Shortly before Christmas, on 19 December 2025, I completed my doctorate in philosophy (PhD) in Paderborn with my viva voce examination.

The dissertation was awarded a ‘magna cum laude’ grade.

The title of the thesis is ‘He who has ears, let him hear! Hypnosystemic pastoral care and tinnitus’.

The University of Paderborn has published it under doi: 10.17619/UNIPB/1-2450.

Here is a machine translation of my doctoral thesis:

For the thesis, I offered 27 test subjects 90 minutes of hypnosystemic treatment each; before and after, we took neurological, hearing, vocal and stress-related measurements.

After the treatment, 3 subjects experienced silence, all 27 subjects experienced quieter tinnitus, 26 experienced improved hearing abilities, all 27 experienced less emotional stress and 24 had a more resonant voice. Numerous direct correlations were found between the neurological (magnetoencephalographic) measurements, the tinnitus volume and the hearing threshold, as well as between the voice volume and the stress experienced (determined using heart rate variability measurement and a tinnitus questionnaire) and between the voice volume and the hearing threshold.

I was able to demonstrate that:

• Tinnitus can be treated therapeutically and is potentially curable in terms of the perception of noise.
• Tinnitus can be described and measured as a syndrome of neurological, auditory, vocal, muscular and stress-related symptoms.
• Like many other health disorders, tinnitus can be treated effectively with words and non-verbal and paraverbal suggestions.
• Pastoral care is physical care when it uses such words.
  Since Aristotle’s separation of body, soul and spirit cannot be the basis for a modern view of humanity in the age of psychosomatics, psychoneuroimmunology and epigenetics, the resulting separation of professions such as doctors, psychotherapists and pastoral carers (both male and female) must also be re-examined. There are obvious parallels between hypnosystemic treatment, in which words bring about physical healing, and the actions of Jesus, who treated physical, mental, social and spiritual healing as a unity, in which one condition determines and brings about the other.

I notice that a certain burden has been lifted from me now that everything is done. It’s nice to be able to end the old year this way. In the new year, I would like to publish the scientific findings I have gained as an article in a neuroscience journal. In 2027, the therapeutic essence of the work will be published as a specialist book. I signed the contract for this a few weeks ago.

I wish you all a confident, wonderful and healthy New Year!

Yours, Stefan