Sebastian Murken, Ph.D., M.A. in Comparative Religion, Ph.D. in Psychology,
psychotherapist and group analyst, is director of the Psychology of Religion
Research Group at the University of Trier, Germany. Some of his main areas of
research and publication are: new religious movements, religion and
health/disease, religiosity and psychotherapy. In 1998 he received the award
Prix André Godin of the "Commission Internationale de Psychologie Religieuse
Scientifique" for important contributions to the psychology of religion. Dr.
Murken was expert for the Enquête Commission of the German government on
"So-called Sects and Psychogroups" (1996-1998) and since 2002 directs the
research project "Self chosen membership in new religious movements:
psychosocial motives and consequences". Among his many activities, he regularly
teaches at German-speaking universities as well as other institutions and he is
member of the editorial board of the journals Marburg Journal of Religion,
Archiv für Religionspsychologie and The International Journal for the Psychology
of Religion.
