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About Me

Dr. Meera Murthi is a licensed counseling psychologist in the State of Ohio and New York, and a Lecturer at the University of Cincinnati’s College of Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine. She completed a BA at the University of Mumbai, India, MS in counseling psychology from Radford University, PhD at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a post-doctoral residency at Cornell University. Dr. Murthi has worked in university mental health practice at the University of Rochester, Xavier University, and University of Cincinnati and has taught and trained and supervised pre-doctoral interns, post-doctoral fellows and medical residents.

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After completing her post-doctoral residency  at Cornell University, Gannette Health Services in 2007, Dr. Murthi has studied with teachers from Vipassana, Theravada, and Soulfulness traditions in India and in the US. Her personal contemplative and somatic practices explore and draw from socially engaged Buddhist teachings, philosophies, and practices of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, Thai Forest Tradition, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s Navayana Buddhism, and Reesma Menakem’s somatic abolitionism. She is a qualified teacher of the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program (University of Massachusetts Medical School) and the Mindful Self-Compassion program (University of California San Diego Medical School).
 
She offers mindfulness and compassion-based courses to university faculty, staff, students and community participants through the Osher Center of Integrative Health, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Cincinnati, College of Medicine. She has offered consultations and trainings, on systemic trauma and healing practices for academic and community based organizations in the US and India, including Cincinnati Public Schools, Free Store Food Bank, Asian Community Alliance, American Psychological Association Division 35 Justice and Joy Initiative, Brown University, University of Notre Dame, University of Cincinnati College of Nursing, University of Cincinnati Student Services Leadership, Vijay R. Sanghvi Foundation, and Center for Mindful Self Compassion. Currently she is engaged in offering programming around trauma education, systemic healing, mindfulness and compassion based trainings, and transformational leadership training for UC administration and students, 7Hills Neighborhood Houses, and at the Buddhist Dharma Center of Cincinnati. 
 
Originally from India, Dr. Murthi’s early community work at an NGO in Mumbai exposed her to issues of sexual abuse, violence and HIV prevention for women and girls who were forced into sexual slavery in Mumbai’s red light areas. Based on personal and community experiences with sexual violence, Dr. Murthi’s doctoral research focused on systemic trauma and sexual violence in the context of the 2004 Gujarat genocide in India, specifically anti-minority attitudes among upper caste/savarna Hindus and the use of rape as a “tool of war” against minority Muslim communities. 
 
Over the last decade and a half, Dr. Murthi’s engagement in the areas of mindfulness, self-compassion, accountability, and healing have supported an evolving consciousness to resist systems of privilege, oppression and power implicit in contexts of ongoing global/local harm. As a savarna/brahmin/'upper' caste South Asian body, Dr. Murthi is committed to continuing lifelong learning, training, and teaching around healing and liberatory practices rooted in mindfulness and compassion that support decolonization, anti-casteism, and somatic abolitionism.
 
For the last 12 years, Dr. Murthi has lived with her family on unceded lands of the Hopewell, Adena, Osage, Shawnee, and Myaamia peoples and tended to by enslaved labor of peoples of African descent—now named Cincinnati. Dr. Murthi is committed to cultivating the sacred consciousness of Dalit and Adivasi peoples of South Asian descent in India and in the diaspora and Black and Indigenous peoples in the US and in the diaspora. She has deep gratitude for the generosity and connection she receives from her contemplative teachers and elders, academic mentors, colleagues, and fellow practitioners in India and the US. 

Journey

Select Trainings and Courses Completed 

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  • Meditation and Service retreat at Shree Buvaneshwari Mahila Ashram, Anjani Sen, North India (November 2023-December 2023) 

  • Mindfulness, Soulfulness and Engaged Practice. Intensive by Dr. Rhonda Magee. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. (May 2023-May 2024)

  • Foundations of Somatic Abolitionism: Communal Consultation for Bodies of Culture. Intensive by Resmaa Menakem (February 2023-December 2023)

  • The Inner Work of Beginning Again: Retreat on Mindfulness and Race (Caste). Dr. Rhonda Magee. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA (April 2022)

  • Mindful Self-Compassion Diversity, Equity, Inclusion Training Intensive for MSC Teachers

  • Faculty: Sydney Spears and Tracy Ochester (October 2021-November 2021)

  • Trauma Resource Model (TRM) and Community Resilience Models Training(CRM) (October 2021)

  • Mindfulness Intensive: Early Buddhist Meditation II: Mindfulness of Breathing. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Satipatthāna Sutta Weeklong Intensive; Resident Monk: Bhikkhu Anālayo (November, 2021)

  • Racial Healing Facilitator Training. University of Cincinnati's Center for Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation. (July 2021)

  • Mindfulness and the Inner Work of Racial Justice. Rhonda Magee. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Three-day intensive (May 2021)

  • Mindfulness Intensives Early Buddhist Meditation I: The Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Satipatthāna Sutta Weeklong Intensive; Resident Monk: Bhikkhu Anālayo: and Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā (April 2021).

