25 Apr Dr Judson Brewer & Mindfulness
Judson Brewer is a leading figure in contemporary mindfulness research, whose work bridges neuroscience, clinical practice, and digital therapeutics to address addictions, anxiety, and habit change. Born in 1974, Brewer earned his A.B. in chemistry at Princeton (1996) before completing both an M.D. (2004) and a Ph.D. in immunology (2002) at Washington University in St. Louis Wikipedia.
After post‐doctoral neuroscience training and residency in psychiatry at Yale, he held faculty positions at Yale (assistant professor of psychiatry and research affiliate in MIT’s Brain and Cognitive Sciences) and directed research at UMass Medical School’s Center for Mindfulness Wikipedia.
Since joining Brown University in 2013 as Director of Research and Innovation at its Mindfulness Center, Brewer has published seminal studies elucidating the neural mechanisms of mindfulness—particularly its impact on the brain’s default mode network (DMN)—and translated these findings into evidence‐based interventions for smoking cessation, emotional eating, and generalized anxiety Wikipedia.
His 2011 PNAS study demonstrated that experienced meditators exhibit decreased DMN activity and enhanced cognitive control even at rest, suggesting lasting neuroplastic changes with sustained practice Yale School of Medicine.
Building on this, Brewer’s randomized trials have shown that mindfulness‐based smoking cessation yields significantly higher abstinence rates (31% vs. 6% at 17 weeks) than standard treatments PubMed.
As founder of MindSciences (now DrJud), he has developed app‐based digital therapeutics (Unwinding Anxiety, Eat Right Now, Craving to Quit) that produce clinically meaningful reductions in anxiety (up to 67% vs. 14% with usual care), overeating, and smoking Wikipedia.
A sought‐after speaker (TED global, Verywell Mind podcast) and New York Times–bestselling author (Unwinding Anxiety; The Craving Mind), Brewer continues to integrate cutting‐edge neuroscience with ancient contemplative wisdom to empower lasting behavior change Verywell Mind.
Early Life and Education
Judson Alyn Brewer was born in 1974 and raised in Indianapolis, where he delivered newspapers as a boy and won a college scholarship from the Indianapolis News in 1992 Wikipedia.
He attended Brebeuf Preparatory School (Indianapolis) before enrolling at Princeton University, earning an A.B. in chemistry in 1996 Wikipedia.
Brewer then pursued dual graduate degrees at Washington University School of Medicine, obtaining a Ph.D. in immunology (2002)—with a dissertation on glucocorticoids in immune development—and an M.D. (2004) Wikipedia.
His interdisciplinary training laid the groundwork for later bridging immunology, psychiatry, and neuroscience to interrogate how mindfulness modulates brain and body.
Research on Mindfulness and the Brain
Default Mode Network and Neuroplasticity
Brewer’s 2011 study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences was among the first to apply fMRI to compare experienced meditators (≥10 years of practice) with novices, revealing that long‐term mindfulness practice dampens activity in the default mode network (DMN)—specifically the medial prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices—thereby reducing mind‐wandering and self‐referential thought Yale School of Medicine.
Intriguingly, experienced meditators exhibited co‐activation of cognitive control regions even when not actively meditating, suggesting a rewiring of baseline brain connectivity toward present‐centered awareness Yale School of Medicine.
Real‐Time fMRI Neurofeedback
Building on DMN findings, Brewer pioneered real‐time fMRI neurofeedback interventions, in which practitioners view live feedback of their posterior cingulate cortex activity to learn to self‐regulate mind‐wandering Yale School of Medicine.
Preliminary data indicate that neurofeedback accelerates skill acquisition in novices, offering promise for clinical populations who struggle with sustained attention and craving management.
Mindfulness and Addiction: Mechanisms and Clinical Applications
Theoretical Foundations: Awareness as “Brain Hack”
In his 2019 review in Current Opinion in Psychology, Brewer reframes mindfulness as a form of reward‐based learning: by cultivating non‐reactive awareness of cravings, individuals exploit operant conditioning paradigms to weaken the habitual pull of addictive cues and strengthen self‐regulation PubMed.
He highlights the orbitofrontal cortex’s role in reward valuation and posits that mindfulness engages this circuitry to update learned associations, effectively serving as a “brain hack” to subvert automatic addictive processes.
