Can Neuroscience Help Explain Spiritual Experience?

Join UCLA psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Helen Lavretsky for a free evening exploring what science reveals about stress, emotional resilience, spirituality, and the surprising ways we can change how we experience life.

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Why do some people seem better able to navigate life's challenges? Can meditation and mindfulness actually change the brain? And what does neuroscience tell us about finding greater meaning, connection, and peace in our everyday lives?

On November 10, Unlikely Collaborators welcomes UCLA psychiatrist and neuroscientist Dr. Helen Lavretsky for a fascinating exploration of what modern science is discovering about practices people have turned to for centuries in search of greater well-being.

Drawing on decades of research and her new book, Living From the Soul: The Neuroscience of Spiritual Awakening, Dr. Lavretsky will explore:

• Your brain and stress: What happens in the brain when we experience chronic stress, and how might contemplative practices help?
• The science of inner peace: What research tells us about meditation, yoga, mindfulness, and emotional well-being.
• Breaking familiar patterns: How greater self-awareness can help us recognize habitual reactions and respond differently.
• Purpose and connection: Why meaning, compassion, and connection matter for psychological well-being.
• Science meets spirituality: What neuroscience can—and cannot—tell us about experiences traditionally described as spiritual.

The evening also connects to Unlikely Collaborators' Perception Box™ framework, which explores how our beliefs, experiences, and conditioning shape the way we see ourselves and the world around us.

The evening will take place in person at Unlikely Collaborators' Santa Monica headquarters and will also be livestreamed online.

Event Schedule

5:00 p.m. — Doors open and reception
6:00 p.m. — Program begins promptly (late entry not permitted)
7:00 p.m. — Book signing and reception

Cost: Free (registration required)

In-person attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Living From the Soul: The Neuroscience of Spiritual Awakening.

Register to Attend in person

Register to join live online

About Dr. Helen Lavretsky

Dr. Helen Lavretsky is a Professor In-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA and a geriatric integrative psychiatrist with a federally funded research program focused on geriatric depression and integrative mental health using mind-body interventions.

She serves as Director of Research for the UCLA Integrative Medicine Collaborative and directs a clinical and research program in Integrative Psychiatry and the Brain Health Innovation Initiative. Her work explores the intersection of psychiatry, neuroscience, contemplative practices, and integrative approaches to mental health and well-being.

Lavretsky has received Career Development Awards from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH). Her honors include the 2020 Distinguished Investigator Awards for research in geriatric psychiatry from the American College of Psychiatrists and the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, as well as the Jack Weinberg Memorial Award in Geriatric Psychiatry from the American Psychiatric Association.

She is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, a Distinguished Fellow of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry, and a Fellow of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. She is also a past president of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry.

Her book, Living From the Soul: The Neuroscience of Spiritual Awakening, explores how neuroscience and spiritual wisdom can inform our understanding of consciousness, resilience, compassion, and the pursuit of a more meaningful life.

About Spark Salons

Spark Salons are a signature program of Unlikely Collaborators, the nonprofit founded by Elizabeth R. Koch. These gatherings bring together grantees, researchers, artists, and collaborators for conversations that challenge perspectives and deepen connections.

Past Spark Salon speakers have included Harris III; Scott Barry Kaufman, PhD; Kim Shapira, MS, RD; John Bucher; Michael Norton, PhD; Vijay Gupta; Ellen Bennett; Candy Chang; Alexandra Samuel, PhD; Brennan Wood; Donna L. Schuurman, EdD; Lisa Feldman Barrett, PhD; Wendy Suzuki, PhD; Nick Foster, RDI; Jade Wu, PhD; Krista Tippett; Eliot Stein; Theresa MacPhail, PhD; Ian Manuel; Sonja Lyubomirsky, PhD; Cara Natterson, MD; Andrew Holecek, PhD; Katherine Center; Marisa T. Cohen, PhD; Valerie Steele, PhD; Cassandra Vieten, PhD; Jonathan Schooler, PhD; Stephen Asma, PhD; and Melissa Conklin.

Watch the Spark Salons Trailer

About Unlikely Collaborators

Unlikely Collaborators is a nonprofit focused on helping people better understand themselves and each other. Founded and led by CEO Elizabeth R. Koch, the organization is built around the Perception Box™ framework, the idea that our beliefs, experiences, emotions, and conditioning shape how we interpret ourselves and the world around us. By becoming aware of that lens, we create more space for reflection, flexibility, and meaningful change.

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