#114: Mindfulness, Medicine & the Biology of Stress - Dr. Craig Hassed

Mindfulness, Medicine & the Biology of Stress explores how meditation can change our relationship to stress, support the body's natural healing systems, and help us live with more presence, compassion, and ease. In this episode of The FitMind Podcast, we sit down with Craig Hassed, MD, physician, educator, and mindfulness expert, to examine the science and practice of mind-body medicine. Drawing from decades of clinical work, teaching, and contemplative practice, Craig explains how chronic stress creates physiological wear and tear in the body, known as allostatic load, and why learning to return to the present moment can have effects far beyond feeling calmer. The conversation explores how mindfulness may influence inflammation, immune function, gene expression, and biological aging, including research on telomeres and the body's stress circuitry. Craig also discusses why informal mindfulness in daily life may be just as important as formal meditation practice, especially when we are caught in worry, pressure, or mental projections about the future. Topics include: How mindfulness became part of the medical curriculum at Monash University Why chronic stress creates wear and tear on the body What allostatic load means for health and aging How meditation may affect inflammation, immunity, and gene expression The relationship between mindfulness and telomeres Why presence can improve focus, performance, and flow The difference between empathy, empathic distress, and compassion Why compassion may protect against burnout How mindfulness can support doctors, patients, students, and everyday life The question of consciousness and whether it may be more fundamental than matter A practical and wide-ranging conversation for anyone interested in the medical science of mindfulness, the biology of stress, or how contemplative practice can support resilience, compassion, and human flourishing. --- Liam's book, Fit Mind, is now available! You can pick up a copy and learn more at fitmind.org/book. FitMind Neuroscience-Based App: http://bit.ly/afitmind Website: www.fitmind.org --- Show Notes 0:00 | Introduction to Dr. Craig Hassed 3:23 | Discovering meditation without a teacher 9:18 | Bringing mindfulness into clinical medicine 10:21 | Teaching mindfulness to medical students 15:10 | How chronic stress affects the body 15:56 | Understanding allostatic load 20:57 | Epigenetics, inflammation, and immune function 22:42 | Meditation, telomeres, and biological aging 26:17 | How much meditation is enough? 29:18 | Formal practice vs. mindfulness in daily life 31:17 | The growth of mindfulness research 36:54 | The ESSENCE model of health 38:56 | Choosing the right meditation practice 41:47 | How the mind creates unnecessary stress 45:21 | Mindfulness, performance, and flow states 51:21 | Mindfulness education and human flourishing 52:40 | Technology, isolation, and genuine connection 1:00:43 | Empathy, empathic distress, and compassion 1:01:42 | Why compassion may protect against burnout 1:06:16 | Is consciousness more fundamental than matter? 1:07:10 | Can consciousness be scientifically measured? 1:08:33 | Craig's daily practice and rapid-fire questions 1:09:15 | Final thoughts