Contributor

Nona Kiknadze

Nona’s introduction to mindfulness occurred during her undergraduate education at Duke University, where she jointly majored in Psychology and Middle Eastern/ Asian Studies. It was during her exploration of Asian Studies that she was introduced to Buddhist philosophy, and was immediately attracted to the commonalities of introspective Eastern traditions and the modern scientific field of psychology. At Duke University, Nona worked extensively with Dr. Mark Leary in the Self, Emotion, and Behavior Lab, investigating measures related to social and personality psychology. While at Duke University, she also worked in research roles in both evolutionary anthropology and global health fields, under Dr. Brian Hare and Dr. Sumedha Ariely, respectively. Nona spent her formative years in the United States, China, Belgium, France, New Zealand, and Australia, and she speaks both Mandarin and English. This diverse culture upbringing gave rise to her interdisciplinary academic interests, which lie at the intersection of psychology, health, philosophy, religion, and anthropology. She currently lives in Honolulu, Hawai’i and works as an Asia-Pacific intelligence analyst for the US Government. She is planning to begin her graduate studies in psychology in Fall 2021. In her free time, Nona enjoys spending time outside surfing and hiking, and she maintains a daily meditation and yoga practice.

Related Articles

science of mindfulness- linda carlson

Interview with Dr. Linda Carlson

Dr. Linda Carlson holds the Enbridge Research Chair in Psychosocial Oncology, is Full Professor in Psychosocial Oncology in the Department of Oncology, Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Psychology.

Read More »
Trait Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: The Role of Forgiveness Among Couples

Trait Mindfulness and Relationship Satisfaction: The Role of Forgiveness Among Couples (Roberts et al., 2020)

The researchers were interested in understanding if forgiveness acts as a mechanism by which mindfulness relates to relationship satisfaction. They speculated that being mindful would allow individuals to be aware of their own and their partners’ emotions in a non-judgmental and non-reactive way. The increased awareness would make people more forgiving of partner transgressions, thereby enhancing relationship satisfaction.

Read More »

Interview with Dr. Erin Bantum

My work, over the past fifteen years has had a core theme of social support running through it, and I’d like to create an online mindfulness meditation intervention that includes a group component, such that people who have experienced cancer can meet and practice mindfulness meditation together.

Read More »

Interview with Dr. Amy Brown

I didn’t want them to needlessly struggle and suffer as much as I did, and mindfulness is one of those tools that definitely helps us all during this time. I’m helping them in the way that I wish I would have been helped.

Read More »

Interview with Dr. Thao Le

Ultimately, my intention is for it to be a service space to help students, faculty, staff, or anyone from the community to connect with themselves. Don’t we all need to pause?

Read More »

Interview with Blake Colaianne

Blake Colaianne is a former Earth science teacher turned contemplative researcher. He is currently a Ph.D. Candidate in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University. His research focuses on supporting adolescent development using both a culture of belonging in high schools and prevention and promotion programs that teach mindfulness and compassion skills.

Read More »
zen, buddha, relax

What is Mindfulness?

Rather than proposing a single definition, mindfulness might be better understood in relation to the phenomenology of the various contemplative traditions and practices that intend to develop mindfulness.

Read More »

What is the Present Moment? Some Warnings about Hanging out in it, and a New Scientific Theory of Meditation

Ruben Laukkonen is a cognitive neuroscientist at the VU University of Amsterdam. His research focuses on sudden insight experiences and the effects of intensive meditation on the mind and brain. Using a combination of neuroimaging, machine learning, and neuro-phenomenology, Ruben is investigating some of the most rare states of consciousness accessible to human beings. He has published articles in leading journals, given talks at prestigious conferences, and has written on topics that range from artificial intelligence to psychedelics. Ruben has an eclectic contemplative background, including different meditation traditions such as Zen, Advaita, and Theravada.

Read More »

Interview with Dr. Juan Rios

“Whether you call it liberation, theology, transformative justice, mindfulness- we cannot separate those components of practice, all of those things are integrated. Integration brings peace, and peace within is key to embracing the other.”

Read More »
THE EMOTION REGULATORY MECHANISMS OF BRIEF OPEN MONITORING MEDITATION

An electrophysiological investigation on the emotion regulatory mechanisms of brief open monitoring meditation in novice non-meditators (Lin et al., 2020)

Despite growing knowledge that mindfulness meditation can enhance emotional wellbeing, very little is known about how it all works. How exactly does the act of meditation help us deal with the emotional rollercoaster of everyday life? Is mindfulness training actually “transferrable” to real world situations? What’s going on in the brain? Can we even measure it?

Read More »

Interview with Grant Jones

Grant Jones (he/him) is an artist, contemplative, researcher, and activist. Currently, he is a 3rd Year Clinical Psychology PhD candidate at Harvard University and Co-Founder of The Black Lotus Collective.

Read More »

The Power of Their Own Breath

“We focus on concentration,” Jones says. “So rather than sharpening your focus, which is what happens when you get anxious, the goal is to relax your focus.” The ability to utilize your breath to calm your nervous system is the first step to teaching mindfulness.

Read More »

Interview with Dr. Helen Weng

Dr. Helen Weng is a clinical psychologist and neuroscientist who originally joined the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine in 2014 as a postdoctoral scholar in the Training in Research in Integrative Medicine (TRIM) fellowship. She is developing new ways to quantify meditation skills using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and machine learning to identify mental states of body awareness during meditation.

Read More »

Interview with Dr. Eric Garland

Dr. Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW is Presidential Scholar, Associate Dean for Research, and Professor in the University of Utah College of Social Work, Director of the Center on Mindfulness and Integrative Health Intervention Development (C-MIIND), and Associate Director of Integrative Medicine in Supportive Oncology and Survivorship at the Huntsman Cancer Institute.

Read More »