Telluride Library: Psychology of Meditation

16 Oct Telluride Library: Psychology of Meditation

The Psychology of Meditation at Wilkinson Public Library, Monday, October 20, 6:00 – 8 p.m.

The introductory lecture and discussion by Telluride resident Dr. Jonathan Barfield provides an experiential, scientific and psychological examination of the process of meditation.

“I will draw from ancient treatises on meditation, along with discoveries in modern neuroscience, biology, and psychology. Special consideration will be given to the relationship of concentration and insight, mending ‘attention deficits,’ the significance of meditation on emotional regulation, and overcoming obstacle to practice,” said Barfield.

About Jonathan Barfield in his own words:

My personal practice began in 1997 with two years of intensive mindfulness training. In 1999, I moved from Chicago to the deserts and mountains of the Southwest where I studied Ecology, earned an M.A. in Transpersonal Studies, and a Ph.D. in Psychology.

In the past, I worked in a variety of mental health settings, from facilitating group process with inpatients suffering with poly-substance abuse and major mental illness to group therapy in juvenile detention centers and wilderness therapy for teenagers and adults. My current therapeutic approach is effective for clients suffering with problems (and opportunities) of attention, depression, anxiety, trauma, family and relationships, childhood development, life transitions, death transitions, and transpersonal development.

In addition to working therapeutically, I lecture, facilitate workshops, and publish internationally on the subjects of Ecopsychology, Mindfulness, Compassion, and the Psychology of Meditation. I help coordinate projects and programs with various institutions and universities at the front of compassion and altruism research.