The distinctive feature of conscious systems in comparison to non-conscious systems is the capacity to access and modulate an inherently sentient background field. This means that the brain produces an individual stream of consciousness by periodically modifying an omnipresent field of consciousness.
Research Statement
The research activities focus on laying the foundations for a theory of consciousness. A guiding theme of the research agenda is a deeper understanding of quantum systems, which opens up new perspectives for consciousness research and sheds new light on the functioning of the brain.
The approach is based on the notion that phenomenal qualities are not generated by the brain but are rooted in a ubiquitous field that exhibits an extrinsic physical manifestation and an intrinsic phenomenal essence. From this perspective, individual consciousness results from the dynamic interaction of the brain with this field. In other words, a conscious state is hypothesized to arise through the resonant coupling of the brain to an omnipresent substrate of consciousness. The research projects aim at substantiating this hypothesis.
Publications
Models of Consciousness to Explain N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Ayahuasca Phenomenology
N,N-Dimethyltryptamine and Amazonian Ayahuasca Plant Medicine. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental, e2835. doi: 10.1002/hup.2835 (February 2022)
In collaboration with Edward James and Thomas L. Robertshaw (School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University) as well as Ben Sessa (Centre for Neuropsychopharmacology, Division of Brain Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London)
Book Chapters
Building Blocks for the Development of a Self-Consistent Electromagnetic Field Theory of Consciousness
Electromagnetic Field Theories of Consciousness: Opportunities and Obstacles,
eds. Hunt, T., Schooler, J., McFadden, J., Delorme, A., Hales, C. G., Jones, M., and Ericson, M., Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA (March 2024)
Brain and Mind: How Neural Networks Acquire Phenomenal Awareness by Tapping into a Ubiquitous Field of Consciousness
Bioethics and Consciousness, eds. Gómez, A.G., Brugnoli, M.P., and Carrara, A., Newcastle upon Tyne: Cambridge Scholars Publishing (September 2021)
Cosmopsychism and Consciousness Research: A Fresh View on the Causal Mechanisms Underlying Phenomenal States
Integrating Philosophical and Scientific Approaches in Consciousness Research, eds. Gutland, C., Cai, W., and Fernandez, A.V., Lausanne: Frontiers Media SA (June 2021)
Scientific Networks and Platforms
Profile on Loop
Profile on PhilPeople
Profile on ResearchGate
Profile on Academia
Profile on Google Scholar
Profile on ORCID
Podcasts
Quantum Consciousness
Quantenbiologie und die Entstehung von Bewusstseinszuständen
Was macht menschliches Bewusstsein aus?
Nicht das Gehirn ist Sitz des Bewusstseins – seine Kopplung an das Bewusstseinsfeld generiert bewusste Zustände
Auf der Suche nach dem Bauplan für unser Bewusstsein
Conference Papers
An Evidence-Based Quantum Approach to Consciousness: The Brain's Dance with the Zero-Point Field
Talk at the MoC6 Conference in Sapporo, Japan (October 2025)
The Path to Sentient Robots: AI Consciousness in the Light of New Insights into the Functioning of the Brain
Talk at the MoC5 Conference in Bamberg, Germany (October 2024)
A Field-Theoretical Model of Brain Dynamics Reveals the Mechanism Underlying Macroscopic Quantum Coherence and Its Significance for the Formation of Conscious States
Talk at the TSC 2023 Conference in Taormina, Sicily, Italy (May 2023)
The Agent behind the Scenes: Exposing the Universal Mechanism Underlying Conscious Systems
Presentation at the 20th Annual Meeting of the ASSC, Buenos Aires, Argentina (June 2016)
A Novel Approach to the Scientific Understanding and Exploration of Consciousness
Talk at the International Congress of Hypnosis 2015, Roots and Future of Consciousness, Paris, France (August 2015)
The Fundamental Mechanisms of Consciousness: Unveiling the True Relationship between Brain and Mind
Presentation at the TSC 2014 Conference in Tucson, Arizona, USA (April 2014)
A Conclusive Conceptual Framework for Consciousness: Roadmap for the Development of a Fundamental Theory
Talk at the TSC 2013 Conference in Agra, India (March 2013)
Tackling the Hard Problem
Talk at the TSC 2012 Conference in Tucson, Arizona, USA (April 2012)