Prof. Dr. Eric Pfeifer

Appointment: 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.

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)