Mind & Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

The Mind & Life Institute is an initiative that aims to alleviate suffering and promote human flourishing. They aim to bring together scientists, contemplatives and scholars to deepen our understanding of the causes of suffering.

Part of their strategy is to hold dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. This years dialogue focused on craving, desire and addiction. A group of scholars from the fields of neuroscience, Buddhism, Christianity, psychology, psychiatry and the social sciences gathered at Dharamsala to share their ideas and gain a deeper understanding of addiction.

The speakers were: Marc Lewis, Kent Berridge, Thupten Jinpa, Nora Volkow, Vibeke Asmussen Frank, Matthieu Ricard, Wendy Farley and Sarah Bowen. Brief biographies and their topics, as well as the program, can be downloaded here.

I have watched each of the talks and summarised them. None of this is my original work, but rather was done so that I can have a reference for myself, and I have made this available to you simply to help you choose which talks you may wish to watch in full and for academic purposes. All the videos are available in their entirety here. My summaries can be seen by clicking on the days below:

Day One
Marc Lewis - Craving, Dopamine and the Cycle of Addictive Behaviour 

Day Two
Kent Berridge - Brain Generators of Intense Wanting and Liking

Thupten Jinpa - Psychology of Desire: A Buddhist Perspective

 

Day Three
Nora Volkow -The Role of Dopamine in the Addicted Human Brain  

Vibeke Asmussen Frank - Beyond the Individual: The Role of Society and Culture in Addiction.

Day Four
Matthieu Ricard - From Craving to Freedom and Flourishing: Buddhist Perspectives on Desire 

Wendy Farley  - Contemplative Christianity, Desire and Addiction.  

Day Five
Sarah Bowen - Application of Contemplative Practices in Treatment of Addiction 

Day 5 - Mind and Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

You can view the videos here.

The point of this summary is not to replace the complete video and nor is it fully comprehensive, but rather the intention is to give a brief overview of proceedings so as to assist the reader in determining which sessions they would like to watch in full. 

Day Five of Mind and Life XXVII - Sarah Bowen discusses the Application of Contemplative Practices in Treatment of Addiction

Day 4 - Mind and Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

Dr Matthieu Ricard

Dr Wendy Farley

You can view the videos here.

The point of this summary is not to replace the complete video and nor is it fully comprehensive, but rather the intention is to give a brief overview of proceedings so as to assist the reader in determining which sessions they would like to watch in full. 

Day Four of Mind and Life XXVII - Matthieu Ricard discusses From Craving to Freedom and Flourishing: Buddhist Perspectives on Desire and Dr Wendy Farley talks about Contemplative Christianity, Desire and Addiction.

Day 3 - Mind and Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

Dr Nora Volkow

Dr Vibeke Amussen Frank

You can view the videos here.

The point of this summary is not to replace the complete video and nor is it fully comprehensive, but rather the intention is to give a brief overview of proceedings so as to assist the reader in determining which sessions they would like to watch in full. 

The third day of Mind & Life XXVII - Dr Laura Volkow talks about The Role of Dopamine in the Addicted Human Brain and Dr Vibeke Amussen Frank follows with Beyond the Individual: The Role of Society and Culture in Addiction.

Day 2 - Mind and Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

Dr Kent Berridge

Dr Thupten Jinpa

You can view the videos here.

The point of this summary is not to replace the complete video and nor is it fully comprehensive, but rather the intention is to give a brief overview of proceedings so as to assist the reader in determining which sessions they would like to watch in full.

The second  day of Mind & Life XXVII - Kent Berridge talks about Brain Generators of Intense Wanting and Liking followed by Thupten Jinpa presenting Psychology of Desire: A Buddhist Perspective.

The day got off to a light-hearted start with Dr Richard Davidson putting single marshmallows in front of the delegates, offering them two if they could resist. This was in response to the discussions about delay discounting and restraint on day one. His Holiness (HH) wanted to know if he could get three if he waited 15 minutes!

Day 1 - Mind & Life XXVII - Craving, Desire and Addiction

Dr Marc Lewis

Dr Richard Davidson

You can view the videos on HERE.

The point of this summary is not to replace the complete video and nor is it fully comprehensive, but rather the intention is to give a brief overview of proceedings so as to assist the reader in determining which sessions they would like to watch in full.

I would also strongly recommend visiting Marc's blog where he will be offering his first-hand insights into the experience.

The first day of the XXVII Mind & Life gathering includes an introduction and establishment of context by Arthur Zajonic, Diana Chapman Walsh and Richard Davidson. In the afternoon session Dr Marc Lewis, author of Memoirs of an Addicted Brain, spoke about Craving, Dopamine and the Cycle of Addictive behaviour.

October 2013 Newsletter

It's almost the end of the year. In our setting, because we are moving into summer and festivities, this usually sees a drop in those seeking help for their substance use issues, but often their is a brief spike shortly after new year as resolutions are made and the after-effects of the partying are felt! I recently attended the Dan Siegel Interpersonal Neurobiology workshop that was held in Cape Town, hence the photo. In this month's edition of Addiction Information we hope to spark some thought around some controversial topics, but one topic that should become less controversial is that of opioid substitution therapy, for which their seems to be mounting evidence as a stand-alone treatment modality.

We look at: An opioid addiction switch, Behavioural Interventions and Buprenorphine Maintenance, Chronic Care, Remission Rates, Choice and Will Power, Dr Dan Siegel and the Mind & Life Conference.