As a prelude to Embodied Minds Conference, a small group will gather for an invitation-only salon exploring interoception at the level of lived experience.
Bringing together leading researchers, funders, and translational thinkers, the evening is designed to dissolve the usual boundaries between disciplines, and between theory and practice. It is a space for unfinished ideas, unexpected connections, and conversations that don’t fit neatly into a conference agenda.
Through immersive elements, including floatation-REST, somatic practices, and neurotechnology, participants are invited to step inside the science itself, exploring the body as both subject and instrument of inquiry.
Hosts
Diana Saville
BrainMind
Elizabeth Koch
Unlikely Collaborators
Featured Speakers
Bringing together two generations of leading thinkers in interoception, this dialogue reflects a rare intellectual lineage, with Dr. Damasio’s foundational work on consciousness and emotion deeply shaping Dr. Khalsa’s research into brain-body communication and mental health. Together, they will explore how interoception informs our understanding of consciousness, psychiatric illness, and the future of intelligence in an age of increasingly capable AI systems.
Guided by Elizabeth Koch, whose work centers on expanding self-awareness and human understanding, this fireside chat offers an intimate, cross-generational exchange at the frontier of how we understand the mind, the body, and the nature of being.
Antonio Damasio, MD, PhD
USC
Sahib Khalsa, MD, PhD
UCLA
Elizabeth Koch
Unlikely Collaborators
Immersive Experiences
Flotation-REST: A sensory reduction experience where participants float in warm, buoyant saltwater in a controlled environment to quiet external input and deepen interoceptive awareness.
Somatic Practices: Body-based interventions, including aesthetic chills and Swedish massage, designed to engage the nervous system and cultivate awareness through direct physical and emotional experience.
Neurotechnology Activations: Technology-enabled experiences, including immersive VR and the Shiftwave Chair, that modulate perception and physiological state to explore brain-body regulation in real time.
Musical Immersions: Curated sound-based experiences designed to evoke emotional and physiological responses through music.