Mindfulness: does it really help people thrive?

Public interest in mindfulness has increased exponentially in the past few decades, fuelled by claims that it can change the function of the brain and have a positive impact on wellbeing. Despite its spiritual origins, it is being integrated into therapy for patients with mental and physical health issues, and taught as a preventive tool to the most diverse groups. Some studies report glowing results, but is this the whole picture? Should we all be practising mindfulness? How do we know what a healthy 'dose' of mindfulness is? How should we be practising it? This event will orientate the audience to the practice, discuss the scientific evidence available, and explore its most critical issues.
Dr Julieta Galante began research into mindfulness at the University of Cambridge, conducting a trial which found mindfulness to be beneficial for student mental health. She is now the Deputy Director of the Contemplative Studies Centre at the University of Melbourne. Her recent research is focused on confirming beneficial effects using stringent study designs, and exploring the limits of what mindfulness can do for people. This event will include a presentation of her research, and some short mindfulness exercises led by Dr Jasmine Childs-Fegredo, counselling psychologist and mindfulness researcher at York St John University.

Dr Julieta Galante
Julieta Galante is Deputy Director of the Contemplative Studies Centre at the University of Melbourne, Australia, and Visiting Senior Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge. With a background in public mental health medicine, her main focus has been to study the potential of meditation practices for mental health promotion, particularly those techniques used in contemporary secular settings. The practices she has studied the most are mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation, and their impact on psychological and social outcomes. She is a passionate advocate of interdisciplinary work, improving research quality and transparency, and involving communities.

Please note that optional mindfulness exercises will be offered at the beginning and end of the seminar

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