Dr. Doty has begun a podcast called Into the Magic Shop where he explores the mysteries of the brain and the secrets of the heart. He will interview authors and experts in diverse fields including philosophy, psychology, neuroscience, spirituality and religion. He will also potentially interview the listeners who have questions or experiences which might be of interest to the listening audience. Visit the Into the Magic Shop website to sign-up to be on the mailing list, as well as post questions you wish to have answered or offer your own story or question for a conversation with Dr. Doty. Listen now
Why Kindness Heals
As a physician specializing in neurosurgery at an academic medical center, I appreciate the unhappiness many patients have with the present healthcare delivery system that is rushed, bureaucratic, non-caring and technology-focused. In the U.S. we spend more per capita than any other industrialized country, yet the outcomes are some of the worst in the world, with the highest levels of patient dissatisfaction.
What is the solution? Francis W. Peabody, M.D. said in 1925 that, “the secret of the care of the patient is caring for the patient.” These words are even more true today and are now backed by an ever enlarging body of science that demonstrates that kindness, compassion and empathy have a profound effect on healing. This new body of evidence spanning psychology, neuroscience, and even economics reveals that as a species our default mode is not one of self-centeredness but that we are wired to connect and when we connect our physiology improves for the better. For example, a study that subjected volunteers to the common cold virus on purpose as part of the experiment found that when those volunteers rated the doctor who interacted with them as very kind, they were less likely to develop a full-blown cold, their symptoms were less severe, and the illness cleared up faster.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
Real Magic
The day I noticed my thumb was missing began like any other day the summer before I started eighth grade. I spent my days riding my bicycle around town, even though sometimes it was so hot the metal on my handlebars felt like a stove top. I could always taste the dust in my mouth—gritty and weedy like the rabbit brush and cacti that battled the desert sun and heat to survive. My family had little money, and I was often hungry. I didn’t like being hungry. I didn’t like being poor.
Lancaster’s greatest claim to fame was Chuck Yeager breaking the sound barrier at nearby Edwards Air Force Base some twenty years earlier. All day long planes would fly overhead, training pilots and testing aircraft. I wondered what it would be like to be Chuck Yeager flying the Bell X-1 at Mach 1, accomplishing what no human had ever done before. How small and desolate Lancaster must have looked to him from forty five thousand feet up going faster than anyone ever thought possible. It seemed small and desolate to me, and my feet were only a foot above the ground as I pedaled around on my bike.
I had noticed my thumb missing that morning. I kept a wooden box under my bed that had all my most prized possessions. A small notebook that held my doodles, some secret poetry, and random crazy facts I had learned—like twenty banks are robbed every day in the world, snails can sleep for three years, and it’s illegal to give a monkey a cigarette in Indiana. The box also held a worn copy of Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People, dog-eared on the pages that listed the six ways to get people to like you. I could recite the six things from memory.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
Thinking About Thinking
“Do you know what a mantra is, Jim?”
I shook my head. I didn’t have a clue.
“It’s kind of like a song or a sound you make that helps you focus your mind. Just like you’ve been focusing your mind on your breathing or the candle, this is another way to trick your mind.”
I looked at her again and noticed she was wearing a necklace with a whistle and a bell. Is that what she was talking about? At that moment she leaned forward toward me and the bell made a little tinkle. I almost started laughing. She looked down at it and laughed. “No, that’s not what I’m talking about.”
“What kind of sound?” I had a feeling this was going to be weird.
“Well, it depends. People sometimes say a word that is important to them or a phrase that has some magical meaning. But it can be anything. The words don’t really matter; it’s the sound that matters.”
To read the entire blog post, click here.
Receiving and Giving: Perspectives on Philanthropy
I recently watched Dan Palotta’s TEDTalk and later spoke with him on a conference call related to a new compassion initiative of which I am a part. His talk reminded me of a number of my own experiences and the unique perspective as an entrepreneur who made (and lost) millions, who has given away close to thirty million dollars to charity and who founded and directs a non-profit organization (CCARE) that examines the neuroscience of compassion and altruism.
I share with you also the reality that not every decision related to my own philanthropy was perfect and I had a few lessons to learn. The other reality is that while I now spend a significant amount of time as director of CCARE whose work is renowned worldwide, funds that would allow me to do this work full-time are inexistent. The other reality is that a great amount of my CCARE time is spent in fund-raising mode that takes away from complete focus on the mission. Our present method of philanthropy is at the root cause of this type of problem.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
Science of Compassion: Business & Compassion Part 2
In my previous blog regarding stress in the workplace, I discussed the deleterious effects of stress on job performance and health. But how can this be done? Clearly, the solution is bringing into balance the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. By increasing the tone of the parasympathetic nervous system and decreasing the tone of the sympathetic nervous system, we are brought into true balance. This is done through compassion.
