My empirical and philosophical research focuses on three key areas:

• Triangulation of minimal phenomenal experience (MPE) (Costines et al., 2021; Gamma & Metzinger, 2021; Metzinger, 2020, 2024) 

• Mapping of phenomenal state-space (PSS) (Schmidt, 2023),

• Institutionalization of a secular consciousness culture (Metzinger, 2023; Costines, 2025)

In this context, I have a particular interest in altered states of consciousness (ASCs) induced by:  

• Meditation techniques (e.g., non-dual meditation; Costines et al., 2021) 

• Psychotropic substances (e.g., psychedelics; Costines & Schmidt, 2024)

• Sensory attenuation (e.g., floatation-REST; Costines, 2024)

• 2024-03 – present
  Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP), Freiburg, Germany
  Section Psychological Counseling Research (Head: Wolfgang Fach)
  Phenomenological research on exceptional expierences (ExE)

• 2023-03 – present
  Medical Center – University of Freiburg (UKF), Germany
  Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
  Section Systemic Health Research (Head: Stefan Schmidt)
  Neurophenomenological research on minimal phenomenal experience (MPE) and non-dual meditation

• 2023-03 – present
  Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP), Freiburg, Germany
  Section Natural Sciences and Experimental Research
  Research Group Time Consciousness and Time Perception (Head: Marc Wittmann)
  Neurophenomenological research on minimal phenomenal experience (MPE) and floatation-REST

• 2021-04 – 2022-03
  Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz (JGU), Mainz, Germany
  Department of Philosophy
  Institute of Theoretical Philosophy (Head: Thomas Metzinger)
  Philosophical research on minimal phenomenal experience (MPE) and consciousness culture [Bewusstseinskultur]

• 2013-10 – 2014-06
  Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald (EMAU), Germany
  Department of Psychology
  Chair of Physiological and Clinical Psychology / Psychotherapy (Head: Alfons Hamm)
  fMRI research on the neurocognitive mechanisms of active and passive coping with threats

• 2011-08 – 2012-07
  University of California, Berkeley (UCB), CA, USA
  Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute (HWNI)
  Cognitive Neuroscience Lab (Head: Marc D'Esposito)
  fMRI research on the neurocognitive mechanisms of sustained attention

• 2009-02 – 2009-06
  Central Institute of Mental Health (ZI), Mannheim, Germany
  Institute of Psychopharmacology
  Behavioral Genetics Lab (Head: Rainer Spanagel)
  Behavioral, genetic, and neurochemical research on the influence of circadian clock genes on cocaine addiction

• Costines, C. (in press). Des blinden Flecks Strahlkraft: Phänomenologie non-dualen Gewahrseins im alltagsweltlichen Geschehen – aus der „Nullte-Person-Perspektive“ eines Praktizierenden der Karma-Kagyü-Tradition. Zeitschrift für Bewusstseinswissenschaften. Transpersonale Psychologie und Psychotherapie, 30(2).

• Fort, L. D., Costines, C., Wittmann, M., Demertzi, A., & Schmidt, T. T. (2025). Classification schemes of altered states of consciousness. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 175, 106178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2025.106178. [PDF]

• Costines, C. & Schmidt, T.T. (2024).  Phenomenology of Psychedelic Experiences and Psychedelic-Associated Distressing Effects: Quantifying Subjective Experiences. In T. Majić (Ed.), Psychedelic Harm Reduction, Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/7854_2024_562. [PDF]

• Fort, L. D., Costines, C., Wittmann, M., Demertzi, A., & Schmidt, T. T. (2024). Classification Schemes of Altered States of Consciousness [Preprint]. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/pmuqt. [see above]

• Egan, M. K., Costines, C., D’Esposito, M., & Sadaghiani, S. (2024). Endogenous preparatory control is associated with increased interaction between default mode and dorsal attention networks. Imaging Neuroscience. https://doi.org/10.1162/imag_a_00124. [PDF]

• Schmidt, T.T., Costines, C., Tagliazucchi, E., Millière, R., Garrido, J.M., & Cuiule, J.I. (2023). The Altered Xperience Project (AXP): Quantitative and Qualitative Data from a Citizen Science Initiative on the Subjective Experience of Altered States of Consciousness [Preprint]. PsyArXiv. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/45z7w. [PDF]

• Prugger, J., Derdiyok, E., Dinkelacker, J., Costines, C., & Schmidt, T.T. (2022). The Altered States Database: Psychometric data from a systematic literature review. Scientific Data, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01822-4. [PDF]

