A method and apparatus for consciousness and/or pain monitoring, preferably for anesthesia monitoring and for detecting awareness and unconsciousness is described, in which EEG signals are evaluated by means of symbolic transfer entropy. The apparatus includesa module for analyzing EEG signals, having a data input that can receive and measure EEG signals, a computer unit that can evaluate the EEG signals and an output unit that can output an indicator value for differentiating between awareness and unconsciousness, and to an anesthesia monitor which is configured to measure EEG signals and to evaluate them by means of symbolic transfer entropy.
