FINDING THE FLOW
Ontological, Phenomenological, and Methodological Perspectives on Subjective Time
SPEAKERS: Federica Cavaletti, Marina Elena Cazzaniga, Marcin Moskalewicz, Ilaria Terrenghi, Federica Torre, Giuliano Torrengo, Marc Wittmann
Started in 2024, the project TIMELAPSE. A VR application for speeding up time passage during chemotherapy proposed to design, prototype, and test a virtual reality (VR) application to accelerate subjective time passage during chemotherapy. Grounded in the existing literature on time passage and flow, TIMELAPSE also innovatively adopted a patient-centred approach. This allowed to incorporate in the design of the VR application the irreplaceable perspective of its end-users: the cancer patients.
Having brought TIMELAPSE to its conclusion, we are ready to share its main outcomes and to invite the audience to test in first person the brand-new VR app. At the same time, we wish to transform the research we conducted into an opportunity to spark a wider discussion on the topic of subjective time.
In fact, working empirically on time perception never fails to lead back to key ontological, phenomenological, as well as methodological questions.
What is the actual structure of the temporal experience? What is its relation to our bodily feelings and emotions? What happens to our sense of time when we are affected by organic or mental illnesses, or when we go through altered states of consciousness? How can we capture and possibly even measure such a complex construct, without losing its experiential richness?
The complexity of these and similar issues calls for concretely interdisciplinary work, and the pursuit of innovative methodological paths. The future of time research, so to speak, lays at the crossroad between the humanities, the natural and the social sciences, as well as in a blend of qualitative and quantitative empirical research.
With this conference, we wish to contribute to advancing the state of the art on subjective time according to these guiding principles.
TIMELAPSE’s team members will share the project’s main results, and prominent international scholars will use them as a springboard to present their related and most recent research, in a multi-perspective exchange.
FULL PROGRAMME
h. 9:30 – 9:45
Welcome coffee + Registration
h. 9:45 – 10:00
Andrea Pinotti (University of Milan)
Welcome address and introduction
Panel 1: The TIMELAPSE project
Chair: Margherita Fontana (University of Milan)
h. 10:00 – 10:45
Federica Cavaletti (Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies – Aarhus University)
TIMELAPSE’s origins and theoretical framework + Q&A
h. 10:45 – 11:30
Ilaria Terrenghi (eCampus University) & Marina Cazzaniga (University of Milano-Bicocca; Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori)
TIMELAPSE’s participatory design results: from the labs to the app + Q&A
h. 11:30 – 12:15
Marina Cazzaniga (University of Milano-Bicocca; Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori) & Federica Cavaletti (Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies – Aarhus University)
TIMELAPSE’s trial results + Q&A
h. 12:15 – 12:45
Federica Torre & Arianna Bellotti (Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori)
The research nurses’ perspective: running a study in an oncology department + Q&A
h. 12:45 – 14.00
Lunch break
h. 14:00 – 14:30
VR Demo
Panel 2: Interdisciplinary insights on subjective time
Chair: Tommaso Zorzini (University of Milan)
h. 14:30 – 15:00
Marc Wittmann (Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg)
How we experience time: bodily feelings, emotions, and altered states of consciousness
h. 15:00 – 15:30
Marcin Moskalewicz (IDEAS Research Institute, Warsaw; Poznań University of Medical Sciences)
Quantitative phenomenology of temporality: methodological pathways across oncology and psychiatry
h. 15:30 – 16:00
Giuliano Torrengo (University of Milan)
The myth of continuity
h. 16:00 – 16:45
Q&A and discussion
h. 16:45 – 17.00
Andrea Pinotti (University of Milan)
Final remarks
h. 17:00 – 18:00
Aperitif & VR Demo
ABSTRACTS & BIOS
FEDERICA CAVALETTI
“TIMELAPSE’s origins and theoretical framework”
TIMELAPSE’s core idea is using virtual reality (VR) to induce the impression that time is passing faster during chemotherapy. In this presentation, I will articulate this idea and how it was first developed in the project in scientific terms. First, I will expand on the constructs of time passage perception and flow. Then, I will summarize how the existing literature suggests to manipulate them by means of interactive and immersive media, and how this insight has been originally elaborated by TIMELAPSE.
BIO
Federica Cavaletti (Ph.D.), previously a Post Doc researcher at the Department of Philosophy “Piero Martinetti” of the University of Milan, is AIAS-AUFF Fellow at Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies (Aarhus University, Denmark), and Head of Research Unit in the project TIMLAPSE. She has studied extensively the topic of VR and its usage in healthcare. Her current research interests concern differences in time experience between neurotypical and neurodivergent people, and how to improve academic collaboration based on acknowledgement and proper management of such differences.
MARINA CAZZANIGA with FEDERICA CAVALETTI
“TIMELAPSE’s trial results”
The prototype of the app Track of Time, originated by the TIMELAPSE project, was tested through a clinical trial with female patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy treatment at Phase 1 Research Centre (IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori). In this presentation, we will share for the first time the main results from the clinical trial, focussing on the app’s tolerability and its effectiveness, in terms of the degree to which it was appreciated by the patients and – importantly – its ability to alter their time perception.
