Marina Weiler, Ph.D.
Dr. Marina Weiler is a neuroscientist and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, where she is developing an interdisciplinary research program at the intersection of neuroscience, psychiatry, phenomenology, and consciousness studies. Her work focuses on experiences that are often reported as deeply meaningful but remain scientifically understudied, including out-of-body experiences, anomalous perception, spiritually significant experiences, and extraordinary communication in nonspeaking autistic individuals.
Dr. Weiler’s early training was in neuroimaging and cognitive neuroscience, with prior research on Alzheimer’s disease, traumatic brain injury, aging, and noninvasive brain stimulation. She received her Ph.D. in Medical Sciences from the University of Campinas in Brazil and completed postdoctoral training at the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health and at the University of California, Los Angeles.
At UVA, Dr. Weiler leads multiple projects designed to bring rigorous empirical methods to the study of extraordinary experiences. Her work combines EEG, psychophysiology, structured and microphenomenological interviews, behavioral paradigms, eye-tracking, psychological assessment, and open-science practices. One central line of research examines the phenomenology, neural correlates, veridical features, and psychological impact of out-of-body experiences. Another investigates communication, agency, and possible anomalous information transfer in nonspeaking autistic individuals using controlled experimental designs and eye-tracking methods.
Dr. Weiler’s work has been recognized through several honors and awards, including the Women in Science Excellence in Research Award from the National Institute on Aging/National Institutes of Health, the CAPES Ph.D. Thesis Award in Medicine I, and multiple recognitions for award-winning scientific work presented at Brazilian meetings on Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders. She was also a runner-up in the Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Research essay contest.
Her broader goal is to help build a scientifically credible and clinically sensitive framework for understanding extraordinary human experiences without prematurely pathologizing them. Through her research, teaching, mentorship, public scholarship, and outreach, she aims to bridge the gap between scientific inquiry and the lived experiences of individuals whose reports are often marginalized or misunderstood.
Selected research papers
- Woollacott, M., & Weiler, M. Neural filters to conscious awareness and the phenomena that reduce their impact. International Review of Psychiatry, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2025.2478907
- Weiler, M., & Woollacott, M. Rethinking communication and consciousness: Lessons from The Telepathy Tapes podcast. EXPLORE, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.explore.2025.103271
- Weiler, M., Acunzo, D., Cozzolino, P. J., & Greyson, B. Exploring the transformative potential of out-of-body experiences: A pathway to enhanced empathy. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 163, 105764, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105764
- Weiler, M., & Acunzo, D. What out-of-body experiences tell us about the mind-brain relationship. International Review of Psychiatry, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/09540261.2024.2436598
- Weiler, M., Casseb, R. F., & Acunzo, D. Using eye movement to signal the onset of self-induced out-of-body experiences. Journal of Consciousness Studies, 32, 135–149, 2025. https://doi.org/10.53765/20512201.32.3.135
- Weiler, M., Moreira-Almeida, A., & Monti, M. M. Distinguishing out-of-body experiences from lucid dreaming: A phenomenological analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1600707, 2025. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1600707
- Weiler, M., Moreira-Almeida, A., & Monti, M. M. Are out-of-body experiences indicative of an underlying psychopathology? Personality and Individual Differences, 246, 113292, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2025.113292
- Weiler, M., Pehlivanova, M., Cozzolino, P., & Penberthy, K. P. The psychiatric lens on extraordinary experiences: Improving care without misdiagnosis. Psychiatric Times, 2025.
- Rocha, A. C., Weiler, M., & Casseb, R. F. Mediumship as the Best Evidence for the Afterlife. In Winning Essays 2023: Proof of Survival of Human Consciousness Beyond Permanent Bodily Death. Bigelow Institute for Consciousness Studies, 2023.
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