Academic Conference: Mindfulness and Phenomenology

Interdisciplinary Coalition of North American Phenomenologists (ICNAP) Ninth Annual Meeting hosted in collaboration with the Mindfulness at Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey
May 26–28, 2017

This conference explored the congruence between mindfulness meditation practices and the field of classical Phenomenology. Mindfulness generally refers to the contemporary application of ancient Asian contemplative systems of thought to health and well-being whereas phenomenology is here understood within the philosophical tradition inaugurated by Edmund Husserl at the beginning of the last century. While the two systems of knowledge arose from vastly different cultural and historical contexts, the commonality between their respective methodologies and approaches can be remarkable. Many mindfulness practices are inherently phenomenological and many aspects of phenomenological scholarship and research share profound similarities with Asian mindfulness techniques and applications. It is the goal of this conference to explore, in an interdisciplinary spirit, the many shared latencies between these distinct yet cognate systems of knowledge and their applied practices. See call for papers below for more details.

The Interdisciplinary Coalition of North American Phenomenologists is committed to cultivating connections between teachers, students and researchers in phenomenology across the disciplines. Founded in 2008 by colleagues from Architecture, Communicology, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology, ICNAP has had its annual conferences enriched by the contributions of colleagues from Education, Environmental and Sustainability Studies, Literature, Musicology, Nursing and Health Care, Social Work and Psychiatry. Findings in other fields are also expanding our horizons.

Featured Husserliana speaker::

Michel Bitbol, Director of Research, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Husserl Archives, École Normale Supérieure, Paris http://michel.bitbol.pagesperso-orange.fr/index.html

Other invited speakers:

Shaun Gallagher
The Lillian and Morrie Moss Professor Department of Philosophy, University of Memphis
http://www.ummoss.org/page1image12688 page1image12848

Richard Kearney
The Charles B. Seelig Professor Department of Philosophy, Boston College http://www.richardmkearney.com/

Schedule and Full List of Talks by Speakers

ICNAP-IX-2017-PROGRAM (1)

Educator Retreat

.b Mindfulness in School Project: Teacher Training July 2016

Trainer Ted DesMaisons with class at the Training from July 6-10, 2016

What is .b ?

.b is a fun, engaging and useful ten-session mindfulness course for young people, adapted from the adult courses Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy. It has been evaluated positively by the University of Cambridge and Oxford Brookes, and can be used in a wide range of contexts and age ranges.

What makes .b distinctive?

.b was carefully crafted by classroom teachers to engage everyone, including the most cynical of student audiences. It is taught with striking visuals, film clips and activities that bring mindfulness to life without losing the expertise and integrity of classic mindfulness teaching.

Who can teach .b?

.b must be taught by teachers who themselves practice mindfulness regularly. An adult 8-week MBSR is a good start, followed by 6 months of developing a minimum daily practice of at least 20 minutes. Then, sign up for the Teach .b Certification Course, which gives the skills, confidence and materials to teach .b effectively to young people. See http://mindfulnessinschools.org/ for more information.

The prerequisites for Teach .b are:

• An 8 week secular mindfulness course (approved courses are .b Foundations*/MBSR/MBCT/MBLC/ Breathworks).
• At least 6 months of a minimum of 20 minutes of mindfulness practice per day (such as sitting or body scan practices), starting from the end of the 8 week mindfulness course. Exceptions to the qualification period may be made for applicants who have a long-standing mindfulness practice in other contexts(Vipassana/Shamatha/Insight meditation).
• Reading (Finding Peace in a Frantic World (Mark Williams) and either Full Catastrophe Living or Wherever You Go, There You Are (Jon Kabat-Zinn).
• We would also like to encourage applicants to attend regular mindfulness practice days to deepen understanding of mindfulness.

Cost:

The Course Fees
$995 Commuter rate
$1,245 residential rate (shared room)
$1,345 residential rate (single room)