Smoking Cessation Trials
Brewer’s landmark 2011 randomized controlled trial compared group mindfulness training (MT) to the American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking program in 88 nicotine‐dependent adults. MT participants exhibited significantly greater reductions in daily cigarette use during the 4-week intervention (F = 11.11, p = .001) and achieved higher point‐prevalence abstinence at 17 weeks (31% vs. 6%, p = .012) PubMed.
These findings underscore mindfulness’s superiority over standard cessation approaches in fostering durable behavior change.
Emotional Eating and Overeating
In a 2017 clinical trial of the Eat Right Now app, participants reported a 40% decrease in craving‐related eating after two months of mindfulness‐based training Wikipedia.
Mechanistic analyses linked reductions in striatal reactivity to food cues with improved self‐regulation, supporting the transdiagnostic applicability of mindfulness to both substance and behavioral addictions.
Anxiety and Stress Reduction
Brewer developed the Unwinding Anxiety program to target maladaptive “anxiety loops.” In a single-arm study among physicians, the intervention yielded a 57% reduction in self-reported anxiety over eight weeks Wikipedia.
A subsequent randomized trial in individuals with generalized anxiety disorder found a 67% reduction with Unwinding Anxiety versus 14% with usual clinical care (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2021) Wikipedia.
Digital Therapeutics and the DrJud Apps
Founding MindSciences/DrJud
In 2012 Brewer founded MindSciences, Inc.—rebranded as DrJud—to translate laboratory findings into scalable, app‐based digital therapeutics Wikipedia.
The platform integrates guided mindfulness practices, interactive exercises, and just‐in‐time notifications grounded in Brewer’s neuroscientific research.
Core Apps and Outcomes
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Craving to Quit: A smoking cessation app built on MT protocols, which demonstrated mechanistic links between decreased neural reactivity to smoking cues and real‐world abstinence Wikipedia.
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Eat Right Now: Targets dysfunctional eating, achieving a 40% reduction in craving‐related episodes and improved eating patterns Wikipedia.
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Unwinding Anxiety: Combines mindfulness modules with psychoeducation to dismantle anxiety loops; clinical trials report up to 67% anxiety reduction (vs. 14% usual care) Wikipedia.
Industry Recognition and Acquisition
MindSciences won “Health Value Award in Behavioral Health Management” in both 2019 and 2020 for outstanding digital health innovation Wikipedia.
In 2020, Sharecare Inc. acquired the company, appointing Brewer as Executive Medical Director to expand digital therapeutics offerings Wikipedia.
Key Publications
Books
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The Craving Mind (Yale University Press, 2013): Explores addiction’s neurobiological underpinnings and demonstrates how mindfulness interrupts habit loops to foster recovery Yale University Press.
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Unwinding Anxiety (Celadon Books, 2020): Provides a practical, brain‐based roadmap to break the cycle of worry and fear, drawing on Brewer’s research and clinical experience Dr. Jud.
Seminal Journal Articles
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Brewer JA, Worhunsky PD, et al. “Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity” (PNAS, 2011) Wikipedia.
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Brewer JA, Elwafi HM, Davis JH. “Craving to quit: Psychological models and neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness training as treatment for addictions” (Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 2013) Wikipedia.
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Roy A, Deluty A, Liu T, Hoge EA, Brewer JA. “Clinical Efficacy and Psychological Mechanisms of an App-Based Digital Therapeutic for Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial” (JMIR, 2021) Wikipedia.
Public Outreach and Media
Brewer’s 2012 TED Global talk, “A simple way to break a bad habit,” has garnered over 3 million views, distilling complex neuroscience into an accessible curiosity‐driven approach to habit change TED.
He regularly appears on podcasts (e.g., Verywell Mind) and in mainstream media (National Geographic, WBUR’s Radio Boston), emphasizing the blend of modern science and contemplative wisdom in cultivating mental strength Verywell Mind.
Future Directions and Conclusion
Brewer’s ongoing work seeks to refine neurofeedback protocols, personalize digital therapeutics using machine learning, and extend mindfulness interventions to educational and corporate settings—evidenced by his 2023 co-founding of College Journey to support high-school students’ stress management Wikipedia.
With over 15,000 citations of his research as of 2024, Brewer exemplifies the integration of rigorous neuroscience, clinical trials, and scalable technology to transform how we understand and harness mindfulness for lasting behavior change Wikipedia.
His trajectory from immunology Ph.D. to digital health innovator underscores the power of interdisciplinary inquiry in addressing some of today’s most pressing mental health and addiction challenges.
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