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Shawn Prest

@shawnprest.bsky.social

Researcher at the intersection of meditation, consciousness, perception and active inference at the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (Monash University). Web: shawnprest.owlstown.net

1,590 Followers  |  2,081 Following  |  33 Posts  |  Joined: 08.01.2024  |  1.9827

Latest posts by shawnprest.bsky.social on Bluesky

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Now on Antoine Lutz on the phenomenology of meditation and its neural correlates in the concurrent sessions

08.07.2025 12:17 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 3    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

@theassc.bsky.social

08.07.2025 05:35 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

I'll be presenting work today on a poster at @assc28.bsky.social on how deep meditative experience challenges challeges predominant computational views of affective valence. At 12:30pm, come by, booth 179! #assc28

08.07.2025 05:31 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Heading to my very first ASSC! Quite excited to present my work, supervised by @dsotob.bsky.social on unconscious working memory in the concurrent session at Studio Theatre on Wednesday at 15:30! Please come drop by! : ) @assc28.bsky.social #ASSC28

04.07.2025 10:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 14    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Enjoying the atmosphere at @assc28.bsky.social here in Crete! It's great to be around a lot of researches focused on our actual experience. Also looking forward to Edmundo Lopez-Sola's poster coming up and @matthewsacchet.bsky.social 's talk this afternoon on advanced meditation. :) #assc28

07.07.2025 08:04 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Sensitivity to visual features in inattentional blindness As a group, inattentionally blind participants can successfully report the location, color, and shape of stimuli they deny noticing, and exhibit a systematic bias to report not noticing.

5 years since our first pilot, and 25,000 participants later, I'm super happy this work with Makaela Nartker, @chazfirestone.bsky.social and Howard Egeth on inattentional blindness is now out in eLife! A little ๐Ÿงต of what we found... 1/12 elifesciences.org/articles/100...

20.05.2025 13:15 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 85    ๐Ÿ” 38    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 4    ๐Ÿ“Œ 4
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Training the embodied self in its impermanence: meditators evidence neurophysiological markers of death acceptance AbstractBackground. Human predictive capacity underlies its adaptive strength but also the potential for existential terror. Grounded in the predictive pro

FYI: free link to a publication led by Yair Dor-Ziderman in Aviva Berkovich-Ohana's lab. We provided MEG evidence supporting the hypothesis that the brains of experienced meditators exhibit reduced defensiveness toward mortality compared to those of controls.
academic.oup.com/nc/article-a...

23.04.2025 16:43 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

New study being run by @julietagalante.bsky.social looking for (teacher) participants

12.04.2025 01:54 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
How are mindfulness meditation teachers implementing social justice literacy in their classes? How are mindfulness meditation teachers implementing social justice literacy in their classes?

psychologicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au/CSC/research...

12.04.2025 01:47 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 1    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

The FEEL lab is doing some of the most fascinating, groundbreaking research on emotions and emotion regulation. Do NOT miss this opportunity!! #psychjobs #AffectSci

09.04.2025 01:41 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 11    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Aarhus University Student Survey This questionnaire will take approximately 15- 25 minutes to complete. Please answer in a safe environment and as truthfully as possible. As a neurodiverse research team, we prioritize the comfort an...

Hello Bluesky!
Our students are running a short survey on interoception, ADHD, and autism. If youโ€™ve got a few minutes, theyโ€™d be so grateful if you could take part โ€” and help spread the word!
๐Ÿ”— docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...
#psychscisky

03.04.2025 08:39 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 25    ๐Ÿ” 33    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Save the Date #ACNS2025

01.04.2025 22:16 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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The ASSC is now on bluesky! Please follow us for more information about consciousness neuroscience, and our upcoming conference ASSC 25 assc2025.gr

13.03.2025 09:21 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 25    ๐Ÿ” 14    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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We are seeking participants for a free online mindfulness study together with colleagues from @monash-m3cs.bsky.social @hohwy.bsky.social
See details below, and follow this link for more information lnkd.in/gwCrne7v

#research #mindfulness #meditation #psychology

05.03.2025 23:57 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 10    ๐Ÿ” 5    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Olaf Blanke and I are pleased to announce the opening of a funded PhD position in cognitive and contemplative neuroscience at the Lyon Neuroscience Research Center entitled "Neurophenomenological Study of Non-Dual Mindfulness Meditation and Its Impact on Self and Agency" Thanks for sharing this ad!

