biocultural anthropologist and Tibetan medical doctor. Her research focuses on the intersection of Western scientific tradition and the Tibetan medical tradition. Tawni investigates the mind-body relationship through biocultural and Tibetan medical paradigms for well-being. She examines both the markers and practices of flourishing, as well as processes of dying mindfully.