• Costines, C., Borghardt, T.L., & Wittmann, M. (2021). The Phenomenology of “Pure” Consciousness as Reported by an Experienced Meditator of the Tibetan Buddhist Karma Kagyu Tradition. Analysis of Interview Content Concerning Different Meditative States. Philosophies, 6(2), 50. https://doi.org/10.3390/philosophies6020050. [PDF]

• Costines, C., Wittmann, M., Trautwein, F.-M., Schmidt, S. (2025, Jul.) Nondual Floating: A Novel Approach to Studying Minimal Phenomenal Experience? Poster presented at the Mind & Life Europe: European Summer Research Institute (ESRI), Scharnstein, Austria. 

• Costines, C., Wittmann, M., Trautwein, F.-M., Schmidt, S. (2025, Jun.) Nondual Floating: A Novel Approach to Studying Minimal Phenomenal Experience? Poster presented at the annual conference of the Association of Scientific Studies of Consciousness (ASSC28), Heraklion, Greece.

• Costines, C., Schmidt, T.T. (2024, Jul.). Phenomenomics and Citizen Science: Mapping the Phenomenology of Altered States of Consciousness. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Association of Scientific Studies of Consciousness (ASSC27), Tokyo, Japan.

• Costines, C., Wittmann, M., Trautwein, F.-M., Schmidt, S. (2024, Jun.) Exploring the Induction of Deep Non-Dual States through Floatation-REST: A Phenomenological Pilot Study. Poster to be presented at the annual conference of the International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR), Padua, Italy.

• Costines, C., Schmidt, T.T. (2023, Mar.). Exploring Altered States of Consciousness: A Pilot Study of Phenomenomics Using Citizen Science. Poster presented at the 10th MindBrainBody Symposium (MBB10), Berlin, Germany.

• Costines, C., Schmidt, T.T. (2022, Jul.). A Specification of the Consciousness State-Space: Let's Split it!. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Association of Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC25), Amsterdam, Netherlands.

• Egan, M., Costines, C., D'Esposito, M., Sadaghiani, S. (2019, Jun.). Knowing ‘when’ and knowing ‘what’: The impact of cue information on intrinsic top-down control. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Rome, Italy.

• Wendt, J., Costines, C., Lindner, K., Pfannmöller, J., Hamm, A., Löw, A. (2014, Jun.). Time course of periaqueductal gray activation during active and passive coping with threat. Poster presented at the annual conference of the Organization for Human Brain Mapping, Hamburg, Germany. 

• 2025-09
  Schwendihaus Amden, Switzerland
  Transdisciplinary Workshop of the Society for Mind-Matter Research (Flourishing)
  On How Altered Consciousness Fuels Mental Flourishing
  Talk in English

• 2025-05
  dbb forum, Berlin
  Kongress Meditation & Wissenschaft [Meditation & Science]
  Erleuchtung ohne Meditation? Floatation-REST als Induktionsmethode für Minimale Phänomenale Erfahrungen (MPE) [Slides; Video]
  Science Slam in German

• 2024-10
  University of Bamberg, Germany
  Models of Consciousness (MoC5) & Minimal Phenomenal Experience (MPE3)
  Inducing MPE Using Floatation-REST: A Phenomenological Pilot Study
  Talk in English

• 2024-07
  University of Tokyo, Japan
  Annual Meeting of the Association of Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC27)
  The Empirical Study of Altered States of Consciousness: Recommendations for Standards in the Psychometric Assessment [Slides]
  Tutorial in English, together with Timo Torsten Schmidt and Larry Fort

• 2023-11
  Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP), Freiburg, Germany
  IGPP Colloquium
  Phenomenomics: Induction of Altered Experience as a Tool for Consciousness Research
  Talk in German, together with Timo Torsten Schmidt

• 2022-06
  Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen, Germany
  Tübinger Forum for Science and Humanitities
  Interdisziplinäres Studienkolleg: Religion und Weltanschauung im wissenschaftlichen Zeitalter
  Reines Bewusstsein und Säkulare Bewusstseinskultur [Pure Consciousness and Secular Consciousness Culture]
  Invited talk in German

• 2021-11
  Humboldt University of Berlin, Germany
  Berlin School of Mind and Brain
  DFG Research Training Group 2386 Extrospection
  Interdisciplinary Virtual Workshop: Accessing Mental States
  Phenomenomics: Mapping the Phenomenal State-Space 
  Talk in English, together with Timo Torsten Schmidt