In a compassionate workplace, employees are fulfilled, committed, and engaged, leading to maximal productivity. While individual employees can use a variety of techniques to decrease the effects of stress at work, ultimately employers must also create the right job environments that offer challenging jobs with attainable goals that result in the right amount of stress without excessive fear or overwork on a chronic basis.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
Science of Compassion: Business & Compassion, Part 1
Most of us spend the majority of our time at work where it can be a source of purpose and inspiration. Yet, for many work can be the place at which they are the most stressed and least happy. In fact, work is often considered a ruthless cut-throat environment with little if any compassion.
In prior posts, I have commented on the epidemic of loneliness, isolation, and depression felt by many in our modern and ever more technologically sophisticated society. The effects of this epidemic are now being felt in the business community and affecting the bottom line in a significant way. Can you imagine that it is estimated that $2-300B… yes, billions of dollars are lost as a result of this reality.
A great part of the problem is the fact that humans have not yet evolved to live in this constantly changing, technologically sophisticated world. Our DNA has not significantly changed in over 200,000 years. In contrast, cities have only existed for 5,000 years and it was only 10,000 years ago that the primary survival strategy of our species was as hunter-gatherers in groups of 10-50. What does this mean? Initially within these nuclear family units and small groups, nurture and care were absolute requirements for survival. Further, when presented with a threat, the primitive part of the brain, the amygdala, responded with the flight or fight mechanism releasing hormones that were advantageous in such situations. Unfortunately in modern society due to the constant bombardment of information and the recurrence of situations that lead to uncertainty, this mechanism has been hijacked. This has resulted in individuals whose brains process these situations as threats leading to a release of hormones that are deleterious long term. In other words, the results are stress and fear. Don’t get me wrong, stress and fear are important parts of our lives and, in the right amounts, enhance our survival, function, and growth.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
The Science of Compassion
It is indeed a paradox that so many from what are considered developing countries wish to come to the West, where we have an epidemic of depression, isolation, and loneliness, while the U.S. alone consumes 25 percent of the world’s resources. However, it is often these “third-world” cultures that offer some of the most profound wisdom and insights that have been garnered over thousands of years, while our own history spans a few hundred years.
We have been blessed in the West with the persistence of a number of individuals who brought the teachings of mindfulness from the East and a number of scientists who, over the last 30 years, have empirically studied its effects. Many have experienced the profound effects of nonjudgmental reflection and the ability to more fully live in the present moment. By doing so, they have decreased their stress, become more efficient, and hopefully gained insight into attachment and delusion.
Mindfulness can have many benefits — especially in our modern society, where we are constantly deluged by information and distractions and are living at a pace far beyond what our evolution designed us for. While the mindful path has the amazing ability to result in transformation, this journey is one that is taken alone. It is also one that can be perilous, because without insight and wisdom, it can be in and of itself an isolating, self-absorbing, and narcissistic exercise.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
The Science of Compassion
It is indeed a paradox that so many from what are considered developing countries wish to come to the West, where we have an epidemic of depression, isolation, and loneliness, while the U.S. alone consumes 25 percent of the world’s resources. However, it is often these “third-world” cultures that offer some of the most profound wisdom and insights that have been garnered over thousands of years, while our own history spans a few hundred years.
We have been blessed in the West with the persistence of a number of individuals who brought the teachings of mindfulness from the East and a number of scientists who, over the last 30 years, have empirically studied its effects. Many have experienced the profound effects of nonjudgmental reflection and the ability to more fully live in the present moment. By doing so, they have decreased their stress, become more efficient, and hopefully gained insight into attachment and delusion.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
The Science of Compassion
It is indeed a paradox that so many from what are considered developing countries wish to come to the West, where we have an epidemic of depression, isolation, and loneliness, while the U.S. alone consumes 25 percent of the world’s resources. However, it is often these “third-world” cultures that offer some of the most profound wisdom and insights that have been garnered over thousands of years, while our own history spans a few hundred years.
We have been blessed in the West with the persistence of a number of individuals who brought the teachings of mindfulness from the East and a number of scientists who, over the last 30 years, have empirically studied its effects. Many have experienced the profound effects of nonjudgmental reflection and the ability to more fully live in the present moment. By doing so, they have decreased their stress, become more efficient, and hopefully gained insight into attachment and delusion.
