Applied Research

DR. SERGIO PÉREZ

Dr. Pérez works as a medical doctor at OVID Clinic Berlin and as MIND Academy director at the MIND Foundation. He is also a certified Beyond Experience Facilitator. Currently, Dr. Pérez is training in cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. Being located in Berlin, Dr. Pérez is part of an experienced team of psychotherapists, psychiatrists, and anesthesiologists that offers psychotherapy augmented by ketamine and other methods such as stroboscopic light induction (Lucia Nr. 03), EEG NeuroMeditation, and integration psychotherapy.

In the emerging field of psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy, Dr. Pérez thinks it is necessary to standardize procedures and educate professionals and the general public in a scientific and secular way to create a safe environment and legal framework for therapy and human development.

FARROKH MANSOURI, PhD

Farrokh is a leader in applying data science and machine learning to neuroscience field. Where he works on novel applications incorporating machine learning and artificial intelligence in neuro tech. Farrokh comes from a highly multidisciplinary background with experience applying data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence in the fields of neuro science, climate science, and finance. He is an experienced leader having previously built and managed technical teams in various start-ups. Farrokh holds a BASc, MHSc and PhD in Engineering from the University of Toronto and has authored over 20 research papers that were published in prestigious scientific journals.
Today, Farrokh is on a mission to make the world a better place. He enjoys using multidisciplinary approaches to solve real-world problems. He is especially interested in the development and adoption of newly emerging technologies to create innovative solutions.

JEFF TARRANT, PH.D., BCN

Dr. Tarrant is the founder and Director of the Neuro Meditation Institute and author of the book, “Meditation Interventions to Rewire the Brain.” Dr. Tarrant received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri in 1997. He is a licensed psychologist and board certified in neurofeedback. Dr. Tarrant has devoted much of his professional career to working with technology-based interventions such as quantitative EEG, neurofeedback, biofeedback, and audio visual entrainment (AVE). He has also trained extensively in a variety of spiritual and meditative practices, including Zen, Vipassana, Taoism/Qigong, Arhatic Yoga, and Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).
His research focuses on exploring brainwave changes that occur as a result of contemplative practices,technological interventions, and non-ordinary states of consciousness. He is the Chief Science Officer for Healium XR, creating biometrically controlled virtual reality experiences. He is a regular presenter at national and international conferences Dr. Tarrant offers in-office and home-based EEG NeuroMeditation sessions with BrainAvatar and New Mind systems. In his spare time, Dr. Tarrant enjoys playing the drums, attending concerts, and spending time in nature

JAY GUNKELMAN

Jay Gunkelman, QEEG Diplomate, is recognized as one of the top leaders in the field of EEG and QEEG, and has processed over 500,000 EEGs since 1972. He has served as president of The International Society for Neurofeedback and Research, as well as a board member and treasurer of the Association for Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback and is a past-president of the Biofeedback Society of California. He is co-founder and Chief Science Officer of Brain Science International and is a popular lecturer worldwide on the topic of QEEG and phenotype identification of neurological disorders.

BRAEDEN TERPOU, PhD

Braeden is an ardent researcher who specializes in neuroimaging and mental health. Braeden has published many first-author papers in prestigious neuroscience journals, many of which focus on self-related processing disturbances, i.e., the sense of self, in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the related neural underpinnings. Braeden is currently leading a simultaneous EEG-fMRI investigation to determine the cross-modality neural correlates underlying PTSD and moral injury.

Braeden strives to identify neural correlates underlying psychopathology, as well as how these neural correlates promote the altered phenomenological states observed commonly in mental health disorders. Once these neural correlates are understood more thoroughly, targeted treatments such as neurofeedback and psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy may be used to improve mental health outcomes and build resiliency in mental health populations. Instrumental to the above process will be leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to tailor therapy to the individual – a vision Divergence Neuro and Braeden share passionately.

HEATHER HARGRAVES, MA., C.PSYCH., NM-3

Heather Hargraves, M.A., C.Psych., is a clinical psychologist in London, Ontario, Canada. She started working with the NeuroMeditation Institute in 2017 and is currently a level three instructor. In 2020, Heather helped found Divergence Neuro with the aim of developing a software platform that would allow clinicians to offer neurofeedback and neuromeditation therapies from a distance.

Heather’s research interests investigate the neurological underpinnings of various states of consciousness, including dissociation, meditation, and psychedelics. Her master’s research focused on the therapeutic induction of altered states of consciousness, based on research findings related to psilocybin.

Currently, Heather is an advocate for the use of biometric assessment and data driven interfaces to support clinical work, with an emphasis on shifting our relationship to technology. Her hope is that we can use these technologies to focus on supporting the therapeutic alliance; allowing technology to act as a mediator for shared narratives that can offer a more in-depth exploration of how our physiology responds to our emotions and thoughts and how technology can help us support the development of a nourishing state of secure self awareness.

JEREMY STAIRS

Jeremy is an engineer who wears many hats. He started falling down the endless BCI rabbit hole when he read this article about neuralink: https://waitbutwhy.com/2017/04/neuralink.html while studying electrical+computer engineering and psychology at the University of Toronto. Jeremy works on a wide variety of technologies at Divergence. He is passionate about mental health and neuro technologies, and says that building thinking aids is the best thing to do with his time.