Biography
John Astin received his PhD in Health Psychology from the University of California, Irvine, and completed postdoctoral training at Stanford Medical School. From 2000-2002, he served on the faculty at the Center for Integrative Medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Presently, he holds an appointment at California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in San Francisco, CA., where he is the co-director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Group. Currently, his work focuses on the application of meditation and acceptance-based methods to prevent relapse from substance dependence. Along with his scholarly work, John is also an accomplished songwriter and recording artist having produced 6 albums of original spiritual/contemplative music and is the author of the books, Too Intimate for Words
Research
- Co-Investigator “The Spiritual Engagement Project” 2008
- Principal Investigator “Consciousness & Healing” 2006
- Co-Investigator “Mindful Motherhood” 2005
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"Natural Mindfulness" with John Astin
John Astin, co-director of the Mind-Body Medicine Research Group, talks with host Marilyn Schlitz about bringing attention to attention.
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"Healing Power of Ordinary Awareness" with John Astin
Although scientific research has long evidenced a profound connection between mind and body in healing, the medical model has been slow to integrate that evidence. John describes the barriers between the bio-psycho-social model of medical philosophy and the bio-medical model of the industry, which have been the topic of his research.
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Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Intervention During Pregnancy on Prenatal Stress and Mood
Results of a Pilot Study
by John Astin and Cassandra Vieten, PhD
Stress and negative mood during pregnancy increase risk for poor childbirth outcomes and postnatal mood problems and may interfere with mother-infant attachment and child development. However, relatively little research has focused on the efficacy of psychosocial interventions to reduce stress and negative mood during pregnancy. In this study, we developed and pilot tested an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention directed toward reducing stress and improving mood in pregnancy and early postpartum.
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Negative Affect, Emotional Acceptance, and Smoking Cessation
by John Astin, T. P. Carmody, and Cassandra Vieten, PhD
This article describes recent theoretical developments and empirical findings regarding the role of negative affect (NA) and emotion regulation in nicotine dependence and smoking cessation.