What is the science behind meditation? On this episode, Neil deGrasse Tyson and comic co-host Marcia Belsky discuss mental health, meditation, and the theory of consciousness with former national news anchor, Dan Harris and neuroscientist Heather Berlin, PhD. What do you do when your brain thinks you’re dying? Dan recounts what it’s like to have a panic attack on national television and his mental health journey. How do you meditate? We discuss meditation practices, anxiety, and how it can improve your life and make you at least a little bit happier. Next, Heather Berlin breaks down the neuroscience behind meditation and its impacts on the brain. Is there an inclination in psychiatry to just prescribe a pill? Find out how psychiatry is in some ways an art. We debate: Is there such a thing as a normal brain? Could it just be that we are waiting for a neuroscience breakthrough in mental health treatment that’ll fix all our problems? Could there ever be standardized treatment for depression? Learn about the different theories of consciousness, subjective experience, and where we are with neural implants. How does a meditator's brain look different? We explore stress responses in the amygdala, how trauma affects brain chemistry, and our different capacities to feel empathy. How does the brain regulate itself? All that, plus, does matter give us consciousness or do we give matter consciousness? Thanks to our Patrons Mikaël Boisvert, James Cleghorn'lee, Chris Lee, Jason Sanders, Ozzzy, Ryukote, Denese Washam, Autumn McCuen, Bill Kervaski, and Keoni for supporting us this week. NOTE: StarTalk+ Patrons can watch or listen to this entire episode commercial-free. Get the NEW Cosmic Queries book (5/5 ⭐s on Amazon!): https://amzn.to/3dYIEQF Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/startalkradio FOLLOW or SUBSCRIBE to StarTalk: Twitter: http://twitter.com/startalkradio Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StarTalk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/startalk About StarTalk: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #NeildeGrasseTyson 0:00 - Part 1 w/ Dan Harris 2:27 - Dan Harris’s ’10% Happier’ 6:03 - How Harris Got Into Meditation 10:17 - What Is Meditation? 14:54 - ’10% Happier’ App 20:46 - Meditation As A Practice 21:30 - Is Neil Meditation-Proof? 29:25 - Where To Find Dan Harris 31:09 - Part 2 w/ Heather Berlin 32:11 - Psychological vs Medical Intervention 34:49 - Can You Reproduce A Normal Brain? 36:56 - Can You Have A Unified Theory On The Brain? 44:40 - Does Meditation Change The Brain? 49:35 - Meta-Cognition 56:22 - Does Neil Have Empathy? 57:12 - Does Heather Meditate? 58:47 - Closing Notes