Lectures & Events
Please note the time change in the U.S.!
Convert the time and date of your timezone to Eastern Time U.S. at https://www.timeanddate.com/
Ask Us Anything
Wednesday, March 18th — 12pm EST
Q & A with Dr. Willoughby Britton and members of the Cheetah House Care Team.
Meditation is often marketed as a simple path to stress reduction, but for many practitioners and teachers, the experience can go much deeper—sometimes leading to unexpected neurological and psychological shifts.
If you’ve experienced dissociation, changes to your sense of self, or unsettling sensory shifts during or after meditation, you likely have questions that a standard meditation app or introductory course can’t answer.
On March 18th, we’re opening the floor. This isn't a lecture; it's a live, interactive Q&A session with our dedicated Care Team. Whether you’re a long-time Cheetah House community member, or you just stumbled upon our organization, we look forward to having you.
We can dive into topics like:
Identifying Dissociation: How to tell the difference between meditative stillness and clinical distress.
Grounding Techniques: Practical tools for when practice feels "too much" or too "fast."
Integration: How to move back into daily life after profound or unsettling meditative shifts.
How it Works
Register: Secure your spot for just $5. We’ve kept the cost low to ensure this event is accessible to everyone in our community.
Submit: After you register, feel free to email cheetahhouse.org@gmail.com with any burning questions you may have in advance!
Join: Log in on March 18th for a moderated, supportive, and science-backed conversation.
Tuesday, March 31st — 1pm EST
Plasticities of the Self
Abstract: This talk will discuss practices that aim to transform the self. Dr. Michael Lifshitz will explore the self as a patterned, multi-dimensional process and then discuss three ways in which contemplative practices—including various forms of meditation, prayer, and psychedelic ritual—aim to modulate this selfing process. First, we’ll examine "dissolutions" of the self, in which the sense of being a unified, bounded individual seems to break down. Second, we’ll discuss "possessions" of the self, in which non-self entities such as spirits and invisible beings seem to populate the private space of the body and mind. Finally, Dr. Lifshitz will introduce emerging research on "transmissions" of the self, in which states of consciousness appear to be passed from one bodymind to another. This survey will consider how and why practitioners may choose to cultivate these transformations of self-experience. It will also highlight what we are learning about the cognitive mechanisms, therapeutic possibilities, and potential risks of these practices. Throughout, expect an emphasis how social and cultural context shapes the way the self can be loosened, molded, and shared through contemplation.
Michael Lifshitz, PhD, is an Assistant Professor working in the Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry at McGill and the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal. He did his doctorate in neuroscience at McGill and then a postdoc in anthropology at Stanford, where he worked with Tanya Luhrmann to study how culture shapes spiritual experience. He now co-directs the Psychedelics and Contemplation Lab, an interdisciplinary research space that combines phenomenology, neuroscience and ethnography to shed light on the plasticity of consciousness. His research focuses on practices that aim to transform subjective experience—from meditation and hypnosis to placebos, prayer, and psychedelics. He is particularly interested in how these practices can modulate feelings of agency, so that thoughts, actions and sensations can come to feel as if they are emerging from a source beyond the self.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the idea of the self as a patterned, multidimensional process.
Review recent scientific studies exploring how contemplative practices can modulate the self and its boundaries.
Consider the implications for therapeutic interventions based on contemplative practices.
This lecture has been approved for 1 APA CE credit
Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Thursday, April 9th — 12pm EST
Addressing Institutional Betrayal with Courage
Abstract: In this lecture Dr. Freyd will present theory and research on interpersonal betrayal trauma, institutional betrayal trauma, betrayal blindness, and related concepts. Betrayal trauma occurs when the people or institutions on which a person depends or trust significantly violate that person’ s trust or well-being. The concept of “institutional betrayal” refers to the wrongdoings perpetrated by an institution upon individuals dependent on that institution. Institutional betrayal can occur through acts of commission or omission. Research has revealed that institutional betrayal is frequently experienced and is associated with both betrayal blindness and numerous negative mental and physical health symptoms. Related research has probed one type of betrayal trauma associated with a defensive tactic known as DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim and Offender). Emerging research points to the power of acts of institutional courage to address institutional betrayal.
Jennifer Joy Freyd, PhD, is Professor Emerit of Psychology at the University of Oregon and Founder and President of the Center for Institutional Courage. Freyd is best known for her theories of representational momentum, betrayal trauma, institutional betrayal, institutional courage, and DARVO (Deny, Attack, Reverse Victim & Offender). The author or coauthor of over 200 scientific articles and commentaries, Freyd is also the author of the Harvard Press award-winning book Betrayal Trauma: The Logic of Forgetting Childhood Abuse. Her book Blind to Betrayal, co-authored with Pamela J. Birrell, was translated into seven additional languages. Freyd served as the Editor of The Journal of Trauma & Dissociation from 2006 through 2023. Freyd is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. She received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation and the Gold Medal Award for Impact in Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation. In May 2024 Freyd received an honorary doctorate from Claremont Graduate University.
This lecture has been approved for 1 APA CE credit
Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Friday, May 22nd - 12pm EST
The Neuroscience of the Mind-Body Relationship in the Aftermath of Trauma: Implications for Treatment
Abstract: Trauma can significantly disrupt the connection between the mind, brain, and body, often leaving enduring effects on both the emotional/cognitive and somatic aspects of the self. Emerging findings in neuroscience are deepening our understanding of how somatic sensory processing—a core function that determines how the body experiences itself in space—plays a vital role in self-regulation and how we engage with the world around us.
In the wake of trauma, these systems are often severely compromised. Individuals may become disconnected from their bodies, feel a loss of agency, and struggle with a diminished sense of purpose. These disruptions can result in a fragmented sense of self and difficulty in daily functioning.
This workshop presents a comprehensive, neuroscience-informed approach to healing the traumatized self. Through integrative strategies, participants will learn how to rebuild the mind-body connection—whether that connection was disrupted or never fully developed. The goal is to support the restoration of an embodied, cohesive self that can feel fully alive after trauma.
Ruth A. Lanius, M.D., Ph.D. is a Psychiatry Professor and Harris-Woodman Chair at Western University of Canada, where she is the director of the Clinical Research Program for PTSD. Ruth has over 25 years of clinical and research experience with trauma-related disorders. She established the Traumatic Stress Service at London Health Sciences Centre, a program that specializes in the treatment of psychological trauma. Ruth has received numerous research and teaching awards, including the Banting Award for Military Health Research. She has published over 150 research articles and book chapters focusing on brain adaptations to psychological trauma and novel adjunct treatments for PTSD. Ruth regularly lectures on the topic of psychological trauma both nationally and internationally. Ruth has co-authored four books: The Effects of Early Life Trauma on Health and Disease: The Hidden Epidemic, Healing the Traumatized Self: Consciousness, Neuroscience, Treatment, and Finding Solid Ground. Ruth is a passionate clinician scientist who endeavours to understand the first-person experience of traumatized individuals throughout treatment and how it relates to brain functioning.
Learning Objectives:
Describe the impact of trauma on somatic sensory processing and its effects on self-regulation and embodiment.
Identify key signs of disconnection between the mind, brain, and body in individuals who have experienced trauma.
Apply integrative, neuroscience-informed strategies to help restore an embodied sense of self in trauma recovery work.
This lecture has been approved for 1 APA CE credit
Cheetah House is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Cheetah House maintains responsibility for this program and its content.