When you hear the phrase “buried alive,” most people think of horror films, escape artists, or terrifying accidents—not a controlled experiment in mind-body mastery. But for Dr. John Painter, a lifelong practitioner of Qigong and Tibetan meditative arts, being buried alive was neither a trick nor a stunt in the conventional sense. It was the ultimate demonstration of how far the human mind can influence the body. This article is the fifth installment of The Life and Times of Dr. John Painter.
The First Time: A Houdini-Style Stunt
John’s journey into this extraordinary feat began in 1972 in Dallas, Texas. At the time, he was performing as a professional magician and escape artist, following in the footsteps of the legendary Harry Houdini. In an effort to promote his shows, John staged a “buried alive” stunt at a local nightclub. He was sealed in a coffin and buried for three hours.
“It wasn’t a trick,” John recalls. “Although I was a magician, this was a real demonstration of what I had learned through Li family Qigong—a system influenced by both Chinese and Tibetan methods. It was about controlling fear, slowing the heart rate, and reducing respiration so the body required less oxygen in an airtight space.”
This ability didn’t’ appear overnight. It was the culmination of years of dedicated practice that began when John was a boy under the guidance of his Sifu Li, Long-dao AKA Frank Li who introduced him to Daoist breathing and visualization techniques.
The Challenge: Proving It Was Real
The second—and more famous—burial happened in 1977, and it wasn’t just for publicity. During a cocktail party, a prominent physician confronted John, insisting that humans could not consciously control autonomic functions like heart rate and breathing. John disagreed and accepted the challenge.
“I told him, ‘It’s not a trick. It’s mind over body.’ We set up the demonstration at a local auto dealership owned by a businessman who was also skeptical,” John explains. This time, the burial lasted five hours, pushing human endurance and mental discipline to the edge.
Qigong: Mind Over Body
When asked how this relates to Qigong, John offers a candid perspective born from decades of experience.
“I’ve been practicing what’s now called Qigong since 1957. At first, I believed my teachers’ explanations about Qi. But as I got older and studied psychology and hypnosis in college, I realized it’s really about how the mind controls the body. Visualization and belief send signals from the mind that the body responds to. With proper training, you can do extraordinary things—heal injuries, withstand pain, even survive extreme conditions.”
John emphasizes that this is not mystical—it’s a powerful interplay of psychology, physiology, and disciplined practice.
The Heat Within: From Daoism to Tibetan Gtumo
One of the most fascinating aspects of John’s training is his mastery of internal heat generation. This began with his Shifu’s Daoist-based methods in East Texas, where winters can be surprisingly harsh.
“One winter day, Sifu Li took my hand and said, ‘Feel this!’ His hand was radiating heat, and it spread up my arm. I was stunned,” John recalls. “He taught us a meditation that felt like self-hypnosis—visualizing heat inside the body as if we were an iron stove.”
Training was rigorous and creative. They practiced inside his father’s convenience store freezer, sitting in bathing suits on wooden crates. Sheets soaked in ice water were draped over their bodies, and the goal was to dry two sheets in less than 30 minutes. Success meant mastery of Nei-Huo Gong (內火功), or internal fire skill.
Years later, John deepened his knowledge by studying Tibetan Gtumo (also spelled Dumo), a spiritual practice that allows monks to survive sub-zero temperatures and is used for healing. “I met Lama Thrangu Rinpoche in 1984, who explained the basics and recommended books. From there, I taught myself. Gtumo uses complex visualizations to raise body temperature, essentially giving the body an intentional fever.”
Even today, John tests his skills by visiting students in the freezing winters of Canada, walking outdoors in thin clothing while others bundle up.
The Science Behind Stillness
Surviving burial wasn’t just about enduring the cold—it required extreme control over breathing and metabolic processes. John’s background as an escape artist gave him a head start; he could hold his breath for up to eight minutes underwater. But being sealed in a coffin for hours demanded more than breath-holding—it required lowering oxygen consumption to a fraction of normal levels.