Mindfulness can have many benefits — especially in our modern society, where we are constantly deluged by information and distractions and are living at a pace far beyond what our evolution designed us for. While the mindful path has the amazing ability to result in transformation, this journey is one that is taken alone. It is also one that can be perilous, because without insight and wisdom, it can be in and of itself an isolating, self-absorbing, and narcissistic exercise.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
The Science of Compassion
Why, in a country that consumes 25% of the world’s resources (the U.S.), is there an epidemic of loneliness, depression, and anxiety? Why do so many in the West who have all of their basic needs met still feel impoverished? While some politicians might answer, “It’s the economy, stupid,” Based on scientific evidence, a better answer is, “It’s the lack compassion, stupid.”
I recently attended the Templeton Prize ceremony at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London and have been reflecting on the words of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in conversation with Arianna Huffington: “If we say, oh, the practice of compassion is something holy, nobody will listen. If we say, warm-heartedness really reduces your blood pressure, your anxiety, your stress and improves your health, then people pay attention.” As director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University (one of the two organizations recognized in the Templeton Prize press release), I would agree with the Dalai Lama.
What exactly is compassion? Compassion is the recognition of another’s suffering and a desire to alleviate that suffering. Often brushed off as a hippy dippy religious term irrelevant in modern society, rigorous empirical data supports the view of all major world religions: compassion is good.
To read the entire blog post, click here.
Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training Registration
CCARE’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) is an eight-week course designed to develop the qualities of compassion, empathy, and kindness for oneself and for others. CCT integrates traditional contemplative practices with contemporary psychology and scientific research on compassion. The program was developed at Stanford University by a team of contemplative scholars, clinical psychologists, and researchers.
CCT is designed to support anyone who wants to cultivate compassion for themselves and for others. This includes parents, caregivers, educators, healthcare professionals, therapists, executives, public servants, and people in a wide range of professions and life contexts. No previous meditation experience is required, although willingness to practice daily meditation is a key component of the training.
Participants must be 18 years of age or older.
Classes are $325 (includes recordings and other materials)
Current schedule of classes is found here: http://ccare.stanford.edu/sct/compassion-courses
Disclaimer: Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training courses are educational and are not meant to treat psychological disorders. Refunds (minus a $75 dollar processing fee) will only be issued up until 48 hours before the first class session. Participation in the course requires regular attendance and adhering to basic classroom policies; participants who miss more than two classes or otherwise disrupt the learning environment may be asked to withdraw from the course without a refund.
Is Being Compassionate Healthy?
Compassion is defined as the embodiment and recognition of another person’s suffering coupled with a sincere desire to alleviate that suffering. Every one of us has suffered, is suffering or will, at some point, suffer. It has been stated many times that survival is of the fittest, but when one reads Darwin closely this is not the case. Rather, the more accurate statement, coined by Dacher Keltner, Ph.D. and other leading social scientists, is “the survival of the kindest.” Paul Ekman, Ph.D., a leading expert on emotion describes an ever expanding body of scientific evidence that being compassionate affords significant benefit to oneself and society in his recent article in JAMA. In addition to evidence that survival may be enhanced by caring for others, there are now findings suggesting that the statement made by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, “if one wishes to make others happy be compassionate, if one wishes to be happy be compassionate,” in fact, has great validity.
But happiness alone is not the only benefit of being compassionate. In a number of studies using a variety of psychological and biological measures and neuroimaging techniques, compassion not only stimulates one’s pleasure (reward) centers but also leads to a decrease in biological markers of stress and an increase in indices of adaptive immune function. The other extraordinary finding is that though our capacity to be compassionate is, in part, controlled by our genes, the work at our center, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford, (and a number of other centers) is demonstrating that compassion can be trained. In fact, this compassion training is based on practices by a number of contemplative traditions that have been practiced over 2500 years.
So what’s not to like about being compassionate? It improves survival of the species, leads to happiness and results in improved health. The reality is that while science and technology have the potential to offer incredible benefit, it is the simple interventions known to us for thousands of years that can have a profound effect on the lives of individuals and society. It is the humility of a number of scientists who had the courage to explore these ancient traditions who have created the powerful validated techniques to improve the health and happiness of those struggling with our modern, non-compassion-promoting society.
This is the third in a series of essays exploring the relationship between religion and science. This series is an outgrowth of the Sages and Scientists Symposium sponsored by the Chopra Foundation.