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psychology conferences

A Day on Neuroscience

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Dr Tamara Russell, PhD

The Neuroscience of Near Death Experiences

Dr Tamara Russell, PhD
Professor Oliver Turnbull, PhD

The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

Professor Oliver Turnbull, PhD
Professor Sophie Scott, PhD

The Neuroscience of Laughter

Professor Sophie Scott, PhD
A Day on Neuroscience

Explore the mysterious inner workings of the human mind in this series of talks from leading neuroscientists and university professors.

Right now, tens of billions of neurons are working together in your brain so you can read these words.

How does this happen?

For the longest time, the brain was life’s greatest mystery; something we never thought we’d understand.

Now, recent developments in neuroscience are beginning to shed some light into the mysterious inner workings of this incredible organ, and the findings are nothing less than astounding.

Content

In this series of talks, three of the UK’s leading neuroscientists will explore:

  • The Neuroscience of Near Death Experiences; what happens in the brain during a near death experience?
  • The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy; can psychotherapy re-shape and re-wire the human mind, and create lasting changes?
  • The Neuroscience of Laughter; what is the brain basis of laughter, and why did it evolve in humans?

You’ll learn how these insights can deepen your self-awareness, and enhance your experience of everyday life.

Event Schedule:

  • 10:00am – 12:00pm: The Neuroscience of Near Death Experiences – Dr Tamara Russell, PhD
  • 12:00 – 1:00pm: Lunch break
  • 1:00pm – 3:00pm: The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy – Professor Oliver Turnbull, PhD
  • 3:00pm – 3:15pm: Afternoon break
  • 3:15pm – 5:00pm: The Neuroscience of Laughter – Professor Sophie Scott, PhD
  • 5:20pm – 7:00pm: Attendee Social & Networking (Optional)

Lectures & Speakers

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The Neuroscience of Near Death Experiences

Join neuroscientist and clinical psychologist Dr. Tamara Russell as she dives into this dense topic in a fun and interactive talk. Discover the phenomena of near-death experiences and how this research area continues to develop as more and more individuals share their observations following contact with “temporary” death. Learn about the neuroscientific attempts to understand these shifts in consciousness and the debates arising about what is considered “data” on this topic. Are near death experiences a paradigm-shifting challenge to the materialist position of “mind equals brain”, or just images and impressions that represent the last gasp of the dying brain as consciousness ebbs and flows?

Adopting a mindful and compassionate lens of investigation, Tamara will present both positions and offer a route to accommodating diversity of thinking that evolves the standard (predominantly western) bio-medical model. This vantage point allows us to stay curious, consider more culturally diverse opinions and hold an awareness of multiple models so we can extract the best of all positions. What can emerge if we can hold such a position of “not knowing” and willingness to be “wrong” or let go of the brain-dependent view of consciousness? At the heart of the matter, the phenomenology of the lived experience is our primary source of data, so what is a skillful way to understand these (often transformative) experiences in a way that can benefit humanity? Are you ready? Let’s dive in ….

Dr Tamara Russell, PhD
Dr Tamara Russell, PhD

The Neuroscience of Near Death Experiences

Dr. Tamara Russell is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist who works with individuals and organisations advising on how to use mindfulness techniques to optimise performance and improve mental and physical well-being. She is the Director of the Mindfulness Centre of Excellence, London, which has as its aim the evaluation of creative yet authentic mindfulness applications for all spheres of life.

Combining her clinical, neuroscience and martial arts training, Dr. Russell’s approach engages both body and mind, for a total solution to manage the stressors of our modern working environment.

She specialises in delivering mindfulness training in the health sector, running introductory workshops for mental health workers and other health professionals. She is also the co-founder of ‘The Death Incubator‘ – an immersive and interactive learning experience which aims to improve individuals’ understanding of how to relate to end of life experiences.

Reading Recommendations:

  • The International Association for Near Death Studies
  • What is a Near Death Experience? Dr Penny Sartori
  • Neuroscience explanation of near-death experiences defies neuroscience
  • What is consciousness? (A series)
  • van Lommel P, van Wees R, Meyers V, Elfferich I (2001) Near-death experience in survivors of cardiac arrest: a prospective study in the Netherlands. Lancet. 2001; 358: 2039-2045
  • Monika Renz (2015) Dying: A Transition. Columbia University Press.
  • Fenwick, P & Fenwick E (2008) The Art of Dying. Bloomsbury.
  • Wallace, B. A. (2012) Meditation of a Buddhist Skeptic: A manifesto for the Mind Sciences and Contemplative Practice. Columbia University Press

The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

This lecture surveys the parts of the brain-mind that are at the heart of psychotherapy. It begins with a brief survey of the basic emotion systems, including their anatomy and chemistry. Examples include the separation between ‘wanting’ and ‘liking’, a distinction which can be very helpful clinically. This literature also suggests that these emotion systems are ‘ancient’ (in evolutionary terms), that they are based on a wide range of subcortical brain regions, and that they appear to be evolutionarily conserved – certainly across mammals (and probably other vertebrate species). The literature also suggests the role of these emotion systems in recreational drug use, and in the pharmacotherapies that are at the heart of organic psychiatry.

