About this episode

The episode discusses the neuroscience behind meditation and the process of letting go, featuring insights from PhD researcher Shawn Prest.

The Science of Letting Go explores how meditation works in the brain, drawing on neuroscience, predictive processing, and contemplative science to explain how letting go reduces stress, softens self-related thinking, and changes perception over time. In this episode of The FitMind Podcast, we sit down with PhD researcher Shawn Prest from Monash University about what's actually happening under the hood when we meditate. Rather than framing letting go as a vague emotional release, Shawn describes it as a measurable shift in how the brain assigns confidence to its highest-level models, including the sense of self. They explore how the brain functions as a prediction system, why excessive certainty can create mental tension and suffering, and how meditation helps loosen rigid patterns by shifting perception toward more direct sensory experience. These changes can support greater equanimity, reduced reactivity, and long-term improvements in well-being. Topics include: How meditation changes self-related brain activity What "letting go" means from a neuroscience perspective The difference between insight-based and absorption-based meditation paths Why equanimity feels relieving rather…

People in this episode

Host: FitMind

Guest: Shawn Prest

Topics covered

• meditation
• neuroscience
• letting go
• self-related thinking
• mental well-being
• predictive processing

Keywords

• meditation
• neuroscience
• letting go
• self
• mental tension
• equanimity
• predictive processing

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Monash University, FitMind

More episodes of The FitMind Podcast: Mental Fitness, Neuroscience & Psychology

• #112: The Illusion of Self: Nondual Meditation & Brain Science - John Dunne, PhD · April 21, 2026 · 1h 26m
• #111: The Future of Meditation: AI, Neurofeedback, & VR - Steve Haberlin, PhD · March 17, 2026 · 58 min
• #110: Rites of Passage & the Wisdom in Collapse - Linda Thai · February 17, 2026 · 54 min
• #108: The Ethics of Meditation - Nicholas Van Dam, PhD · December 16, 2025 · 1h 46m
• #107: The Science of Human Connection - Dr. Tania Singer · November 25, 2025 · 45 min
• #106: Multitasking Myths, Focus & Real-World Brain Health - Therese Huston, PhD · October 21, 2025 · 52 min

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