The Minimal Phenomenal Experience Project
MPE is the abbreviation for ‘minimal phenomenal experience’. The main goal of this research project is to develop a minimal model of conscious experience. One background assumption is that self-consciousness, time representation, and self-location in a spatial frame of reference are not necessary conditions for consciousness to occur. Currently, members of the network use an investigation of the phenomenology and neural correlates of specific subjective experiences in meditation as its main entry point, experiences which are later often described as episodes of ‘pure consciousness’.- A first publication introducing some aspects of the general research strategy can be found here.
- A first psychometric study can be found here.
- An overview talk plus discussion (September 2020) can be found here.
- The first two Pufendorf lectures about MPE (October 2021) are here.
- Videos of talks from our 2021 workshop can be downloaded here.
The MPE Network
Founder and director
Thomas Metzinger
Fellow at the Gutenberg Research College,
Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany
- Conceptual foundations
- Methodology
- Phenomenology of MPE
Collaboration partners
Adriana Alcaraz Sánchez
PhD candidate, University of Glasgow, UK
Former project manager of the MPE-network
- Conscious dreamless sleep
- Recent publications: Alcaraz-Sanchez, 2021; Alcaraz-Sanchez et al., 2022
Benjamin Baird
Research Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology,
The University of Texas at Austin, USA
- Cognitive neuroscience
- Conscious dreamless sleep
- Lucid dreaming
Melanie Boly
Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology,
Center for Sleep and Consciousness, University of Wisconsin, USA
- Conceptual foundations
- Methodology
- Phenomenology of MPE
Monima Chadha
Head of Philosophy,
Monash University, Australia
- Conceptual foundations
- Selfless states of consciousness
- Buddhist Philosophy
- Recent publication: Chadha & Nichols, 2020; Chadha & Nichols, 2022
Cyril Costines
Patriarch of the University of Freiburg
- Phenomenology of MPE
- Recent publication: Costines et. al, 2021
Martin Dresler
Principal investigator of the Donders Sleep & Memory Lab,
Radboud University, Netherlands
- Conscious experience during sleep
Alex Gamma
Research Assistant, Department of Forensic Psychiatry,
Institute of Forensic Medicine University of Bern, Switzerland
- Questionnaire development
- Psychometric analysis
- Recent publication: Gamma & Metzinger, 2021
David Higgins
Research Fellow, Tsadra Foundation, NYC, USA
- Buddhist Studies
- Tibetology
- Comparative Philosophy
- Recent publications
Lars Sandved-Smith
PhD candidate, French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm), France
- Computational Phenomenology
- Recent publication: Sandved-Smith et al., 2021
Ronald Sladky
Senior Scientist, Social, Cognitive & Affective Neuroscience Unit, University of Vienna, Austria
- Predictive processing and MPE
- Brain connectivity
- fMRI neurofeedback training
Heleen Slagter
Director of the Cognition & Plasticity laboratory, University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Contemplative neuroscience
- Methodology
- Recent publication: Laukkonen & Slagter, 2021
Evan Thompson
Professor of Philosophy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
- Conceptual foundations
- Methodology
- Phenomenology of MPE
- Indian philosophy
- Relevant publication: Thompson, 2015.
Fynn-Mathis Trautwein
Research fellow, Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Freiburg, Germany
- Methodology
- Neurophenomenology of MPE
- Self-boundary dissolution in meditation
- Recent publication: Nave et al., 2021
Toby Woods
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Monash Centre for Consciousness and Contemplative Studies, Melbourne, Australia
We are grateful for funding by the Gutenberg Research College and the Fritz Thyssen Foundation.
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