Support for my research

On this website, I provide detailed insights into my research to date and my findings on dementia, from which I have derived two central hypotheses, among other things:

‘Dementia and spiritual awakening have a phenomenological commonality:
the experience of the dissolution of the self.’

‘Conscious self-dissolution (as opposed to unconscious self-dissolution in dementia)

is the evolutionary task of ageing.’

These hypotheses are the result of years of research, which in turn stems from the combination of my expertise as a dementia specialist, my many years of involvement in consciousness research and my own consciousness transformation process. I report on all of this on the various pages of this website.

Now new tasks await me, for which I am asking for support.

If you don't want to read all the text but want to support my research you can directly go to my PayPal account.

Evaluation of my recent research

I have documented the process that followed the experience of nothingness and led me to the astonishing insights about dementia—both my own symptoms, which I noticed in myself during the transformation process, and the insights and findings I gained from comparative studies in neuroscience, consciousness research, and spiritual sciences. This material, which consists of my journal, numerous voice memos, emails, messenger communications and a Zettelkasten, needs to be evaluated and transformed into a readable form – as a book and/or articles. The scientific methodology I would like to use for this is called autoethnography, and ideally this will result in a dissertation or PhD.

Evaluation of current interviews

Since May 2024, I have been conducting interviews with relatives of people with dementia, with ageing people, with people with dementia and with people who have had spiritually transformative experiences about the phenomenon of the dissolution of the self. I would like to evaluate these interviews.

Further interviews

So far, I have only been able to conduct a few conversations with people with dementia about the phenomenon of the dissolution of the self. I would like to expand this area of research, as they are the ones who can give me the most authentic insights into this phenomenon. Ideally, this study will be conducted as part of my overarching research project, which I have been publishing on this website for some time now.

Elaboration of my findings on the involution of the brain

A separate area of my research to date has been the development of a model of involution and evolution, which was necessary in order to further my thinking on dementia. Developing this model took at least six months of intensive work and emerged as a kind of by-product of my research journey over the last few years.

Research Project Transcending Dementia - PhD

This project is my overarching goal, but one that I can only achieve in cooperation with  a university, laboratory or institute. I am currently in talks with various options for a doctorate/PhD, including the Alef Trust PhD programme in cooperation with the University of Liverpool for a PhD in Applied Transpersonal Psychology. If I enrol in this programme, I will incur considerable costs.

Conferences

In 2024, I was able to present my findings on dementia and spiritual awakening, as well as my approach to Transpersonal Gerontology, at a transpersonal conference for the first time and had some initial intensive and encouraging discussions there. Conferences and meetings are excellent opportunities to draw attention to this research through lectures and/or poster presentations, so I am currently applying for suitable conferences on an ongoing basis. The following conferences are currently scheduled, at which I will be presenting:

• Online conference of the European Society of Research in Adult Development (ESRAD), 11-13 June 2025
• The Science of Consciousness Conference of the Center of Consciousness Studies (University of Arizona) in Barcelona, 6-11 July 2025

The application process for further conferences is currently underway. Attending conferences in person involves high costs for tickets, travel and accommodation. The conference in Barcelona and possibly some other conferences in the near future are therefore my top priority in terms of funding.

Since autumn 2018, after my experience of nothingness, I have been living in an exceptional situation, which has enabled me to gain insights into dementia: I had to go through a process of dissolution of the self with all the challenging and often frightening events and symptoms in order to understand from within what it feels like to experience such a dissolution. From this introspection, I was able to develop a thesis on the phenomenology of the dissolution of the self, supported by further insights from neuroscience, spiritual traditions and the many experiences I have gained in my long-standing practice as a case supervisor in the care of people with dementia.

In the spring of 2020, my life situation was abruptly exacerbated by the Covid-19 situation when, within three days, I lost more or less all my freelance assignments in gerontopsychiatric care for the entire year, and it became clear over the course of the year that there was also no possibility of continuing to work in my long-standing field as a freelancer. Until then, my professional framework had provided the structure that helped me to lead a normal life, at least on the outside, despite the radical inner changes and the great confusion that was a strong symptom of the first years. When these structures fell away, it was clear that I had to give up my flat and go travelling.

