Faculty Research Update: Glenn Hartelius

Glenn's Current Research

Glenn Hartelius is currently working on a method to define and neurally measure particular waking states of consciousness such as mental focus, meditation, and embodiment. The project is being carried out together with Lora Likova and Christopher Tyler, accomplished neuroscientists who were the first to identify the brain mechanism associated with mental focus.

This work is foundational for integral and transpersonal psychologies that engage a variety of mental states, and has wide application in psychology, education, and leadership fields.

In practical use, professor Hartelius' approach has yielded processes for achieving quiet meditative states, safe therapeutic spaces, and clear mental focus in a few simple steps. In the past two years he has presented his work at conferences in China, Italy, Spain, and the United States.

As part of this project, he has submitted a book chapter describing an entirely new research method, somatic phenomenology. The larger project, which works to bridge lived body experience to neuroscience in a novel way, illustrates how whole person approaches to psychology can successfully incorporate measurement while staying faithful to lived experience, and as such contributes in important ways to the broader field of psychology.

On the therapeutic side, Glenn is leading research into the cognitive description of dissociated ego states and empirical work measuring the efficacy of a protocol for their resolution.

This type of work has been practiced in various holistic therapy approaches and anecdotally results in powerful resolution of symptoms related to PTSD, phobia, panic attacks, and other disorders. The technique has not previously been demonstrated empirically or situated effectively within the language of cognitive psychology.

In addition, Glenn is associated with two clinical trials measuring potential benefits of ketamine-assisted therapy, and is principal researcher on experiments measuring the effect of electromagnetic shielding on psi capacities.

Past Research

Glenn Hartelius is an internationally known scholar in transpersonal psychology. In his own research, he has developed a novel, pragmatic way of describing attention and states of consciousness that reflects direct inner experience yet can be measured and described in terms that simplify access to quiet meditation, clear focus, and leadership presence.

He is working toward a practical, presence-based transpersonal model of mind that may be useful in bridging the gap between psychological theory and lived experience.