These findings therefore bring together several elements of the neuroscience of mental health, in a way which is scientifically very satisfying, and suggests genuine progress in the field.

Finally, the lecture focuses on the neuropsychology of emotion regulation, showing which brain areas are responsible for skills that underpin psychotherapy. This includes key therapeutic abilities such as reappraisal and response modulation, and also the role of emotion in decision-making and delusional beliefs. Notably, these findings allow us to investigate the way that therapeutic experience and outcome are altered (or not) after brain injury, suggesting that a genuine ‘neuroscience of psychotherapy’ is within our grasp: an inter-discipline which has important clinical implications for how we design and implement treatment. If this injury was caused by neglegance, then the patient should receive compensation and might want to learn more from a personal injury lawyer. This compensation can help cover the cost of this therapeutic treatment. This is important too, your brain is your most important part of your body because that is what makes you, you. You can’t let anyone damage it, and if they do, you have to get justice. We are very lucky we have lawyers that specialise in this area, such as a Texas brain injury lawyer, because it is such a serious case. The brain will forever be the most special and most studied function in the history of life forms!

Professor Oliver Turnbull, PhD
Professor Oliver Turnbull, PhD

The Neuroscience of Psychotherapy

Professor Turnbull is a neuropsychologist, with an interest in emotion and its many consequences for mental life. He is also a clinician, whose work is with patients with neurological lesions, especially those who have suffered cerebro-vascular accident (stroke) and traumatic brain injury.

He is the author of roughly 150 publications on these topics, and (together with Mark Solms) is the co-author of the popular science book ‘The Brain and the Inner World’, which has been translated into 11 languages. For many years, he was the Editor of the interdisciplinary journal Neuropsychoanalysis, and Secretary of the International Neuropsychoanalysis Society.

Reading Recommendations:

  • The Brain and The Inner World – Mark Solms & Oliver Turnbull
  • Clinical studies in Neuropsychoanalysis – Karen Kaplan-Solms
  • The Feeling Brain – Mark Solms
  • Affective Neuroscience – Jaak Panksepp

The Neuroscience of Laughter

Why do we laugh? Is it really all about comedy and humour? Can we ever take laughter seriously? In this talk, Professor Sophie Scott will explore the evolutionary roles of laughter and explore its use by mammals.

The lecture will establish the complex ways that humans use laughter, from social bonding to jokes, address how we learn to laugh, and how our understanding of laughter changes as we age.

Professor Scott will then go on to discuss individual differences in laughter and what this may mean, explore the brain basis of laughter, and look at laughter as a communicative behaviour. Finally, the talk will establish the ways that laughter can be used, jointly, to regulate stressful situations, and the kinds of relationships where this use of laughter may be possible.

Professor Sophie Scott, PhD
Professor Sophie Scott, PhD

The Neuroscience of Laughter

Professor Sophie Scott is a British neuroscientist, Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow at University College London, and a pioneering researcher in the science of laughter. She was the recipient of a Provost’s Award for Public Engagement in 2012, and her 2015 TED talk: ‘Why we Laugh’ has been viewed more than 3 million times.

Professor Scott’s research investigates the cognitive neuroscience of voices, speech and laughter – particularly speech perception, speech production, vocal emotions and human communication. As deputy director of the University College London’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, Sophie seeks out the neurological basis of communication, whether it’s speech or vocalized emotion. In her spare time, she is a stand up comedian with UCL’s bright club.

Reading Recommendations:

  • Laughter: The Ordinary and the Extraordinary
  • Who’s laughing now? The science behind the UN’s reaction to Trump
  • That joke isn’t funny anymore

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attendee testimonals

What TWU students are saying

The Weekend University is amazing! They recently hosted the Holistic Change Summit where such great minds were brought together to discuss a wide variety of topics relevant to change, growth and living a meaningful life. The facilitator, Niall, asked excellent questions which really gave the speaker the chance to discuss ideas that many of us wonder about. It was brilliant and I loved it.
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Extremely stimulating events! It brings together great professionals who share their experience in their respective fields to pass their knowledge in a way accessible to the general public and other professionals alike. It is a great way to bring motivated people in the same place! Also, Niall is extremely thoughtful, considerate and driven person. His personal approach and professionalism in making those events happen does not go unnoticed!
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This event is nourishment for my mind! The kind of subjects usually reserved for academics is now open to us all and the information is delivered in a way that anyone can understand. The audience was filled with interesting people, hungry to learn and engage in fascinating conversations. We had all day to connect, to learn and to share. Just like a delicious cool drink on a very hot day, my mind felt quenched! Thank you, Niall, for creating this. I will be back!
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Date and time

30/06/2019

09:30 – 17:00 BST

Location

Birkbeck, University of London, Malet Street, Bloomsbury, London, WC1E 7HX

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