Cassandra Vieten, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, clinical professor in the department of family medicine, and director of research at the Arthur C. Clarke Center for Human Imagination at the University of California, San Diego. She also directs the Center for Mindfulness at UC San Diego and serves as clinical psychology director at the Center for Psychedelic Research. She is senior advisor at the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation and a senior fellow at the Institute of Noetic Sciences. Her research has focused on imagination, spirituality and health, transformative experiences and practices, the development of mindfulness-based interventions for emotional well-being, and development of media technologies to inspire awe. She has authored three books, is a three-time TEDx speaker, has published numerous articles in scientific journals, and is an internationally recognized keynote speaker and workshop leader.