Contemplative Science Blog

Really nice little Contemplative Science blog on Scoop.it!  The format makes it easy to scan through a bunch of articles and ideas quickly.

Psychedelic Science Conference 2013

I'm not really up on conferences and so forth, but the Psychedelic Science Conference 2013 popped up in my standard search string, and it looks like a really great selection of topics.  Does my heart good to know that all this is going on, and the whole field seems to be taking off.  Lots of good research coming up.

Cognitive-Based Compassion Training (CBCT)

Cognitive-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) seems to be a secularized version of Buddhist Loving-Kindness or Metta meditation, much in the way Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a secularized version of, um, more general Buddhist meditation.  Recent research indicates this type of training seems to enhance empathy.  fMRI studies confirmed a plausible neurological basis for changes in measures on a standard empathy test.

Another study compared these two types of meditation (well, not MBSR, but something similar) and the effect on the amygdala.  To be honest, not sure I completely understand the implications, but it's interesting :)

Motivation to Meditate

The newly launched Medivate site and the Medivate Blog seek to help you stayed motivated to meditate.  A recent blog post highlights a half dozen or so pieces of clinical research document positive health benefits.  And there's an app.