Prof. Dr. Eric Pfeifer

Professor for Aesthetics and Communication – Emphasis on Music

Office hours

Consultation hours are available on and need to be booked directly via the ILIAS profile of Prof. Dr. habil. Eric Pfeifer.

Profile

Prof. Dr. habil. Eric Pfeifer is professor of aesthetics and communication at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg. In his research and teaching, he combines psychotherapy (logotherapy and existential analysis/meaning-oriented psychotherapy, systemic therapy), music therapy (Outdoor Music Therapy, Hypno-Music-Therapy, etc.), and nature-based health promotion (e.g., walk and talk psychotherapy in nature, climate change and mental health). His particular interest lies in the exploration of silence, from which the “Freiburg Silence-Studies” have emerged. These studies provide empirically grounded insights into the effects of (deliberate) silence on health and well-being. You can learn more about his latest findings in our News on the Freiburg Silence Studies (in German).

Degrees, academic career, training 

• State-approved psychotherapist in Germany
• Training as logotherapist and existential analyst (ABILE Austria); extension of the entry as a state-approved psychotherapist in Austria
• Habilitation at the Sigmund Freud University Vienna, Austria: full venia docendi for the entire field of psychotherapy science
• Doctorate (PhD): Dr. phil. at the University of Augsburg, Germany
• Training as systemic psychotherapist and systemic infant, child, and adolescent psychotherapist (ÖAS in Austria); registration as a state-approved psychotherapist in Austria
• Training in logotherapy and existential analysis (according to Viktor E. Frankl); Institute for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis Tübingen/Vienna, Germany/Austria
• University course “Psychotherapeutic Propaedeutics” at the University of Applied Sciences Vorarlberg, Schloss Hofen, Center for Science and Further Education, Austria
• Master program (M.A.) in music therapy at the University of Augsburg, Germany
• Registration as state-approved music therapist in Austria
• Teacher training (BEd., Dipl.-Paed.) at the University College of Teacher Education Vorarlberg, Austria

Professional work experience, honours

• Visiting scientist at the Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy at the University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany (since 2021)
• Professor for aesthetics and communication - special emphasis on music as a medium at the Catholic University of Applied Sciences Freiburg, Germany (since 2014)
• Psychotherapist, music therapist, training music therapist (DMtG), training psychotherapist (ABILE), counselor, and supervisor in private practice in Austria and Germany (since 2009)
• Therapist in various clinical (child, adolescent, adult, and geriatric psy-chiatry; neurological, cardiological, and orthopaedic rehabilitation, palliative care, coma vigil) and non-clinical (schools) contexts (since 2008)
• Social worker (2005-2006)
• Teacher (2006-2010)
• Visiting professor (e.g., in Romania, Turkey)
• Freelancer for Feldpartitur GmbH in the field of video research, transcription, and analysis
• Award: “Music active – Music live”: composition prize awarded by the Austri-an Ministry for Education, Science and Culture (composition for solo piano) (2000)

Cooperations and functions

• DGLE – German Society for Logotherapy and Existential Analysis e.V. (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Logotherapie und Existenzanalyse e.v.); function: member of the scientific advisory board
• Sigmund Freud University Vienna (Austria); function: doctoral supervisor and lecturer at the Faculty of Psychotherapy Science
• Clinic for Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy Freiburg – University Medical Center Freiburg (Germany); function: visiting scientist and co-coordinating investigator (see study: “Walk and talk psychotherapy in nature for patients suffering from major depressive disorders”; DRKS; WHO – Inter-national Clinical Trials Registry Platform)
• Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health Freiburg (Germany); function: co-coordinator of several cooperative studies (with PD Dr. Marc Wittmann) on silence, the perception of time, self, and space, expo-sure to nature, meaning in life; 
• IMC University of Applied Sciences Krems (Austria) – Department of Health Sciences (Institute Therapeutic and Midwifery Sciences); function: visiting lecturer and visiting scientist (topics: music therapy, psychotherapy, forest therapy, exposure to nature)
• ABILE - Viktor Frankl Education Austria; function: science representative
• Member of the "climate change and mental health" commission of the State Chamber of Psychotherapists Baden-Württemberg, Germany

Teaching and research projects  

• “Walk and talk psychotherapy in nature for patients suffering from major de-pressive disorders”; DRKS; WHO – International Clinical Trials Registry Platform)
• Silence, perception of time, mind-wandering (1, 2, and 3)
• Exposure to nature, silence, and Hypnomusictherapy (1 and 2)
• Exposure to silence in nature (1)
• Nature in psychotherapy and Arts Therapy (1)
• Meaning in life, meaning-oriented psychotherapy, meaning-oriented music therapy, logotherapy and existential analysis (1, 2 p. 113-119, and 3)
• Music therapy, music – health – well-being (1, 2, and 3)
• Psychotherapy, systemic family therapy (1 and 2)

Publications (PDF in German)