• 2021-10
  Charité – Berlin University of Medicine, Berlin, Germany
  Psychedelic Substances Research Group (PSRG)
  Phenomenomics: Mapping the Phenomenal State-Space 
  Talk in English, together with Timo Torsten Schmidt

• 2021-07
  University of Vilnius, Lithuania
  International Conference on Time Perspectives (ICTP5)
  What Is It Like to Experience Emptiness?
  Talk in English, together with Marc Wittmann

• 2020-10
  Charité – Berlin University of Medicine, Berlin, Germany
  Psychedelic Substances Research Group (PSRG)
  On How the MPE Project and the Phenomenomics Project Complement Each Other
  Talk in German

• 2020-10
  Charité – Berlin University of Medicine, Germany
  Psychedelic Substances Research Group (PSRG)
  Philosophically Informed Consciousness Research
  Talk in German

• 2025-11
  University of Freiburg, Germany
  University College Freiburg (UCF)
  Mental Representation and the Self-Model Theory of Subjectivity
  Lecture in English

• 2020-02
  Eberhard-Karl University of Tübingen, Germany
  Center for Interdisciplinary and Intercultural Studies (CIIS)
  Introduction to Psychedelic Science and Secular Consciousness Culture
  2-Day workshop in German

• 2017-04 – 2017-07
  Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg, Germany
  University Sports Center
  Theory and Practice of Zen Meditation
  Semester course in German

• 2024-05 – present
  Collaboration for Interdisciplinary Research on Conscious Expierence (CIRCE e.V.)
  Non-profit association conducting and supporting consciousness research
  Co-founder [together with Timo Torsten Schmidt, Tim Hirschfeld, and Sascha Krüger]

• 2016-11 – 2019-10
  MIND European Foundation for Psychedelic Research (MIND Foundation gGmbH)
  Non-profit limited liability company promoting psychedelic research and psychedelic therapy
  Co-founder, member of the executive board, director of science outreach (MIND Academy)

• 2024-08 – present
  Contemplative Lab (ConLab)
  Local citizen science initiative aimed at advancing contemplative research and promoting a secular consciousness culture
  Co-initiator [together with Mathis-Fynn Trautwein]

• 2022-10 – present
  Altered X Project (AXP) (powered by CIRCE e.V.)
  International citizen science initiative with the aim of mapping the phenomenal state-space
  Co-initiator [together with Timo Torsten Schmidt, Enzo Tagliazucchi and Raphaël Millière]

• 2024-12
  €59,000 from the BIAL Foundation
  for a research project on floatation-REST and meditation (Project 379)
  at Medical Center – University of Freiburg (UKF), Germany, from 2025–2027

• 2018-03
  €410 from the German Informatics Society
  for participation in the Spring School Interdisciplinary College (IK)
  in Guenne, Germany, in 2019

• 2016-11
  €2,400 from the Udo Keller Foundation
  for organizing and hosting a lecture series on the self (Wer ist dieser Ich?)
  at Otto von Guericke University (OvGU) in Magdeburg, Germany, in 2017

Organisation of Scientific Events

• 2025-11
  Medical Center – University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
  Gemeinsam eine Bewusstseinskultur entstehen lassen [ConLab kick-off event]
  Co-organiser, co-host, and moderator [together with Fynn-Mathis Trautwein]

• 2021-11
  Frankfurt Institute for Advanced Studies (FIAS), Frankfurt, Germany
  MPE2 [International interdisciplinary workshop on the scientific study of minimal phenomenal experience]
  Co-organizator, and co-host [together with Thomas Metzinger]

• 2019-09
  Charité – Berlin University of Medicine, Berlin, Germany
  INSIGHT [International interdisciplinary conference on the scientific study and application of psychedelic states]
  Co-initiator, co-organizator, and co-host

• 2018-06 – 2019-10
  MIND European Foundation for Psychedelic Research, Berlin, Germany
  MIND Academy [Educational platform for talks and workshops on topics related to altered states of consciousness]
  Co-initiator, director, co-organizator, and co-host

• 2017-04 – 2017-07
  Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg (OvGU), Germany
  Wer ist dieser Ich? [Interdisciplinary and intercultural lecture series on the self; funded by Udo Keller Foundation]
  Initiator, co-organizator, and co-host

