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In the second presentation of this series on neuroscience and contemplative practices, Dr. Kenneth Pugh will focus primarily on current research on the role of meditation techniques in the control and reduction of anxiety and related states.

There have been rapid advances in the understanding of the human mind, particularly the neurocognitive foundations of perception, thought and action, allowing individuals to make more sense of the world around them (and their place in it).

This process benefits from progress in two areas: 1) An ever-increasing understanding of critical gene-brain-environmental relationships in socio-emotional and cognitive development, from within the broad disciplines of neuroscience, and 2) a rediscovery of older mental, ethical and spiritual contemplative practices. It has been found that these can transform thinking, affect and motivation in ways that promote cognitive and attentional abilities and the cultivation of insight, resulting in better mental health.

Dr. Kenneth Pugh is the President and Director of Research at Haskins Laboratories, a Yale University and University of Connecticut affiliated inter-disciplinary institute, dedicated to the investigation of the biological bases of language. In 2017, Dr. Pugh received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) MERIT Award from the National Child Health and Human Development Council. Before his academic career began, Dr. Pugh completed seven years of training as a Jain monastic with Gurudev Chitrabhanu. This early immersion in meditation practices and in the formal study of Jain philosophy helped to shape his approach to questions on neuroscience and meditation.