Dr. Michael M. Tophoff

Michael Tophoff was born in Bremen, Germany and graduated at the Jesuit College St.Aloysius in The Hague, Netherlands. He obtained a M.Sc. in Clinical Psychology at the University of Utrecht, and a M.A. in Theology and Religion at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He received his Ph.D. at the University of Utrecht with a dissertation on Buddhism and Management.

Dr.Tophoff teaches Personal Skills at the Faculty of Economy and Business of the University of Amsterdam. As a Research Fellow at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam in the research project Buddhist Contemplative Studies, he investigates 'Psychological Aspects of Inner Contemplation in the Classical Daoist and Chan Buddhist Traditions'. Dr.Tophoff further contributes to the Buddhist Spiritual Care Programme in the area of Stress- and Conflict Management.
He practices a variety of Chinese martial arts.

He publishes widely and internationally on Buddhism, Daoism, Mediation and Conflict Management, Neuropsychology and Sensory Awareness. In these fields he offers a variety of seminars in Europe and Asia on Person-centered Human Resource Management. Here, he focuses both on mental and physical health and illness prevention, and on inner power, resilience, autonomy and singularity. In this way, enriching competencies such as connective communication, stress tolerance and inner balance are developed.

His partner is the artist Annemarie van Haeringen.