International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
March 27, 2025
Déborah Ducasse, Martin Leurent, Marie-Christine Picot et al.
1 citation
According to ontological addiction theory, the root cause of mental suffering is a dysfunctional conceptualisation of the self. Typically, an individual with such a flawed self-concept deems themselves to be intrinsically separate from their surroundings, with their beliefs, choices and behaviours structured in order to reinforce their sense of an independently existing self. The Ontological...
Perspectives on Psychological Science
2022
William van Gordon, Supakyada Sapthiang, Edo Shonin
Contemplative psychology is concerned with the psychological study of contemplative processes and practices, such as meditation, mindfulness, yoga, introspection, reflection, metacognition, self-regulation, self-awareness, and self-consciousness. Although contemplative psychology borders with other psychological and nonpsychological disciplines, some of its underlying assumptions distinguish it...
Explore
2019
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Thomas J. Dunn et al.
38 citations
Wisdom-based Buddhist-derived practices (BDPs) are concerned with transmuting suffering by cultivating insight into the ultimate nature of both the self and reality. Arguably the most important wisdom-based BDP is emptiness (Sanskrit: śūnyatā) that implies that although phenomena are perceptible to the human mind, they do not intrinsically exist. Despite its significance in Buddhism, emptiness...
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
October 16, 2018
Supakyada Sapthiang, William van Gordon, Edo Shonin
67 citations
Between 10 and 20% of adolescents worldwide experience a mental health problem within a given 12-month period. Mental health problems impact on an adolescent’s potential to live a fulfilling and productive life and lead to challenges such as stigma, isolation and discrimination. To address this need, in recent years, there has been growing interest into broad-based school-integrated health...
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
June 7, 2018
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Sofiane Diouri et al.
Background: Ontological addiction theory (OAT) is a novel metaphysical model of psychopathology and posits that human beings are prone to forming implausible beliefs concerning the way they think they exist, and that these beliefs can become addictive leading to functional impairments and mental illness. The theoretical underpinnings of OAT derive from the Buddhist philosophical perspective...
Mindfulness
March 11, 2018
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Thomas J. Dunn et al.
38 citations
Near-death experiences (NDEs) are life transformational events that are increasingly being subjected to empirical research. However, to date, no study has investigated the phenomenon of a meditation-induced near-death experience (MI-NDE) that is referred to in ancient Buddhist texts. Given that some advanced Buddhist meditators can induce NDEs at a pre-planned point in time, the MI-NDE may make...
Journal of Religion and Health
October 2017
T Lomas, N Etcoff, William van Gordon et al.
Amidst the burgeoning enthusiasm for mindfulness in the West, there is a concern that the largely secular 'de-contextualized' way in which it is being harnessed is denuding it of its potential to improve health and well-being. As such, efforts are underway to 're-contextualize' mindfulness, explicitly drawing on the wider framework of Buddhist ideas and practices in which it was initially...
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
April 19, 2017
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Thomas J. Dunn et al.
144 citations
Background and aims Workaholism is a form of behavioral addiction that can lead to reduced life and job satisfaction, anxiety, depression, burnout, work-family conflict, and impaired productivity. Given the number of people affected, there is a need for more targeted workaholism treatments. Findings from previous case studies successfully utilizing second-generation mindfulness-based...
British Journal of Health Psychology
November 25, 2016
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Thomas J. Dunn et al.
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to conduct the first randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the effectiveness of a second-generation mindfulness-based intervention (SG-MBI) for treating fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). Compared to first-generation mindfulness-based interventions, SG-MBIs are more acknowledging of the spiritual aspect of mindfulness. Design: A RCT employing...
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
June 27, 2016
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Mark D Griffiths
Background Sex addiction is a disorder that can have serious adverse functional consequences. Treatment effectiveness research for sex addiction is currently underdeveloped, and interventions are generally based on the guidelines for treating other behavioral (as well as chemical) addictions. Consequently, there is a need to clinically evaluate tailored treatments that target the specific...
International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction
May 13, 2016
Edo Shonin, William van Gordon
Consistent with its growing popularity amongst the general public and medical community, throughout recent decades there have been increasing attempts to understand the mechanisms that underlie therapeutic improvement in individuals receiving mindfulness training. The current paper draws upon findings from various remits of scientific enquiry and summarises key evidence-based mechanisms of...
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
June 1, 2013
Edo Shonin, William van Gordon, Mark D Griffiths
Purpose In the last five years, scientific interest into the potential applications of Buddhist-derived interventions (BDIs) for the treatment of problem gambling has been growing. This paper reviews current directions, proposes conceptual applications, and discusses integration issues relating to the utilisation of BDIs as problem gambling treatments. Method Aliterature search and evaluation...
European Psychiatry
March 1, 2011
E.C. Sundin, Edo Shonin, William van Gordon et al.
Mindfulness meditation has been practiced in the Eastern world for more than 25 centuries but only recently it has become popular in the West. Today, therapeutic interventions such as ‘Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction’ are used within health services throughout Europe as a means of improving patient wellbeing. Whilst these interventions have proved successful in reducing stress and depression...