Since the summer of 2021, I had been living a ‘semi-nomadic’ life in a wide variety of contexts, and this was the setting in which the dissolution was then completed. It is difficult to describe the fears, despair, overwhelm and loneliness that accompanied this process. It was necessary to understand dementia in this way, because dementia cannot be explored phenomenologically from bliss, from happiness. I had to go to the bottom of my existence, and I did so, literally: I went not only to the bottom of my consciousness and my spiritual nature, but also to the bottom of my professional and financial existence. In the meantime, it became clear that I was also no longer qualified to teach, so I temporarily ceased all professional activities – which also meant that I could no longer generate any income. In addition, I lived in social isolation for a long time. In this empty space, insights emerged that had previously been inaccessible to me. More about this under Transcending Dementia.

The financial resources with which I financed this process are now exhausted. I have started working again, but my income is not yet sufficient to cover my living expenses. In addition, further research requires time, which is not compatible with regular employment.

I have put ‘myself’, my life, my social connections and my entire security at the service of my research to date. It seems that it was necessary to go so deep in order to gain these profound insights. However, the process was also exhausting, threatened my existence and did not always serve my physical health.

At the same time, I am happy, grateful and infinitely fascinated by this process, both by the experience of nothingness, which still feels like a blessing and a gift, and by the resulting insights into consciousness, dementia, involution and evolution of our being and the many, many ‘secondary insights’ that I have not yet been able to sift through and work out. I live with the paradox of having experienced absolute bliss and fascination as well as abysmal despair and fears during this transformation process.

I'm still sometimes oscillating between episodes in which I once again embark on inner journeys of exploration into the transgenerational, collective and cosmic darkness, and increasingly longer episodes of joy at the tasks I am now able to fulfil. The phenomenological research phase seems to be largely complete, and now it is time for evaluation – using a mixed methods approach or integral methodological pluralism.

I am grateful for any contribution to this exceptional research,

which is not mine, but is happening through me.

• For Non-German-Speaker the best way ist to use my PayPal account, as the navigation on GoFundMe unfortunately is only possible in German. Please mark your payment with ‘Support for Bettina's research’.
• If you can navigate in German feel free to use my GoFundMe page.
• If you would prefer to transfer a sum directly, please write to me at info@bettinawichers.de and I will send you my bank details.
• If you have the means to make a larger financial contribution to my research, whether privately or through a foundation or similar, please contact me for a personal discussion if you are interested in more detailed information in advance: info@bettinawichers.de

Financial support is very important at the moment, but there are of course other ways to support my research:

• Referrals to podcasters
• Referrals to scientists and institutes who may be interested in collaborating on my further research
• referrals to interview partners for my research, especially people who have themselves received an early dementia diagnosis and are interested in a spiritual perspective on the condition, as well as relatives of people with dementia who would like to join me in researching the phenomenon of the dissolution of the self in their loved ones (retrospectively).
• Booking a conversation about dementia, dementia coaching or other services I offer, for yourself or as a gift
• Arranging/organising lectures or seminars with me ‘on site’
• Sharing my website, my Instagram account and my Telegram channel
• Arranging quiet places, e.g. house-sitting, temporary use of a holiday home or similar, where I can write and research in peace (good internet connection required).

For everyone who supports me in my research, I would like to express my gratitude with an online meeting where you will have the opportunity to get to know me personally, gain some insights into my research so far, and engage in a discussion with me.

Dates in English:

Saturday 14 June 7 p.m CEST/ 10 a.m. PT/ 1 p.m. EST

Friday 18 July 8 p.m. CEST/ 11 a.m. PT/ 2 p.m. EST

If anybody from Asia/Australia is interested, please contact me for a suitable date.

Dates in German:

Tuesday, 10 June, 7 p.m.

Monday, 23 June, 8 p.m.

Friday, 18 July, 4 p.m.

Please send me an email with your preferred date and I will send you the Zoom link: info@bettinawichers.de