Talks and lectures

Are you looking for an inspiring and informative talk on ageing and consciousness development, dementia and the dissolution of the self, or related topics? I enjoy speaking and explaining my concepts and theories to small or large audiences in an understandable and inspiring way, precisely because I combine personal experience with broad expertise, in-depth knowledge and a high level of awareness.

I am happy to travel within the Germany to your event, and within Europe under certain conditions. Keynotes, specialist lectures or specific presentations are also possible online.

Find out more in a personal information session: [email protected]

The model of consciousness development potential in old age is one of the essences of my many years of research into the parallels between dementia and the state of consciousness of spiritual awakening, which is the highest goal to be striven for in Eastern spiritual traditions. Interestingly, there are indeed similarities between the two states—and these have to do with the phenomenon of the dissolution of the self. In this talk, I will give a brief insight into my research process, show how I discovered these parallels, and present my model of consciousness development in old age in detail for discussion.

I presented this model at the Science of Consciousness Conference 2025 in Barcelona, among other places, and I will also present it in 2026 at the 23rd World Congress for Gerontology and Geriatrics in Amsterdam and the 10th European Conference on Religion, Spirituality and Health in Basel.

Length of the talk in the form described: 60 minutes; model only: 30 minutes.

Available in person and online.

This model serves to illustrate the central observation of my research, namely that there are parallels between the symptoms in the course of (advanced) dementia and the symptoms that people often experience after so-called awakening experiences (in the sense of Eastern spiritual consciousness development models) or other extraordinary or transpersonal state experiences. Confusion and disorientation are reported by both sides. Based on my research, I have developed the hypothesis that the experience of dissolution of the self—which may have occurred long before the clinical symptoms of dementia—can be a trigger for dementia. In this context, I consider dementia first and foremost as a state of consciousness rather than a disease. In this talk, I describe my hypotheses using a more detailed model than the one shown here. Based on my research findings from interviews, my practice as a case supervisor in care facilities for people with dementia, and spiritual literature, I show how this hypothesis came about and am happy to discuss its possible relevance to gerontology, geriatric care, and geriatric psychiatry using case studies.

Duration of the talk: 30-60 minutes.

Available in person and online.

Both models can also be combined in a longer presentation.

Further presentation topics can be derived from the texts and offers on this website.