S2:E4 The Mind-Body Connection | What Research Is Revealing with Dr. Ann Van De Winckel
Wed Feb 04 2026
One clear goal of this podcast is to build the bridge between science, contemplative practice, and lived experience.
We have real and significant pieces to take us from struggle to peace, and from chaos to clarity. We feel them in the body. We sense them in the mind. We practice them in daily life.
And now, research is beginning to explain how and why they work.
In this episode, Holly is joined by Ann Van de Winckel, PhD, Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Director of the Brain–Body–Mind Lab, whose work is supported by a fellowship from the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing.
Ann's research explores how the brain and body communicate, how pain and stress can escalate when early signals are ignored, and how restoring awareness of the body can help reduce suffering—particularly for people living with chronic pain and neurological injury.
Together, they explore how this research is being applied in real-world settings: from using mindful movement such as qigong to support regulation and sleep in hospital environments, to helping people with amputation reduce phantom limb pain by improving body awareness.
They also discuss the emerging field of NeuroArts, including how Marc Noël's quantum paintings and immersive virtual experiences may support grounding, calm, and restored body awareness in students with anxiety and in people living with spinal cord injury.
This conversation is about more than research alone. It's about connecting what we feel, what we practice, and what science is beginning to validate—so we can live with greater awareness, clarity, and agency.
#PayAttention #MindBodyConnection #HealingAndScience #Awareness #IntegrativeHealth #ChronicPain #Qigong #Mindfulness #NeuroArts #LivedExperience #BakkenCenter
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One clear goal of this podcast is to build the bridge between science, contemplative practice, and lived experience. We have real and significant pieces to take us from struggle to peace, and from chaos to clarity. We feel them in the body. We sense them in the mind. We practice them in daily life. And now, research is beginning to explain how and why they work. In this episode, Holly is joined by Ann Van de Winckel, PhD, Associate Professor in the Division of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science at the University of Minnesota Medical School and Director of the Brain–Body–Mind Lab, whose work is supported by a fellowship from the Earl E. Bakken Center for Spirituality & Healing. Ann's research explores how the brain and body communicate, how pain and stress can escalate when early signals are ignored, and how restoring awareness of the body can help reduce suffering—particularly for people living with chronic pain and neurological injury. Together, they explore how this research is being applied in real-world settings: from using mindful movement such as qigong to support regulation and sleep in hospital environments, to helping people with amputation reduce phantom limb pain by improving body awareness. They also discuss the emerging field of NeuroArts, including how Marc Noël's quantum paintings and immersive virtual experiences may support grounding, calm, and restored body awareness in students with anxiety and in people living with spinal cord injury. This conversation is about more than research alone. It's about connecting what we feel, what we practice, and what science is beginning to validate—so we can live with greater awareness, clarity, and agency. #PayAttention #MindBodyConnection #HealingAndScience #Awareness #IntegrativeHealth #ChronicPain #Qigong #Mindfulness #NeuroArts #LivedExperience #BakkenCenter