Shawn Prest - The Science of Letting Go

PhD researcher Shawn Prest examines the mechanisms behind meditation, drawing on neuroscience and contemplative science to explain how letting go reshapes perception, reduces mental tension, and alters the sense of self.

You can also listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other major podcast platform. Here it is in video format if you prefer:

Episode Overview

In this episode of The FitMind Podcast, Josh speaks with Shawn Prest, a PhD researcher at the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, about what meditation is actually doing under the hood.

Shawn’s work focuses on perception, action, and cognition, and how long-term meditation reshapes these systems over time. Drawing on predictive processing and active inference, he explains how the brain constantly builds models of the world and how suffering can arise when those models become overly rigid, abstract, or outdated.

A central theme of the conversation is letting go. Rather than framing it as a vague emotional release, Shawn describes letting go as a measurable decrease in confidence or “precision” at higher levels of the brain’s hierarchy. When this happens, perception naturally shifts downward toward more direct sensory experience, bringing with it relief, openness, and equanimity.

The discussion explores:

Why the brain simplifies reality for survival and how meditation temporarily relaxes this process
The difference between jhāna-based and insight-based routes of meditative development
How reduced self-related brain activity may explain long-term changes in well-being
What cessation experiences reveal about how consciousness is constructed
Why equanimity is not emotional numbness, but a different way of perceiving

Throughout the episode, Shawn emphasizes care and nuance, especially when discussing trauma, anxiety, and mental health. Rather than prescribing techniques, he outlines a framework that helps explain why certain practices work and when they may not be appropriate without support.

This conversation is especially relevant for meditators who want a deeper scientific understanding of their practice, as well as anyone curious about how the mind updates, adapts, and sometimes learns to loosen its grip.

P.S. — If you’re serious about starting or deepening your meditation practice, check out the FitMind meditation app.

Shawn Prest Bio

Shawn Prest is a PhD researcher at the Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies at Monash University. His research sits at the intersection of contemplative science, computational neuroscience, and philosophy, with a focus on understanding how meditation reshapes perception, action, and cognition over time.

Originally trained in computer science, Shawn later completed a master’s degree in philosophy of science before turning his attention to the scientific study of meditation. His work draws on predictive processing and active inference to explain experiential phenomena such as letting go, equanimity, absorption states, and the reduction of self-related processing seen in long-term meditators.

Shawn is particularly interested in developing mechanistic, testable accounts of meditative development, including how practices may reduce suffering by loosening overly rigid models of the self and the world. His broader aim is to contribute to a rigorous scientific understanding of awakening that remains faithful to lived experience.

Show Notes

Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies (M3CS) Website: https://www.monash.edu/consciousness-contemplative-studies

Shawn Prest’s Website: https://shawnprest.owlstown.net

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neuroscience, mental health, meditationFitMindJanuary 21, 2026group90, neuroscience, brain, meditation, neuroscience of meditation, predictive processing, meditative statesComment