Hum Brain Mapp
2026
Henrik Röhr, Daniel A Atad, Fynn-Mathis Trautwein et al.
1 citation
The sense of self is a multidimensional feature of human experience. Different dimensions of self-experience can change drastically during altered states of consciousness induced through meditation or psychedelic drugs, as well as in a variety of mental disorders. Some experienced meditation practitioners are able to modulate their sense of self deliberately, which allows for a direct...
The MIT Press eBooks
December 16, 2025
Stefan Schmidt
Truths are as fragile as the people who have formulated them.-Andreas Steinhöfel, 2005 Overview Biology, chemistry, and physics are the building blocks of a materialist worldview of consciousness; conversely, consciousness is needed in order to comprehend and investigate these fields.This circularity and the apparent lack of an independent foundation of science are major challenges for...
BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies
November 6, 2025
Helena Hruby, Marc Wittmann, Stefan Schmidt et al.
This micro-phenomenological study examines altered states of consciousness (ASC) during Floatation-REST, a sensory isolation method where individuals lie in a tank filled with Epsom salt-saturated water in complete silence and darkness. Salubrious effects of Floatation-REST have been shown in persons suffering from mental health conditions; these positive outcomes might be related to the...
Journal of Anxiety Disorders
March 1, 2025
Johannes J Bürkle, Stefan Schmidt, Johannes C Fendel
7 citations
Mindfulness- and acceptance-based programmes (MABPs) in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are increasingly gaining research interest, yet a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis is missing. To fill this gap, we analysed 46 trials involving 2221 patients. Two independent reviewers screened records, extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and rated overall quality of...
Mindfulness
August 1, 2024
Stefan Schmidt, Prisca R. Bauer, Fynn-Mathis Trautwein
4 citations
AbstractIn this conceptual contribution, we argue that experimental investigations of phenomena in the cognitive sciences and consciousness research may benefit from a thorough integration of data acquired from the first-person perspective. We present a line of research from our lab applying this approach to the Libet task on voluntary action. In this well-known experimental paradigm,...
Scientific Reports
April 23, 2024
Helena Hruby, Stefan Schmidt, Justin S. Feinstein et al.
Floatation-REST (Reduced Environmental Stimulation Therapy) minimizes stimulation of the nervous system by immersing subjects in an environment without sound or light while they effortlessly float in thermoneutral water supersaturated with Epsom salt. Here we investigated the relationship between altered states of consciousness (ASC) and its association with the affective changes induced by...
Frontiers in Psychology
February 18, 2020
Ulf Winter, Pierre Levan, Tilmann Lhündrup Borghardt et al.
68 citations
The minimal neural correlate of the conscious state, regardless of the neural activity correlated with the ever-changing contents of experience, has still not been identified. Different attempts have been made, mainly by comparing the normal waking state to seemingly unconscious states, such as deep sleep or general anesthesia. A more direct approach would be the neuroscientific investigation...
Behavioral Sciences
May 16, 2019
Damisela Linares Gutierrez, Sebastian L. Kübel, Anne Giersch et al.
This study is based on the relationship between meditation, the present moment, and psychophysiology. We employed the metronome task to operationalize the extension of the present moment. A pre-post longitudinal study was conducted. The performance in the metronome task was compared before and after the interventions (meditation, story). The aim was to assess whether physiological changes...
BMC Palliative Care
July 6, 2017
Claudia L. Orellana‐Rios, Lukas Radbruch, Martina Kern et al.
162 citations
BACKGROUND: Maintaining a sense of self-care while providing patient centered care, can be difficult for practitioners in palliative medicine. We aimed to pilot an "on the job" mindfulness and compassion-oriented meditation training for interdisciplinary teams designed to reduce distress, foster resilience and strengthen a prosocial motivation in the clinical encounter. METHODS: Our objective...
Frontiers in Psychology
November 21, 2016
Fynn-Mathis Trautwein, José R. Naranjo, Stefan Schmidt
44 citations
Research in social neuroscience provides increasing evidence that self and other are interconnected, both on a conceptual and on an affective representational level. Moreover, the ability to recognize the other as "like the self" is thought to be essential for social phenomena like empathy and compassion. Meditation practices such as loving-kindness meditation (LKM) have been found to enhance...
Frontiers in Psychology
April 26, 2016
Sarah Gouda, Minh T. Luong, Stefan Schmidt et al.
142 citations
OBJECTIVE: There is a research gap in studies that evaluate the effectiveness of a school-embedded mindfulness-based intervention for both students and teachers. To address this gap, the present pilot study reviews relevant literature and investigates whether students and teachers who participate in separate Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) courses show improvements across a variety of...
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
2016
Tobias Esch, Jeremy Winkler, Volker Auwärter et al.
Background: Research has demonstrated that short meditation training may yield higher pain tolerance in acute experimental pain. Our study aimed at examining underlying mechanisms of this alleged effect. In addition, placebo research has shown that higher pain tolerance is mediated via endogenous neuromodulators: experimental inhibition of opioid receptors by naloxone antagonized this effect....
Consciousness and Cognition
May 1, 2014
Han-Gue Jo, Marc Wittmann, Tilmann Lhündrup Borghardt et al.
43 citations
The belief in free will has been frequently challenged since Benjamin Libet published his famous experiment in 1983. Although Libet's experiment is highly dependent upon subjective reports, no study has been conducted that focused on a first-person or introspective perspective of the task. We took a neurophenomenological approach in an N=1 study providing reliable and valid measures of the...
Pain
February 2011
Stefan Schmidt, Paul Grossman, Barbara Schwarzer et al.
Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is a structured 8-week group program teaching mindfulness meditation and mindful yoga exercises. MBSR aims to help participants develop nonjudgmental awareness of moment-to-moment experience. Fibromyalgia is a clinical syndrome with chronic pain, fatigue, and insomnia as major symptoms. Efficacy of MBSR for enhanced well-being of fibromyalgia patients...