Emotional Mental Imagery Lab (EMIL)
Head of group: Professor Emily A. Holmes
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Research Group Mission
Emotional Mental Imagery Lab (EMIL)
for psychological treatment development
The work in Emily Holmes' research group is underpinned by a core interest in mental health science, and the translation of basic findings to create innovations to improve psychological treatments. The research combines perspectives from clinical and experimental psychology. It takes an interdisciplinary approach including psychology, psychiatry, cognitive science, neuroscience and so forth.
Mental imagery is implicated across psychological disorders from intrusive memories of past trauma, to flashforwards to the future in bipolar disorder. Mental imagery involves ‘seeing in the mind’s eye’, ‘hearing in the mind’s ear’ et cetera and has a more powerful impact on emotion than its verbal counterpart (thinking in words). It therefore presents exciting opportunities for transdiagnostic mental health treatment innovation. Mental imagery is also fascinating in its own right in terms of better understanding the science of mental life.
What Is Mental Imagery?
We think in the form of either words or mental imagery. We know less about the latter. Mental imagery is like weak perception (without the percept) recruiting similar neural circuitry. Imagining daffodils, as Wordsworth wrote, “that flash upon that inwards eye” brings solace. Negative events flashing into mind, like intrusive memories of trauma, bring overwhelming emotions. Allowing time travel, imagery can "flash-forwards" to suicide. By amplifying emotion and behaviour, imagery drives psychopathology across mental disorders. Directly asking patients about mental imagery benefits assessment. Being curious about mental imagery enriches the science of mental life, and may also open doors clinically.
Holmes, E.A. & Ågren, T. (2020). 100 words on mental imagery-100 words. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 216(4), 196-196
Selected Projects
- EKUT-P RCT: Enkel Kognitiv Uppgift efter Trauma under COVID-19 – sjukvårdspersonal ("EKUT-P") – en randomiserad kontrollerad studie (Simple Cognitive Task Intervention After Trauma During COVID-19 In Hospital Staff)
- The Lóa Project: Developing an intervention after trauma from the science of mental imagery
- Swedish Research Council Grant: Modulating the Persistence of Intrusive Memories: From the Lab to Naturalistic Environments
Publications and News
View team publications. The list order is chronological (latest year first).
View Holmes' publications on Google Scholar.
Selected Publications
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Reducing intrusive memories after trauma via a brief cognitive task intervention in the hospital emergency department: an exploratory pilot randomised controlled trial
2021
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Multidisciplinary research priorities for the COVID-19 pandemic: a call for action for mental health science
2020
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Intrusive memories of trauma: A target for research bridging cognitive science and its clinical application.
2019
News
- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences’ Expert Group on COVID-19 presents final report. Emily Holmes part of reference group. 2021-11-30
- Emily Holmes in Uppsala universitets magasin 2021 2021-10-29
- Two new publications by, inter alia, Emily Holmes on mental health and Covid 19 in the media 2021-10-12
- Emily Holmes is co-author of five new articles 2021-09-08
- Emily Holmes in Swedish Public Radio 2021-07-02
- EMIL's study EKUT-P highlighted by Dagens Medicin 2021-06-14
- Emily Holmes interviewed in Vårdfokus 2021-06-13
- The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences publishes report. Emily Holmes co-author. 2021-06-11
- Emily Holmes in Swedish National Television 2021-05-25
- EMIL's study EKUT-P highlighted by Swedish National Radio 2021-05-06
Members
Head of Group
- Emily A. Holmes, Professor
Administrator
- Nicole Hafner, Administrator
Researchers
- Michelle Moulds, Professor, The University of New South Wales, Australia
- Laura Singh, Researcher
- Marie Kanstrup, Researcher, Karolinska Institutet
- Thomas Ågren, Researcher
- Philip Millroth, Researcher
- Susie Hales, Clinical Psychologist, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- Hulda Karlsson, Research Assistant, Karolinska Institutet
Postgraduate Students
- Johann Hardar, PhD Student, University of Iceland
- Kristjana Þórarinsdóttir, PhD Student, University of Iceland
- Lisa Espinosa, PhD Student, Karolinska Institutet
Undergraduate Students
- Johanna Palm, Master's Student
- Ali Mahmoudi, Master's Student
- Oscar Wallin, Master's Student
- Ronja Widehammar, Master's Student
- Siri Hansen, Assistant
- Sara Ahmed Pihlgren, Assistant
Affiliated Members
- Andri Steinþór Björnsson, Professor of Psychology, University of Iceland
- Ann Rudman, Registered nurse, Associate Professor, Department of Health and Welfare, Dalarna University, Sweden
- Anna Hörberg, Registered nurse (RN)/ambulance nurse, PhD and Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Dalarna University, Sweden
- Alex Lau Zhu, Trainee Clinical Psychologist, University of Oxford, UK
- Kerry Young, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, UK
- Lali Iyadurai, Senior Research Clinical Psychologist, UK
- Veronika Kubickova, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, UK
- Ellen Feldt, Master's Student, Karolinska Institutet
Alumni
- Beau Gamble, Researcher (2019-2021)
- Anahita Geranmayeh, Research Assistant, Karolinska Institutet (2020-2021)
- Emily Greenfield, DClin Psych Student, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, UK (completed 2021)
- Johanna Motilla Hoppe, PhD Student (2021)
- Brianna Garate, Bachelor's Student (2021)
- Sara Ahmed Pihlgren, Bachelor's Student (2021)
- Evelina Kontio, Master's Student and Research Assistant, Karolinska Institutet (2019-2021)
- Sanne Annersand, Master's Student (2021)
- Emma Odekvist, Master´s Student (2020/2021)
- Roosa Porthén, Master´s Student (2020/2021)
- Katherine Depa, Master´s Student (2020) and Research Assistant
- Caterina Vannucci, Internship (2019/2020)
- Ylva Valden, Master´s Student (2019)
- Felicia Sundström, Master´s Student (2019)