Explore (New York, N.Y.)
January 1, 2019
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Thomas J. Dunn et al.
38 citations
Cultivating emptiness (śūnyatā), a wisdom-based Buddhist-derived practice, appears to reconnect advanced meditators to what they consider the innermost nature of mind and phenomena. In a study of 25 advanced Buddhist meditators, emptiness meditation produced significantly greater improvements in non-attachment to self and environment, mystical experiences, compassion, positive affect, and negative affect compared to a mindfulness meditation control. No significant relationship was found between duration of emptiness meditation and any outcome. Qualitative analysis revealed that participants combined concentrative and investigative techniques to induce emptiness, elicited spiritually meaningful insights, and retained volitional control over the meditation.
Mindfulness
March 11, 2018
William van Gordon, Edo Shonin, Thomas J. Dunn et al.
38 citations
Advanced Buddhist meditators can intentionally induce near-death experiences (NDEs) at a planned time, a phenomenon called meditation-induced NDE (MI-NDE). In a study of 12 such meditators, the MI-NDE produced significantly greater increases in NDE profundity, mystical experiences, and non-attachment compared to two other meditation practices. Participants' NDE profundity also increased across a 3-year period. Qualitative analysis revealed that participants were consciously aware of the NDE, retained volitional control over its content and duration, and reported rich non-worldly encounters. The findings corroborate features of regular NDEs and suggest unexplored dimensions, indicating it is feasible and ethical to study real-time neurological activity during NDEs using advanced meditators.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
March 27, 2025
Déborah Ducasse, Martin Leurent, Marie-Christine Picot et al.
1 citation
A French version of the Ontological Addiction Scale (OAS) was validated in 492 French adults with emotional or mood disorders. The scale measures ontological addiction, a dysfunctional self-concept where individuals see themselves as separate from their surroundings. The French OAS showed good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.89) and strong test-retest reliability, with a single-factor structure matching the original English version. A 12-item version also had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.81). Construct validity was supported by medium to large correlations with self-esteem, shame, perfectionism, and mindfulness. The French OAS is a robust tool for assessing ontological addiction in research and clinical practice.
Perspectives on psychological science : a journal of the Association for Psychological Science
January 1, 2022
William van Gordon, Supakyada Sapthiang, Edo Shonin
Contemplative psychology is defined as the psychological study of contemplative processes and practices including meditation, mindfulness, yoga, introspection, reflection, metacognition, self-regulation, self-awareness, and self-consciousness. The discipline shares borders with other psychological and nonpsychological fields but is distinguished by its underlying assumptions, areas of empirical focus, conceptual nuances, and challenges. The field has been somewhat disparate in investigating its core techniques and principles, creating a need for greater intradisciplinary and interdisciplinary awareness. This article adopts a whole-discipline perspective to explicate contemplative psychology's history, breadth, key assumptions, challenges, and future directions.
Journal of Behavioral Addictions
June 1, 2013
Edo Shonin, William Van Gordon, Mark D Griffiths
Research on Buddhist-derived interventions (BDIs) for problem gambling is growing but remains limited to cross-sectional studies and clinical case studies. Findings suggest that Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices may help reduce problem gambling symptoms. Other potentially useful practices include insight meditation to address avoidance and dissociation, antidotes such as patience and impermanence to reduce impulsivity, loving-kindness meditation to foster positive thinking, and middle-way principles to reduce relapse and withdrawal. However, no controlled treatment studies exist, and barriers include a lack of experienced BDI clinicians and poor provision of both BDIs and gambling interventions. The authors conclude that preliminary findings are promising but further research is needed.