Emotional Mental Imagery Lab (EMIL)
Head of group: Professor Emily A. Holmes
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
Key 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
- Emily Holmes in BBC Radio 4 2021-03-17
- Emily Holmes and Marie Kanstrup in Swedish magazine Sunt arbetsliv 2021-02-23
- New article in Journal of Medical Internet Research. Beau Gamble and Emily Holmes co-authors. 2021-02-23
- New article in The Lancet. Emily Holmes co-author. 2021-02-15
- New article in Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. Emily Holmes co-author. 2021-02-03
- Emily Holmes on Uppsala University joining Wellcome Leap Global Network 2021-01-29
- New article in Translational Psychiatry. Laura Singh, Beau Gamble and Emily Holmes co-authors. 2021-01-19
- Emily Holmes interviewed in Läkartidningen 2021-01-12
- Emily Holmes interviewed in UNT 2020-12-09
- Emily Holmes interviewed in 1177 Vårdguiden 2020-12-03
Members
Head of Group
- Emily A. Holmes, Professor
Administrator
Researchers
- Laura Singh, Researcher
- Beau Gamble, Researcher
- Marie Kanstrup, Researcher, Karolinska Institutet
- Lalitha Iyadurai, Researcher and Honorary Research Clinical Psychologist, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust, UK
- Thomas Ågren, Researcher
- Michelle Moulds, Professor, The University of New South Wales, Australia
- Evelina Kontio, Research Assistant, Karolinska Institutet
- Anahita Geranmayeh, Research Assistant, Karolinska Institutet
Postgraduate Students
- Johanna Motilla Hoppe, PhD Student
- Kristjana Þórarinsdóttir, PhD Student, University of Iceland
- Johann Hardar, PhD Student, University of Iceland
- Emily Greenfield, DClin Psych Student, Surrey and Borders Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- Sanne Annersand, Master's Student (2021)
Affiliated Members
- Andri Steinþór Björnsson, Professor of Psychology, University of Iceland
- Susie Hales, Clinical Psychologist, Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, UK
- Anna Hörberg, Registered nurse (RN)/ambulance nurse, PhD and Senior Lecturer in Nursing, Dalarna University, Sweden
- Alex Lau Zhu, PhD in Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Oxford, UK
- Ann Rudman, Registred nurse, Associate Professor, Department of health and welfare, Dalarna University, Sweden
- Kerry Young, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, UK
Alumni
- Emma Odekvist, Master´s Student (2020)
- Roosa Porthén, Master´s Student (2020)
- 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)