Dane Easden
University of Melbourne, AUS
Dane Easden is a clinical psychologist and researcher in Melbourne, Australia. He is a member of the Australian Psychological Society (APS), APS College of Clinical Psychologists, and APS Transpersonal Psychology Interest Group. After developing a deep curiosity regarding peoples’ perceptions of themselves, others, and their environments, Dane completed his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology at Swinburne University. He later completed his Master of Clinical Psychology degree at the Australian National University, and is currently undertaking a PhD at the University of Melbourne.
Dane’s research encompasses existential stress, meaning seeking, (meta)reasoning and delusional belief formation, and focuses on the experimental investigation of awareness and fear of death within the context of delusional ideation. Dane has primarily authored papers exploring the relationship between death anxiety and psychosis, in which psychotic experiences are framed as coping mechanisms whereby individuals form protective delusions of meaning, connection and significance in efforts to buffer death anxiety. More broadly, Dane is interested in exploring the interplay between major existential concerns (one’s experiences of mortality, meaning, identity, connection and freedom), the ways in which individuals cope with these concerns, and influences on mental health. His other current research interests include self-actualisation, phenomenology, psychedelic therapies, and clinical applications of extended reality.
He has presented his research at various international psychology conferences: World Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (WCBCT), Australasian Society for Philosophy and Psychology (ASPP), Society for Personality and Social Psychology (SPSP), International Congress of Psychology (ICP), and has received numerous academic awards. In clinical practice, Dane is drawn to approaches which incorporate individuals’ experiences, beliefs and ways of being in spiritual and transpersonal contexts, and plans to train in providing evidence-based existential and psychedelic-assisted therapies.