Dr Alexander De Foe is a Melbourne-based writer, neurophilosopher, and experimental researcher with an interest in global states of consciousness and the perceptual binding problem.
This website is split into a number of sections: On the Consultation page you will find information about current consultative and counselling-based services that I provide. On the Courses page, you can register to enrol in training or short professional development courses with myself or with one of my associates. On the Students page you'll find details about postgraduate research opportunities in my areas of interest. Finally, you can refer to the Publications and Portfolio pages for more background about my work, as well as posts on my personal blog.
Mini bio
In 2009 I took an interest in experiential research into the mind-body problem. I ran an informal questionnaire into out-of-body experiences (OBEs) which helped me to illustrate the rich qualitative nature of these accounts and their implications from both a psychological and philosophical perspective.
From 2011-2016 I completed my formal research training at Monash University on the perceptual basis of OBEs and the holistic sense of embodiment. From 2016-2019 I completed a clinical fellowship at RMIT University examining the implementation of modern technologies such as virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to explore perceptual states and global states of consciousness in OBEs and other related phenomena. As of 2019 onwards, I am working on a number of projects which examine the threshold of perceptual precedence and visual processing of integrated information.
Millions of items of the outward order are present to my senses which never properly enter into my experience. Why? – William James
Current projects and news
New: Graduate Course in Transpersonal Counselling
In 2019 I have launched a new online course on transpersonal approaches to psychology and counselling. The course is facilitated via a combination of Zoom webinar sessions, introspective tasks, online learning, and other activities. It has been designed for current practitioners who wish to establish stronger grounding in holistic and integral approaches to human consciousness and perceptual integration from a holistic perspective.
Veridical Mind Project
As part of my postdoctoral work, I led the Veridical Mind Project, which is the largest-scale Australasian investigation into out-of-body experiences (OBEs) involving realistic perception of one's physical environments. The original research included 400 qualitative accounts of OBE perception that involved realistic or veridical characteristics.
OBEs are highly arousing; they can be either deeply disturbing or profoundly moving. Understanding the nature of this widespread and potent experience would no doubt help us better understand the experience of being alive and human. – Lynn Levitan and Stephen LaBerge at the Lucidity Institute
This research project was funded by the Australian Institute of Parapsychological Research, the Society of Psychical Research (UK), and the Parapsychological Association (US). Initial results were presented in December 2018 at the AIPR Annual Mini Convention in New South Wales, Australia.
You can keep up with updates to the project via my blog as the studies conclude the final phase in 2019.
Calendar
No formal workshops/events upcoming