Willoughby Britton Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist, an Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University Medical School, and the Director of Brown's Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory.
Her clinical neuroscience research investigates the effects of contemplative practices on the brain and body in the treatment of mood disorders, trauma, and other emotional disturbances. She is especially interested in practice-specific effects, individual differences, and moderators of treatment outcomes.
She is probably best known for her research on adverse effects, and for creating best practices around harms monitoring and reporting.
As a clinician, she has been trained as an instructor in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), and the Somatic Experiencing (SE) approach to trauma. She now specializes in helping meditators who are experiencing meditation-related difficulties and providing meditation safety training to providers and organizations.
In this second half of their two-part conversation, Dr. Britton provides more details about the resistance she came up against in the science and meditation communities after publishing data that contradicted their narratives of meditation as an infallibly positive pursuit. Rachel provides insight into the reactive nature of those who are unable to recognize any imperfection in the spiritual practices they pursue and the cult-like devotion that follows.
Before You Go: Rachel expands on Dr. Britton's idea of "positive affect requirement" in group settings explaining why there's often more behind the smiles of devoted followers.
Watch Dr.Britton's TED talk on meditation and neuroscience here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=TR8TjCncvIw&t=0s
To learn more about Cheetah House and their work helping those experiencing meditation-related distress please visit:
www.cheetahhouse.org/
If you are a meditator who has suffered from adverse effects, you can book a consultation with the Cheetah House care team including Dr. Britton here:
www.cheetahhouse.org/care-team?gcli…8aAsZ6EALw_wcB
Find Rachel's book "Now I Know: Kids Talking To Kids About Divorce..." here:
www.amazon.com/Now-I-Know-Rachel…ein/dp/1620867893
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