Out of the Box: Mindfulness and the Science of Meditation
VIEW EVENT DETAILSEvening presentation by Professor Mark Williams, Director, Oxford Mindfulness Centre, University of Oxford
Drinks reception at 6:30 pm
Presentation at 7:00 pm
Close at 8:00 pm
The benefits of mindfulness in preventing serious depression and emotional distress have been proven by clinical trials. Mindfulness — a simple form of meditation central to Buddhist tradition — also works for people struggling to keep up with the constant demands of the modern world. Studies have shown that by investing a few minutes each day, anyone can learn the techniques of mental training and incorporate it into daily life to help break the cycle of anxiety, depression and exhaustion and enhance human potential. With new brain imaging techniques, scientists can also see the changes that have taken place in the brains of people who learn to meditate. These changes help scientists understand the physical and psychological mechanisms that make mindfulness effective and to develop effective interventions to help people suffering mental distress.
What are the latest discoveries in neuroscience that can help us understand the brain, consciousness, memory and attention? What practical advice is there on detecting and coping with stress? What is "mindfulness," why is it important and how does one practice it?
Mark Williams is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Oxford. His life’s work has been research on how and why people respond differently to stress and failure: some by trying harder, others by giving up. He is particularly interested in understanding how best to build resilience and mental fitness in order to prevent exhaustion, burn-out and depression. Professor Williams is also Director of the University’s Oxford Mindfulness Centre that works to prevent depression and enhance human potential through the therapeutic use of mindfulness. He is author of many research articles and books, including The Mindful Way through Depression: Freeing Yourself from Chronic Unhappiness and Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. Professor Williams has held posts at the Medical Research Council’s Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit at Cambridge and the University of Wales, Bangor. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and Fellow of the British Academy.
Presented with the University of Oxford