Before the burial, John followed a strict preparation regimen: fasting, cleansing the digestive system, and taking specific herbs for two weeks. These included:
- Ginkgo Biloba (白果 bái guǒ) – for circulation and cognitive function
- Astragalus (黄芪 huáng qí) – for energy and immunity
- Cordyceps (冬蟲夏草 dōng chóng xià cǎo) – for stamina and lung health
- Rhodiola Rosea (红景天 hóng jǐng tiān) – for stress resilience
Alongside herbal support, he practiced deep meditation techniques to “seal off the senses” and overcome claustrophobia. “Fear is the biggest enemy,” he explains. “If you panic, you use more oxygen. The key is to become completely calm.”
Breathing on the Edge of Life
When asked how slow his breathing became, John admits, “I’m not sure. In that trance-like state, my respiration slowed so much it was barely noticeable.” The technique combined yoga breathing with Daoist methods—elongating each inhale and exhale and inserting 10-15 second pauses between them. Over time, entering a meditative trance slowed both heart rate and breathing automatically.
Stillness was essential. “When you’re motionless in the coffin, your body uses far less oxygen than when moving. That’s why conservation of energy and mental calmness are critical.”
Training for the Impossible
The path to this level of control was not for the faint-hearted. John practiced for months leading up to the event, starting with being sealed in large plastic leaf bags before graduating to a custom-built coffin. “We sealed it airtight with plastic sheets and duct tape to simulate real conditions,” he says. “The second coffin was sturdier, completely airtight once closed.”
Such training pushed both body and mind beyond ordinary limits. Yet, John insists it was never about chasing danger—it was about exploring human potential.
Beyond the Stunt: A Philosophy of Mastery
Today, John views his buried-alive experience as more than a sensational feat. It’s a testament to what disciplined mental focus can achieve. Whether through Qigong, Daoist meditation, or Tibetan Gtumo, the principle remains the same: the mind leads, and the body follows.
“People sometimes think these things are supernatural or tricks,” John says with a smile. “They’re not. They’re the result of training, belief, and practice. With the right mindset, the human body is capable of much more than we imagine.”
In the video interview John recounts one incident where he used his Qigong knowledge he calls Daoyin on a student at one of the Master Jou, Tsung-Hwa birthday celebrations in Warwick NY. When asked about Dr. Painter using his Daoyin (qigong) on his daughter Katlyn’s injured knee her father Charles Pratt said, Today in 2025 the knee is still going strong since that day in 2018! Kate almost did not come to the master Jou birthday celebration, but we are so glad she did. She was in so much pain. Could not do stairs, couldn’t bear weight on it, and hobbled around. That day with John was truly amazing and people who witnessed it would ask in later years what happened afterwards and we told them she was fine and still is.
Lessons for Modern Life
While few of us will ever volunteer to be buried alive, John’s story offers profound lessons. In a world dominated by stress, distraction, and disconnection from our bodies, practices like Qigong remind us of our innate capacity for self-regulation, resilience, and inner strength.
Whether you call it Qigong, Daoyin, or Gtumo, the essence is the same: the ability to calm the mind, harness intention, and tap into the body’s hidden reserves. As John’s extraordinary journey shows, this is not magic—it’s mastery.
Related Articles:
Maybe not “supernatural or tricks” but certainly B movie-ish and irrelevant to the vast majority seeking lifestyle improvement.
Dear sir, You are of course welcome to your opinions, however I am not sure “irrelevant to the vast majority seeking lifestyle improvement.” is fair. Learning to control the body with the mind is a skill that anyone with enough patience and practice and a good teacher can develop. It is this that I have sought to teach others for over 50 years and these as you call them B-movie demonstrations have served to inspire hundreds of people to improve their lives through understanding these concepts.
Thank You For Your Comments
John P. Painter PhD. ND
Fascinating artice, Violet