NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCE WITHOUT DYING?
Contemplative Experience and Case Research
with Dr. Robert J. Hesse
Sunday, October 11, 2020 | 2:00-5:00 pm
Hosted on Zoom by the Institute for Spirituality and Health
Free of Charge | Donations Appreciated
Join Houston IANDS in an experiential journey of discovery backed by neuroscientific studies. The presentation will be in two parts - contemplative experience and comparative research - each followed by a discussion with a break in-between. The final discussion will focus on how the two presentations relate.
MEDITATION & CONTEMPLATION
There will be a brief explanation of meditation and contemplation. You will be introduced to centering prayer, which is a silent method of theistic prayer to prepare oneself to be in the receptive state for receiving the gift of contemplative prayer. This will include the origin and method of the practice and the resulting fruits. There will be a guided centering prayer session, which will enable you to experience the practice.
COMPARATIVE RESEARCH
We will compare the neuroscientific and religious research of two altered states of consciousness: near-death experience (NDE) and spiritual contemplative experience (SCE). Brain scans compared subjects remembering their NDE with those remembering their SCE. Research results show a clear correlation of neurological brain activation and of reported experiential attributes between NDE and SCE.
Our Speaker:
Robert Hesse, Ph.D. is a permanent Catholic deacon. He is Co-founder and President of Contemplative Network, dedicated to interdenominational Christian contemplative prayer teaching, scientific research and interfaith dialogue. He was inspired by Trappist Monk, Fr. Thomas Merton, while on retreat at Gethsemani Trappist monastery. Later he was appointed by Trappist Fr. Thomas Keating, Commissioned Presenter of Contemplative Outreach Ltd. (COL) and Keating’s emissary to the first COL dialogue with the Mind & Life Institute, in response to an invitation by The Dalai Lama to Keating. He is retired Vice Chairman and faculty member of the Institute for Spirituality and Health. He is also Adjunct Professor at the University of St. Thomas. He has given numerous international and interfaith presentations, retreats and courses on contemplative prayer and Faith and Science, having degrees in both.
Houston IANDS (International Association for Near-Death Studies) at the Texas Medical Center serves as a safe space to support those who have had a near-death experience as they integrate their experience into their lives. Houston IANDS also serves to inform the public about NDEs and the lessons and messages that experiencers bring back, and to educate the medical community to recognize and appropriately treat people who have had an NDE.
