In this interview, you will read the story about what led Dr. Smalley to meditation and to the founding of MARC. From What Inspired A Scientist To Open A Meditation Center At UCLA? (Huffington Post):
PF [Patricia Fitzgerald]: So for 25 years you were immersed in fascinating research at UCLA. And now you are the founder and director of the MARC Center. Seems like a complete 360, but I'm sure there's an interesting story behind the switch.
SS [Sue Smalley]: Patricia, I received a real wake up call when I was diagnosed with an early stage melanoma. It was a big shock. I thought I was going to die. I really reevaluated my life. I realized that I was doing everything Western medicine said keeps you healthy (working out, diet, etc.) and yet I was not preventing myself from getting 'sick'. The shock of the diagnosis and the fear of death really brought me to a heightened awareness.
PF: What was your life approach before this heightened awareness?
SS: I didn't think about trying to heighten my sense of consciousness in any way. I thought, yeah, learn more, read more, study more, talk to people, everything's in books, everything's out there in a reason-based world. Just follow it.
I gave zero time to places that would increase intuition, or enhance insight, ignoring what is probably a core component of wisdom. I was just running around constantly doing, doing, doing, and trying to soak up knowledge from books and experiments and science.
SS [Sue Smalley]: Patricia, I received a real wake up call when I was diagnosed with an early stage melanoma. It was a big shock. I thought I was going to die. I really reevaluated my life. I realized that I was doing everything Western medicine said keeps you healthy (working out, diet, etc.) and yet I was not preventing myself from getting 'sick'. The shock of the diagnosis and the fear of death really brought me to a heightened awareness.
PF: What was your life approach before this heightened awareness?
SS: I didn't think about trying to heighten my sense of consciousness in any way. I thought, yeah, learn more, read more, study more, talk to people, everything's in books, everything's out there in a reason-based world. Just follow it.
I gave zero time to places that would increase intuition, or enhance insight, ignoring what is probably a core component of wisdom. I was just running around constantly doing, doing, doing, and trying to soak up knowledge from books and experiments and science.
Click to read the rest of the first part of the interview.
Note (added July 24, 2009): The second half of the interview: Can Meditation Change Your Brain And Affect Your Genes? (Huffington Post).
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