International Summer Retreat with Acem's Founder
- Date
- Saturday 18. July 2026, 18:00
- Location
- Lundsholm, Värmland, Sweden
Halvor Eifring
General Secretary of Acem International. Professor of Chinese, University of Oslo.
Halvor Eifring, PhD (born 1960 in Norway) is the general secretary of Acem International and the head of Acem Norway. He learned Acem Meditation in 1976, became an instructor in 1979 and an initiator in 2001.
He started Acem in Taiwan and has taught and lectured on Acem Meditation in 11 countries in Europe, Asia and America.
He is the editor of the book The Power of the Wandering Mind: Spontaneous Thought in Science and Philosophy, has co-authored the book Acem Meditation: An Introductory Companion (with Dr. Are Holen) and written several articles on Acem Meditation and related topics. He is one of the editors of Acem's quarterly journal Dyade.
Dr. Eifring is Professor of Chinese at the University of Oslo, Norway. He has published books and articles on Chinese language and literature and is currently leading a research project on mind wandering in science, philosophy and contemplative traditions.
He is married and lives in Oslo, Norway.
Coming courses
International One Week Deepening Retreat with Acem's Founder
- Date
- Saturday 25. July 2026, 18:00
- Location
- Halvorsbøle Int. Retreat Centre, Oslo
Advanced International Three-week Deepening Retreat
- Date
- Saturday 2. January 2027, 18:00
- Location
- Lundsholm, Värmland, Sweden
Related articles
Can doubt about repeating the meditation sound say something about one's relationship to life?
A young woman had begun to doubt how she should repeat the sound. Perhaps fear of what a more open awareness would bring?
Webinar: The mind behind the mind – spontaneous thought and beyond
Halvor Eifring uses meditative traditions to shed light on modern rootlessness, spontaneous thought and the baggage we bring into meditation.
Emotional processing increases when the mind is allowed to wander
The brain shows more signs of relaxation during meditation than during ordinary rest. Nondirective meditation has a greater impact than does concentrative meditation, especially in parts of the cortex associated with the processing of stress, emotions, and memories.
The silent sounds of Acem Meditation
Sound plays a central role in many forms of meditation, including Acem Meditation. What is it about sound that stimulates relaxation as well as psychological and existential processes?
Be friends with your wandering mind
Everyone who has learned Acem Meditation knows that meditation is not about emptying the mind, as many others tend to believe. The challenge is to become friends with everything that spontaneously emerges in consciousness.
Chapter 15: Histories of mind wandering
“Nondirective meditation” is a modern concept, and so is the “free mental attitude” that goes with it.