BIO
Marina Cazzaniga (Prof., M.D.) is an Associate Professor of Oncology and Head of Phase 1 Research Center at Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori. She was PI of different Phase 1 trials in the field of cancer, Member of ESMO (European Society of Medical Oncology), Chairman of the scientific Network HERMIONE, President and Founder of International School of Metronomic chemotherapy (ISME) a web-based school which trained several scientist across the world on metronomic chemotherapy for cancer.
MARCIN MOSKALEWICZ
“Quantitative Phenomenology of Temporality: Methodological Pathways Across Oncology and Psychiatry”
Quantitative phenomenology offers a methodological bridge between the rich, first-person descriptions of temporal experience and the statistical rigor needed for transdiagnostic comparison. This talk examines how anomalous temporal experiences can be measured across two radically different clinical contexts—oncology and psychiatry. In cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, temporal experience becomes explicitly felt and oscillates between acceleration and deceleration according to treatment rhythm rather than demographic or medical variables. This “chemo-rhythm” functions as a situational Zeitgeber that desynchronizes patients from their lifeworld and challenges temporal autonomy. In psychiatric conditions—particularly autism and borderline personality disorder—temporal disturbances form a phenomenological core.
Here, tools such as TATE (Transdiagnostic Assessment of Temporal Experience) enable quantifying pre-reflective disruptions (synchrony, flow, structure of past–present–future) while preserving their qualitative meaning. Taken together, these findings illustrate that lived temporality is not merely a by-product of illness but a fundamental domain of vulnerability.
Quantitative phenomenology thus provides methodological pathways for comparing temporal disruption across conditions while remaining faithful to the phenomenological insight that time is not something patients “perceive” but a medium through which they inhabit their world.
BIO
Marcin Moskalewicz, PhD, DSc, specializes in transdisciplinary research at the intersection of phenomenology, psychiatry, and computational approaches to lived experience; he studied and worked at several universities in Europe (Groningen, Poznan, Zurich, Heidelberg, Oxford) and in the US (Berkeley, Texas A&M). He is currently Associate Professor and Head of Philosophy of Mental Health Unit, Poznan University of Medical Sciences in Poland; Associate Professor at the Institute of Philosophy, Marie-Curie Slodowska University in Lublin; Team Leader at IDEAS Research Institute in Warsaw as well as convener of the Phenomenology and Mental Health Network, The Collaborating Centre for Values-based Practice in Health and Social Care, St. Catherine’s College, Oxford. Recently published books: “Hannah Arendt’s Ambiguous Storytelling” (Bloomsbury 2024); “Phenomenological Neuropsychiatry”, ed. (Springer 2024).
ILARIA TERRENGHI with MARINA CAZZANIGA
“TIMELAPSE’s participatory design results: from the labs to the app ”
Participatory design is one of the focal points of the TIMELAPSE project. Adopting a bottom-up methodology, it integrates the perspectives of all stakeholders from the earliest stages of development. This involves breast cancer patients, their caregivers and clinical staff in participatory design workshops and iterative feedback sessions. This direct engagement ensures that the resulting VR content, environments, and interaction methods are meaningful and accessible to users undergoing chemotherapy, and aligned with their psychological and physical conditions.
BIO
Ilaria Terrenghi, Ph.D. in Communication and Education Sciences, is currently a researcher (RTT tenure-track) at the Department of Human and Social Sciences (DiSUS) of eCampus University, and collaborates with the CREDDI research center (Center for Research on Digital Education and Social Innovation). Her research focuses primarily on the effectiveness of teaching and learning processes, with a particular interest in online teaching, immersive technologies, and innovative teaching methodologies. She previously collaborated with CREMIT (Catholic University, 2015-2024) and was a research fellow in the ERC AN-ICON project (University of Milan, 2021-2025).
FEDERICA TORRE and ARIANNA BELOTTI
“The research nurses’ perspective: running a study in an oncology department ”
The Clinical Research Nurse (CRN) plays a key role in oncology clinical trials, acting as a bridge between the multidisciplinary team, study participants, and the research protocol. Recent studies highlight how the presence of a CRN improves data quality, patient safety, and protocol adherence, while reducing drop-out rates and promoting informed participation.
In this presentation, I will outline the main responsibilities and characteristics of the research nurse within clinical trials, drawing on the experience of the TIMELAPSE project.
BIOs
Federica Torre is a research nurse at the Phase 1 Research Center of the Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori in Monza. She holds a Master’s Degree in Nursing and Midwifery Sciences (2024) and has eight years of experience in the oncohematology field. Her professional background combines extensive clinical expertise with a strong commitment to advancing patient care through clinical research and innovation.
Arianna Bellotti is a research nurse at the Phase 1 Research Center of the Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori in Monza. She earned a Master’s degree in “Clinical Trial Management in Hematology and Oncology” in October 2025. Her interest in scientific advancement and patient care is reflected in a constant pursuit of professional excellence in the crucial field of clinical trials.
