William Van Gordon, PhD, is a Chartered Psychologist who lectures and conducts research in psychology at the University of Derby in the United Kingdom. He sits on the editorial board for various academic journals including Mindfulness and Mindfulness and Compassion.

He is also co-editor of two academic anthologies: Mindfulness and Buddhist-derived Approaches in Mental Health and Addiction, and The Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness. William has over 100 academic publications relating to the scientific study of meditation. Prior to joining academia, William was a Buddhist monk for ten years.

Here he describes a multi-year research project involving advanced Buddhist meditators who were able to enter into a particular state of consciousness very much akin to the classical near-death experience. An entire year was spent selecting and recruiting meditators who were skilled in this practice. Three additional years were spent in follow-up observations. Detailed descriptions were collected of this unusual state of consciousness. Follow-up studies are planned.

(Recorded on December 27, 2018)

To order Buddhist Foundations of Mindfulness, edited by William Van Gordon, click here: https://amzn.to/2sbwyMc

Published on January 3, 2019