Webinars

Chronic pain and opioid misuse remain among the most pressing public health challenges of our time, requiring innovative, evidence-based interventions grounded in translational neuroscience. This ISCR webinar brings together two leading researchers whose work examines the neural and physiological mechanisms underlying contemplative and psychedelic-based approaches to pain modulation and addiction treatment. Dr. Eric Garland will present findings from multiple randomized clinical trials examining Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE)—alone and in combination with ketamine—to address chronic pain, opioid misuse, and opioid use disorder (OUD). Dr. Garland will describe how MORE engages neurophysiological mechanisms to regulate and restructure reward processing and the sense of self, offering novel treatment targets for addiction recovery rooted in contemplative science. Dr. Fadel Zeidan will share new findings identifying endogenous and neural mechanisms supporting the direct modulation of evoked chronic low back pain by mindfulness meditation as compared to a sham-mindfulness meditation intervention. Dr. Zeidan will also present new findings from the first randomized pilot clinical trial assessing the effects and neural mechanisms by psilocybin as compared to placebo in patients living with treatment resistant phantom limb pain.

This webinar will be of particular interest to clinicians, neuroscientists, mental health professionals, and contemplative researchers focused on non-pharmacological and neurophenomenological approaches to pain and addiction. Join us in discussion to explore emerging, mechanism-driven interventions—rooted in mindfulness and psychedelic science—that are reshaping how we understand and treat pain and addiction through self-regulatory and neuroplastic processes.

Contemplative practices have inspired profound scientific inquiry into the mechanisms of the mind, but understanding them fully requires more than just translation or analysis of Buddhist texts.

This webinar brings together critical humanistic insights into the use of Buddhist texts and cultural contexts in contemplative science. The webinar will explore the pitfalls of relying too heavily on traditional texts, uncover the hidden assumptions within Buddhist terminology, and discuss the limitations of purely neurobiological models of meditation.

By integrating perspectives on textual caution and cultural context, this session aims to provide researchers and scholars interested in contemplative research with tools to navigate the complexity of contemplative traditions while preserving their depth and transformative potential.