The Neuroscience of Contemplative Practice in Psychotherapy

Description

Contemplative practices such as mindfulness, compassion meditation, breath awareness, yoga nidra, and embodied presence are increasingly used in psychotherapy to support emotional regulation, attentional flexibility, and self-awareness. Dr. Sally Nazari will review current neuroscience related to contemplative practice, including its relevance to stress physiology, emotion regulation, interoception, and therapeutic presence. Participants will explore how contemplative practices can be ethically and clinically integrated into psychotherapy while remaining responsive to client culture, trauma history, readiness, and individual meaning systems. The presentation will also address clinical cautions, including spiritual bypassing, dissociation, overactivation, and the importance of pacing practices according to nervous system capacity. Through research-informed discussion and applied examples, clinicians will learn practical ways to use contemplative approaches to support psychological flexibility, embodied regulation, and whole-person care.

Continuing Education Information

1 CE Credit, Instructional Level: Intermediate

1 Contact Hour (New York Board of Psychology)

Disclosures: Presenter has no conflicts of interest to disclose. Generative AI/AI-assisted tools were used only for minor editing and formatting support. The presenter is solely responsible for the content and final presentation materials..

Learning Objectives:

1. Describe key neuroscientific mechanisms associated with contemplative practice, including attention regulation, emotion regulation, interoception, and stress-response modulation.
2. Identify clinical indications and contraindications for integrating contemplative practices into psychotherapy, particularly with clients who have trauma histories, dissociative tendencies, anxiety, or spiritual distress.
3. Apply ethically grounded, culturally responsive strategies for incorporating contemplative practices into psychotherapy while maintaining appropriate clinical pacing, consent, and scope of practice.

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CE Disclaimers

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The National Register maintains responsibility for this program and its content.

The National Register of Health Service Psychologists is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0010

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