Altered States of Consciousness - Meditation Research
Scientific staff
- Dr. Ulrich Ott (head; in close coordination with Prof. em. Dr. Dieter Vaitl, management board of the IGPP, and Prof. Dr. Stefan Schmidt, director of the IGPP)
- M.Sc. Janika Epe (doctoral student)
- Dipl.-Psych. Michael Tremmel (doctoral student)
- Freya von Hohnhorst (doctoral student)
Former staff
- Dr. Britta Hölzel
- M.Sc. Psych. Tim Gard
- Dr. Hannes Hempel
- Dr. med. Philipp Rumpf
- Dr. med. Torsten Sassinek
Research focus
- Neural Correlates of deep mental absorption (state) and the personality trait of absorption
- Absorption and extraordinary (e.g. mystical or paranormal) experiences
- Psychological induction of altered states of consciousness
- Comparison with drug effects and mental disorders
- Effects of meditation on brain and consciousness
Projects
- Trance-Induction with music and visualisations (doctoral thesis of Hannes Hempel)
- Effects of hyperventilation on blood (partial pressure of CO2), brain and consciousness (doctoral thesis of Torsten Sassinek)
- Induction of emotions with music (in cooperation with Gunter Kreuz)
- Altered pain processing in mindfulness meditation (doctoral thesis of Tim Gard)
- Mindfulness meditation: activation patterns and morphological changes in the brain of meditators (doctoral thesis of Britta Hölzel)
- Meditation and brain aging (doctoral thesis of Philip Rumpf)
- Adverse effects of meditation: influence of practice and person variables (doctoral thesis of Michael Tremmel)