Collection of Personal Growth Talks

by | Sep 15, 2009 | Mengstupiditis

Here is a collection of some of the most popular publicly-accessible talks in Google relating to personal growth.  This list is compiled by my very capable associate, Jenny Lykken, who works with me in Google University’s School of Personal Growth.

Neuroscience

  • Karl Diesseroth: Cracking the Neural Code: Tools from the Deisseroth laboratory have been used to optically deconstruct Parkinsonian neural circuitry, setting the stage both for cracking the neural codes of normal brain function, and for re-engineering neural circuits in disease.
  • Daniel Siegel: MindSight: The New Science of Personal Transformation: This interactive talk examines two major questions: “What is the mind?” and “How can we create a healthy mind?” We’ll examine the interactions among the mind, the brain, and human relationships and explore ways to create a healthy mind, an integrated brain, and mindful, empathic relationships.
  • Thomas Lewis: The Neuroscience of Empathy: Author Dr. Thomas Lewis discusses “The Neuroscience of Empathy” and how it applies to collaboration and understanding others.
  • Philippe Goldin: Cognitive Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation:  Philippe examines the effect of mindfulness meditation practice on the brain systems in which psychological functions such as attention, emotional reactivity, emotion regulation, and self-view are instantiated.
  • John Medina: Brain Rules:  How does the brain work?  How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so easy to forget–and so important to repeat new information? Is it true that men and women have different brains?  John tells you.
  • Richie Davidson: Transform Your Mind, Change Your Brain:  Richie explores recent scientific research on the neuroscience of positive human qualities and how they can be cultivated through contemplative practice.
  • David Rock: Your Brain at Work:  David takes advantage of the latest research in neuroscience to explain what happens to our brains in different work situations and how we can optimize our effectiveness at work by understanding our brains.
Emotional Intelligence
  • Daniel Goleman: Emotional Intelligence: Daniel Goleman discusses the basics and importance of emotional intelligence and his book “Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships.”
  • Philippe Goldin: The Neuroscience of Emotions: The ability to recognize and work with different emotions is fundamental to psychological flexibility and well-being. Neuroscience has contributed to the understanding of the neural bases of emotion, emotion regulation, and emotional intelligence, and has begun to elucidate the brain mechanisms involved in emotion processing. Of great interest is the degree to which these mechanisms demonstrate neuroplasticity in both anatomical and functional levels of the brain.
Meditation and Mindfulness
  • Matthieu Ricard: The Inner Conditions for Authentic Happiness: If happiness is an inner state, influenced by external conditions but not dependent on them, how can we achieve it? Ricard examines the inner and outer factors that increase or diminish our sense of well-being, dissect the underlying mechanisms of happiness, and lead us to a way of looking at the mind itself.
  • Jon Kabat-Zinn: Mindfulness Meditation: In this session, Jon Kabat-Zinn, one of the world’s leading experts on the science of mindfulness meditation, leads a discussion on meditation and a meditation practice.
  • Jon Kabat-Zinn: Mindfulness, Stress Reduction and Healing:  Jon describes the revolution in medicine that has integrated the mind back into the body and developed a remarkable range of practices for integrating one’s experience, reducing stress, healing the body, coping more effectively with emotions such as anxiety, anger, and depression, and cultivating greater well-being and happiness.
  • Robina Courtin: Be Your Own Therapist: We spend our lives being seduced by the outside world, believing without question that happiness and suffering come from “out there.” This deeply held misconception is at the root of our dissatisfaction, self-doubt, anger, depression, anxiety, and the rest. By becoming deeply familiar with the workings of our own cognitive processes through introspection and learning to deconstruct them – truly, being our own therapists – we can loosen the grip of these neuroses and grow our marvelous potential for contentment, clarity, and courage.
  • Charlie Halpern: Practicing Wisdom in the Obama Era: In this talk, Charlie draws on the main theme of his book— that the practice of wisdom is necessary to make our work in the world effective and sustainable. He discusses the reasons that wisdom is particularly urgent in dealing with the unprecedented challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. He illustrates his points with personal stories of his career as an institutional innovator and his interactions with Ralph Nader, the Dalai Lama, Barack Obama, and others.
  • Shaila Catherine: Focused and Fearless: A Meditator’s Guide to States of Deep Joy, Calm, and Clarity: Focused and Fearless speaks to ordinary meditators who wish to attain non-ordinary states with ease. It offers a creative and contemporary slant to this ancient path of happiness and wisdom.
  • Dr. Villy Doctor: Managing Stress and Psychosomatic Disorders Through Meditation: This practical session on meditation teaches the technique of awakening the subtle energy from the position of the nervous system and the energy centers using positive affirmations to attain self-realization.

Update 9/18/09:  Added talks by Philippe Goldin and John Medina.

Update 12/6/09:  Added talks by Richie Davidson and David Rock.

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