25.02.2025 09:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 26    ๐Ÿ” 23    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 3    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

6/ A lot of gratitude and thanks to @hohwy.bsky.social , @matthewsacchet.bsky.social, Bjรถrn Weghenkel and various others for all of the very helpful feedback on drafts of this work.

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
OSF

5/ ๐Ÿ”— Link to preprint: osf.io/preprints/ps...

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

4/ Takes a step toward the quantification of advanced meditative experience, paving the way for quantitative answers to questions like, how equanimous was experience during a given window of time?

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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3/ Results show how deconstruction:
โ–ช๏ธ Increases short temporal scale perception
โ–ช๏ธ Reduces conceptual complexity
โ–ช๏ธ Increases equanimity (non-reactivity) and stillness
โ–ช๏ธ Aids the self-regulation of affective valence

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

2/ The model casts the release of contraction (arising from clinging) as reducing belief precision in a hierarchical generative model, driving increased lower-level inference.

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

1/ We know meditation attenuates the conceptual mind, increases equanimity (non-reactivity), and moves experience into the present moment. But what are the computational mechanisms behind this?

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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New preprint: Modelling meditative deconstruction via letting go! ๐Ÿง˜

Model shows how the phenomenology of defabrication naturally emerges from the dynamics of hierarchical active inference.

I take a computational phenomenology approach, with a model that is in-silico and formalised.๐Ÿงต

26.02.2025 05:59 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 20    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 2    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1

Do it

25.02.2025 02:12 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 8    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Breaking the barrier between theorists and experimentalists Many neuroscience students are steeped in an experiment-first style of thinking. Letโ€™s not forget how theory can guide experiments.

Sam Gershman writes beautifully about how theory-free neuroscience prevents the field from reaching its promise. Beautiful and true. Most folks do not test hypotheses. Running a NHST does not a hypothesis make. www.thetransmitter.org/theoretical-...

24.02.2025 18:13 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 185    ๐Ÿ” 51    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 5    ๐Ÿ“Œ 11
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๐Ÿ“ฃ Free online event: Join @pliknaitzky.bsky.social (Monash Clinical Psychedelic Lab), as he discusses the role of psychedelics in therapy & their potential for transforming treatment at our seminar:

๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Thursday, 6 March 2025
โฐ 12:00 โ€“ 12:50 PM AEDT
๐Ÿ’ป Zoom
๐Ÿ‘‡ Register via the link in the comments ๐Ÿ‘‡

14.02.2025 01:18 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 6    ๐Ÿ” 2    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
Lars Sandved-Smith giving a presentation

Lars Sandved-Smith giving a presentation

Shawn Prest giving a presentation

Shawn Prest giving a presentation

Beth Fisher giving a presentation

Beth Fisher giving a presentation

A fabulous day of M3CS PhD presentations - Lars Sandved-Smith on pure awareness, @shawnprest.bsky.social on defabrication in meditation, @bethfisher.bsky.social Fisher on optimism and gratitude. All done brilliantly with active inference and FEP modelling.
#neuroskyence #philsky

06.02.2025 11:42 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 14    ๐Ÿ” 3    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 1
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Just realised Bluesky supports videos so here is our new visual illusion!

Fix your gaze on the grey dot. How many red dots do you see within the green frames? Many people consistently see two, despite only ever being shown one!

jov.arvojournals.org/article.aspx... w/ @renrutmailliw.bsky.social

31.01.2025 00:02 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 13    ๐Ÿ” 4    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

Initialized a starter pack for Active Inference!

Just hit me up if you want to be added or removed.

go.bsky.app/CuYTnqV

10.01.2025 10:27 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 21    ๐Ÿ” 8    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 8    ๐Ÿ“Œ 2

would love to be added!

10.01.2025 13:51 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 0    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 1    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0
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Deconstructing the self and reshaping perceptions: An intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of the stages of insight during advanced investigative insight meditation The stages of insight (SoI) are a series of psychological realizations experienced through advanced investigative insight meditation (AIIM). SoI proviโ€ฆ

Excited to see work on the Stages of Insight out by Yang, Chowhury, Sparby & @matthewsacchet.bsky.social. www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

14.12.2024 21:37 โ€” ๐Ÿ‘ 5    ๐Ÿ” 0    ๐Ÿ’ฌ 0    ๐Ÿ“Œ 0

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