Peer Review

• 2025-11
  Ad hoc reviewer for the journal Mind and Matter 

• 2024-03
  Ad hoc reviewer for the book Psychedelic Harm Reduction, as part of the series Current Topics in Behavioral Neurosciences (Springer, forthcoming)

• Medical Center – University of Freiburg (UKF), Freiburg, Germany

• Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health (IGPP e.V.), Freiburg, Germany

• Collaboration for Interdisciplinary Research on Conscious Expierence (CIRCE e.V.), Teupitz, Germany

• Association for the Scientific Study of Consciousness (ASSC)

• International Society for Contemplative Research (ISCR)

• Society for Mind-Matter Research (SMMR) 

• Collaboration for Interdisciplinary Research on Conscious Expierence (CIRCE e.V.) [Info]

• Minimal Phenomenal Expierence Research Network (The MPE Project) [Info]

• ALIUS Research Group [Info]

• Google Scholar

• ResearchGate 

• Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID) 

• Open Science Framework (OSF)

• 2025-11
  University of Freiburg (UKF), Germany
  Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy
  Kontemplation als inneres Labor: Gemeinsam eine Bewusstseinskultur entstehen lassen [Kick-off event of the ConLab]
  Panel discussion; together with Tatsudo Nicole Baden Roshi, Holger Yeshe, PD Dr. Prisca Bauer, Dr. Fynn-Mathis Trautwein

• 2022-09
  lehrreich Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany
  Schulische Bewusstseinskultur [Consciousness Culture in School]
  Talk in German

• 2022-06
  Zen Center Altbäckersmühle, Singhofen, Germany
  Philosophy, Science & Culture of Consciousness + Meditation
  Invited workshop in German, together with HoKai Österle

• 2022-02
  lehrreich Wilmersdorf, Berlin, Germany
  Schulische Bewusstseinskultur [Consciousness Culture in School]
  Talk in German

• 2018-06
  MIND European Foundation for Psychedelic Research, Berlin, Germany
  Thomas Metzinger’s Concept of Minimal Phenomenal Experience
  Talk in German

• Costines, C. (2025, Aug.). Die Drogen langweilen uns mit ihrem Paradies [Article], Ursache\Wirkung Magazin, 133, 22–24. [PDF]

• Costines, C. (2025, May). Floating: Schwebend in die Stille [Newspaper article], Die Furche, 22, 4. [PDF & HTML]

• Costines, C. (2024, Dec.). Ein Ort für das Bewusstsein [Article], Ursache\Wirkung Magazin, 130. [PDF & HTML]

• Böttinger, L., & Kech, F. (Hosts). (2024, Feb.). Was bringt Fasten – für den Körper und den Kopf? [Audio podcast episode]. In BZ am Ohr. Badische Zeitung. [HTML & MP3]

• Costines, C. (2023, Sep.). Gehirn, Geist, Gedanken und Emotionen [Interview], Ursache\Wirkung Magazin, 125, 42–45. [PDF]

• Costines, C. (2023, Mar.). [Buchbesprechung zu Bewusstseinskultur. Spiritualität, intellektuelle Redlichkeit und die planetare Krise von Thomas Metzinger],  Tattva Viveka, 94, 105–106. [HTML]

• Costines, C. (2022, Aug.). Was ist ein guter Bewusstseinszustand? [Interview], Ursache\Wirkung Magazin, 121, 82–85. [PDF]

• Costines, C. (2021, Jan.). 50 Sekunden im freien Fall [Kindgerechter phänomenologischer Bericht über verändertes Erleben beim Fallschirmspringen], dpa Deutsche Presse-Agentur. [PDF & HTML] 

• BlueSky

• LinkedIn

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Explorative introspection: For the past decade, I have been experimenting with various pharamacological and non-pharmacological consciousness-modifying techniques (e.g., meditation) both to increase my mental autonomy and to heuristically inform my academic consciousness research by improving my ability to systematically and comprehensively describe and analyze my own phenomenal state-space.

• Graceful simplification: For the past decade, I have been experimenting with different lifestyles (e.g., voluntary homelessness) in order to figure out what I need and don't need to live a good life and to be prepared to die well. For example, I have found that a simple lifestyle with only the bare essentials is most beneficial for me.

• Learn more about my projekt Fuchsmut supporting neurotypical and neurodivergent children and adolescents in cultivating their minds: https://fuchsmut.cc/