Kurt Stocker

Abstract

The overall characterization of the psychedelic state represents a nonordinary experiential spectrum that spans from the non-transcendental/personal to the transcendental/transpersonal realm. One major theme that can occur at the transcendental end is a profound “all is one” experience, often called a “mystical experience.” While psychedelically occasioned mystical experiences have shown many positive outcomes, it is also important to keep in mind that the research-wise somewhat more neglected non-transcendental psychedelic realm—where for instance profound personal and interpersonal autobiographical insights can take place—deserves equal research attention.

Biography

PD Dr. Kurt Stocker, a psychologist who also has a linguistic background, is a psychedelic researcher. For decades he has investigated how the mind works, and over the last years, his research focus has shifted from how the mind works in ordinary states of consciousness to how it works in nonordinary states of consciousness with a primary focus on the psychedelic experience. He is a project leader for psychedelic science at the ETH Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, and a research associate in psychopharmacology at the University Hospital Basel where, as part of the team there, he is involved in phenomenological and psychometric psychedelic research. One of the goals of his work is a comprehensive measurement of the psychology of the psychedelic experience for both research and therapy. Dr. Stocker’s work on psychedelic and mystical experiences has recently also received media coverage (in PsyPost and The Microdose).