GIULIANO TORRENGO
“The myth of continuity”
In this talk I will argue that even though experience is often described as smooth, we do not experience the temporal dimension as a continuous series of locations. By building upon both on theoretical and empirical considerations, I will give reasons to believe that experience is not just discontinuous but also constituted by disunified streams. Finally, I will discuss the roles that thoughts play in our inner life by introducing and articulating the idea of narrative cognition as the origin of the “myth” of the continuity and smoothness of our temporal experience.
BIO
Giuliano Torrengo is an Associate Professor at the Department of Philosophy of the University of Milan, where he coordinates the Centre for Philosophy of Time. He is part of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Time (Sydney), and a Research Associate of Logos (Barcelona). He is president of the Society for the Metaphysics of Science and vice-president of the Italian Society for Analytic Philosophy and of the Association of Analytic Metaphysics in the Italian-Speaking World. His current focus of interest is the connection between temporal experience and the scientific image of time. In his last book (“Temporal Experience. The Atomist Dynamic Model”, OUP, 2024), he develops an account of temporal phenomenology that aims at being empirically plausible and compatible with our best physical theories.
MARC WITTMANN
“How we experience time: Bodily feelings, emotions, and altered states of consciousness”
The question of how we as humans process time has remained unresolved until recently. New empirical findings support the idea that subjective time perception — particularly over intervals of several seconds — is closely linked to body signals such as heart rate, processed in the insular cortex. These results suggest that our sense of time is fundamentally embodied, shaped by physiological signals from the body and emotional states. The entanglement of self-reflective consciousness, emotion and body awareness with the experience of time is prominently disclosed in variations of everyday states of consciousness such as in experiences of flow and of boredom. When we are bored, we focus a lot of attention on ourselves, which subjectively slows down the passage of time. In contrast, when we are in a state of flow, for example during absorbing activities like video games, we experience time passing quickly, as we are fully focused on the task and lose awareness of our selves.
The experience of time and of the self is more strongly modulated in altered states of consciousness (ASC) induced with different psychological or psychopharmacological induction techniques, but also as reported in neurological and psychiatric conditions. In meditative states, as experienced during Floatation-REST, or under the influence of psychedelic drugs, peak experiences can occur which later are described as culminating in the oceanic feeling of ‘selflessness’ and ‘timelessness’. Together, this research illustrates how the human experience of self and time ranges from varieties of everyday perception to altered states, offering insights into the embodied nature of consciousness.
BIO
Marc Wittmann studied Psychology and Philosophy at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland, and the University of Munich, Germany. He received his Ph.D. (1997) and habilitation (2007) at the Institute of Medical Psychology, Medical School, University of Munich. Between 2004 and 2009 he was Research Fellow at the Department of Psychiatry at the University of California San Diego. Since 2009 he is employed at the Institute for Frontier Areas of Psychology and Mental Health, Freiburg, Germany. He is book author of “Felt Time” (2016) and “Altered States of Consciousness” (2018), published by MIT Press. Book available in Italian: “Il tempo siamo noi” Roma: Carocci (2015).
REFERENCES
Cavaletti, F. (2021). Virtual Reality as A Time-Dissolving Machine in Distressing Medical Treatments. Current Perspectives and Future Directions. Reti, Saperi, Linguaggi, 8(1), 155-176.
Csikszentmihalyi, M. (1997). Finding Flow: The Psychology of Engagement with Everyday Life. Basic Books.
Csikszentmihalyi M. (1975). Beyond Boredom and Anxiety. The Experience of Play in Work and Games. Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Larson E.A., & von Eye A. (2006). Predicting the Perceived Flow of Time from Qualities of Activity and Depth of Engagement. Ecological Psychology, 18(2), 113-130.
Larson E.A, & von Eye A. (2010). Beyond Flow: Temporality and Participation in Everyday Activities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 64(1), 152-163.
Moskalewicz, M., Popova, Y., & Wiertlewska-Bielarz, J. (2022). Lived time in ovarian cancer–A qualitative phenomenological exploration. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 56, 102083.
Mullen, G., & Davidenko, N. (2021). Time Compression in Virtual Reality. Timing & Time Perception, 9(4), 377-392.
Rutrecht, H., Wittmann, M., Khoshnoud, S., & Igarzábal, F. A. (2021). Time speeds up during flow states: A study in virtual reality with the video game thumper. Timing & Time Perception, 9(4), 353-376.
Szuła, A., Moskalewicz, M., & Stanghellini, G. (2024). Transdiagnostic assessment of temporal experience (TATE) in mental disorders—empirical validation and adaptation of a structured phenomenological interview. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 13(15), 4325.
Torrengo, G. (2024). Temporal Experience: The Atomist Dynamic Model. Oxford University Press.
Torrengo, G., & Cassaghi, D. (2024). Flow and presentness in experience. Analytic Philosophy, 65(2), 109-130.
Wittmann, M. (2016). Felt Time: The Psychology of How We Perceive Time. MIT Press.
The event is held under the patronage of:
