Naina is a scholar-practitioner of Buddhist Vajrayāna Tantra and a psychedelics and meditation researcher at the University of Exeter, supervised by Dr Peter Sjöstedt-Hughes, Dr Leor Roseman, and Professor Celia Morgan. Her research explores Mapping Unitive States—profound mystical and metaphysical experiences of oneness—through The View from the Nālandā tradition, drawing on Mādhyamaka philosophy to deconstruct dualities and cultivate non-dual awareness. These states hold therapeutic potential for both meditation and psychedelic-assisted therapies.
By bridging direct experience with analytical inquiry, her work highlights the transformative potential of non-dual states. She integrates phenomenology, ontological inquiry, and East-West philosophical perspectives, alongside empirical methods such as micro-phenomenology, to systematically map the subjective dimensions of these states—contributing to psychedelic therapies, contemplative science, and consciousness research. Naina also developed the Vedānta course for Exeter’s postgraduate Psychedelics programme, integrating ancient wisdom with modern scientific approaches.
Colloquium Presentation: 3:35-5pm, 7th February 2025 (G17, Mood Disorder Centre, Sir Henry Wellcome Building)
Mapping Unitive States
Abstract
When we think of ‘unitive states,’ visions of cosmic oneness or mystical bliss often arise. Yet beneath these poetic descriptions lie deeper questions: How do these states reshape our sense of self, and how are they cultivated—culturally, cognitively, and pharmacologically?
This talk explores the significance, ontology (the study of being), and transformative potential of unitive states. Drawing from the Nālandā tradition—an ancient Buddhist university renowned for its rigorous philosophical inquiry and meditative practices—these states have been systematically mapped for centuries, providing profound insights into the nature of mind and reality. Today, psychedelic research offers new pathways to access such states, presenting possibilities for healing and the dissolution of self-boundaries.
By bridging contemplative traditions, Western metaphysics, and psychedelic science, this talk presents an integrative framework for understanding unitive states—bringing together ancient wisdom and contemporary insights.
The session will open with a guided meditation based on non-dual principles, offering participants a direct experience of the themes explored.