Contemplation + SENSEmaking: An Interview with Eve Ekman
I discovered that the mere reflection upon our emotions was an intervention towards well-being.
Contemplation + Indigeneity An Interview With Lance Henson
Conducted by Michael Overstreet, a doctoral candidate at the University of Virginia and a Research Assistant at the Journal of Contemplative Studies (JCS). JCS: I’d first like to tell you what an honor it is for me to be able to have this conversation with you, Lance. I’d like to start our conversation in asking whether contemplative practices have always been part of…
Contemplation + SENSEmaking: An Interview with Adam Lobel
As far as there being categories of East and West, of philosophy versus spirituality or religion, I can’t even draw the boundaries anymore.
Contemplation + SENSEmaking: An Interview with James Gentry
JCS: Thanks so much for talking with me today, James. First, we’re really interested in how your upbringing led to your being interested in contemplative practices and general spiritual openness. JG: Yeah, that’s such a big question. For me, it was essentially a crisis—a real crisis of just growing up in a very difficult environment: a family…
Contemplation + SENSEmaking
JCS: Welcome—I’m excited to talk with you today. I have three core questions, but first I’d love it if you could give us a brief bio and a background of who you are and where you’re coming from. AH: I come from Boulder, Colorado and have an academic background. I got a double degree in classical music—piano performance—and biology. I then studied physics and later got a doctorate in dental oral surgery. I’ve also had a pretty contemplative…
ISCR 2025 Contemplative Studies Update
From November 3rd to the 6th, 2025, the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) held its third academic conference. The Friday Conference Center offered a pleasant venue for a week’s worth of professional networking, stimulating lectures, and intermittent contemplative exercises. Walking through the front doors on the first day, one was met by booths advertising breakthrough technologies in brainwave research and virtual reality, illustrious prizes from the inaugural silent…
AAR 2025 Contemplative Studies Update
With an Honor Song ringing out, resonantly, at an AAR panel, it’s clear that contemplation as a category, as a way to collect voices, perspectives, and insights, is not just a recapitulation of tired and ingrained modes of academic pursuit. While Contemplative Studies as an organized and self-conscious field is still quite young, the study of contemplation is ancient. For millennia humans have queried the mechanisms of transformation…
Contemplation + SENSEmaking: An Interview With Pir Zia
JCS: I’m so happy to have this opportunity to speak with you, Pir Zia. I’m interested in how you stumbled into the spiritual and contemplative path of your life. Was there anything in your upbringing that encouraged or facilitated this way of living? It does sound like you’ve had a pretty intercontinental life. Did that play a part at all? PZ: Yes, thank you. Well, it’s a pleasure to be speaking with you. And in my case, my entry…
Contemplation + Education An Interview With Robert W. Roeser
JCS: Welcome! Can you tell me a bit about your background in contemplation and education? RR: I’m trained as a PhD in Developmental Science and Education, and I also hold master’s degrees in clinical social work and religion. My research interest centers on schools—including primary, secondary, and post-secondary educational environments—as a central cultural context of…
Fall Contemplative Conferences
International Society For Contemplative Research (ISCR) Conference The 3rd Conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR) will be held on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from November 3-6, 2025. The ISCR 2025 Conference is an international conference for rigorous interdisciplinary investigation of contemplative practices in diverse contexts. This year’s theme is The…
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