#413. The Science of Depression | Sona Dimidjian

This episode features one of the world’s leading experts in depression and how meditation can help. Dr. Sona Dimidjian is a professor in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the director of the Renée Crown Wellness Institute at the University of Colorado, Boulder. This episode explores the seasonal impacts on depression, the research on how meditation can help depression, and what she calls “behavioral antidepressants.”

Content Warning: There are a number of references to suicide in this conversation. 

Be sure to check out TPH’s newest show, Childproof, available wherever you get your podcasts. 

Where to find Sona Dimidjian online: 

• Sona Dimidjian
• Renée Crown Wellness Institute | University of Colorado Boulder 
• Mindful Noggin 

Book Mentioned:

• Expecting Mindfully: Nourish Your Emotional Well-Being and Prevent Depression During Pregnancy and Postpartum, by Sherryl H. Goodman, Sona Dimidjian, and Samantha Meltzer-Brody 

Other Resources Mentioned:

• Zindel Segal, on the TPH Podcast 
• Jack Kornfield
• Sharon Salzberg
• Loving-Kindness Meditation with Sharon Salzberg
• The Four Faces of Love: The Brahma Viharas – Insight Meditation Center  
• Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy 
• Mindful Mood Balance: A Case Report of Web-Based Treatment of Residual Depressive Symptoms 
• Mindful Mood Balance Program
• Mindful Mood Balance for Moms 
• Jay Fournier, PhD | Ohio State College of Medicine 
• Tor Wager
• Yoni Ashar
• Jessica Andrews-Hanna
• Roshi Joan Halifax
• Effects of compassion training on brain responses to suffering others 
• Mindful Noggin - 3-Minute Breathing Space