  • Mindfulness Intensive:Three Steps for Emotional Transformation Intensive Taught by Buddhist Monk: Pema Chödrön. Two Month Intensive (Winter 2021)

  • Mindfulness Intensive: Gentle Perseverance Retreat. Buddhist Teachings and Meditation. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Faculty: Jeanne Corrigal, Tara Mulay, and Rachel Lewis (December 2020)

  • Mindfulness Intensive focused on Women: Inviting the Divine Feminine: Practices for Transformation and Resilience. Teachings from Vajrayana Buddhism. Five-week course with Lama Liz Monson. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. (September-October 2020)

  • Cultivating Inner Strength: An Insight Dialogue Program for People of Color. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Faculty: Tuere Sala (August 2020)

  • Mindful Self-Compassion Offering: Healing the Wounds of Disconnection; Addressing Racial Trauma. Center For Mindful Self-Compassion (June 2020)

  • Mindfulness Intensive: MBSR 16-Month Course on Mindfulness and Mediation. Cincinnati Dharma Center, Teacher Joan Staubach. (Fall 2018-May 2019)

  • Mindfulness Intensive: Mindfulness Meditation: Way of Awareness-I. Week-long intensive at Omega Institute, NY). Faculty: Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D; Will Kabat-Zinn. (May 2019)

  • Mindful Self Compassion Program (MSC). Teacher Training Intensive. Joshua Tree Retreat Center, CA. Weeklong intensive. Mindfulness Center; University of California, San Diego, Medical School. Faculty: Chris Germer Ph.D; Steve Hickman Ph.D; Michelle Becker LMFT; Beth Mulligan PA-C. (January 2019)

  • Mindful Self Compassion Program (MSC). Fundamentals. Weeklong retreat at Esalen Retreat Center. Big Sur California. Mindfulness Center; University of California, San Diego, Medical School. Faculty: Steve Hickman Ph.D. Michelle Becker LMFT. (May 2018)

  • Mindfulness Intensive: Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) Consultation and Advisement. Brown Center for Mindfulness. Faculty: Lyn Koerbel MPH, (Fall 2018)

  • Mindfulness Intensive: Mindfulness Meditation: Way of Awareness II. Faculty: Omega Institute. Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D; Will Kabat-Zinn. (May 2018)

  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) Fundamental 8-Week Program. Faculty: Steve Flowers MS, MFT. (March 2018)

  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) Practice Teaching Intensive: University of Massachusetts Medical School. Faculty: Lyn Koerbel MPH; Jacob Piet Ph.D. (Fall 2017)

  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) in Mind-Body Medicine: 8-Day Teacher Training Intensive Faculty: Saki Santorelli EdD, MA, Florence-Meleo-Meyer; Judson Brewer, MD. (Summer 2017)

  • Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) Fundamentals: 9-Day Teacher Training Intensive. Faculty: Robert Smith, MD; Florence-Meleo-Meyer MS, MS, LMFT. (Fall 2016)​

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Silent Meditation Retreats Completed

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  • 5-Day Teacher-Led Meditation Stay: Shree Buvaneshwari Mahila Ashram, Anjani Sen, Uttarakhand, North India Completed (Fall 2023)

  • 5-Day Retreat. Intensive by Rhonda Magee. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. (May 2024, 2023, 2022)

  • 1-Day Silent Retreat and Contemplative Mindfulness, and Practice. Intensive by Rhonda Magee. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. (May 2023)

  • Observance of Noble Silence: Early Buddhist Meditation II: Mindfulness of Breathing. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Satipatthāna Sutta; Resident Monk: Bhikkhu Anālayo (November, 2021)

  • Observance of Noble Silence: Early Buddhist Meditation II: The Four Establishments of Mindfulness. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Satipatthāna Sutta. Resident Monk: Bhikkhu Anālayo: and Bhikkhunī Dhammadinnā (April 2021).

  • Observance of Noble Silence. Buddhist Teachings and Meditation. Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Barre, MA. Faculty: Jeanne Corrigal, Tara Mulay, and Rachel Lewis (December 2020)

  • 1-2 Day Observance of Silence :Mindfulness Meditation: Way of Awareness-I. Faculty: Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D; Will Kabat-Zinn. (May 2019)

  • 1-2 Day Observance of Silence: Mindfulness Meditation: Way of Awareness II. Faculty: Jon Kabat-Zinn Ph.D; Will Kabat-Zinn. (May 2018

  • 5-Day Silent Teacher-Led Retreat: Faculty: Amita Schmidt. Oakwood Retreat, Indiana May 2017

  • Observance of Noble Silence. MBSR Faculty: Steve Flowers MS, MFT.  (Spring 2016) 

  • 3-Day Silent Teacher-Led Retreat: Toronto Canada (Spring 2009)

  • 10-Day Silent Teacher-Led Retreat: Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts (Winter 2008)

  • 15-Day Teacher-Led Meditation Stay: Shree Buvaneshwari Mahila Ashram, Anjani Sen, Uttarakhand, North India Completed (Spring 2007)

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