RCBB Seminar: Dr. Charlotte Krahé – Translating experimental research to inform interventions for reducing pain, anxiety, and depression

In this RCBB Research Seminar Series talk, Dr Charlotte Krahé (LJMU) will present her current research under the title “Translating experimental research to inform interventions for reducing pain, anxiety, and depression.

Abstract: Humans are social beings, and close social relationships are critical for our emotional and physical wellbeing. One line of my research focuses on understanding how interactions with others influence our experience of pain. Specifically, I ask how our brains manage the complex task of integrating social information (such as receiving soothing touch from our partners or support from healthcare professionals) with signals arising from our bodies to affect how we feel pain. In a second line, I study how we interpret ambiguous situations (whether we jump to positive or negative conclusions), especially when anxious or depressed, and how we can change interpretations to improve wellbeing. Together, my research seeks to explain the psychological and neurobiological pathways by which humans integrate social context with its all its complexity into their experience of emotions, from relatively fleeting pain sensations in our bodies to longer-term feelings of anxiety and depression. How are these pathways influenced by the way we view others and ourselves in social interactions, and how are they shaped by our early interpersonal experiences? I will talk about my programme of research, focusing on the effects of social context on pain and touch, and of cognitive processes in anxiety and depression, and discuss how I translate these insights into evidence-based interventions to ameliorate these often debilitating symptoms and conditions.

If you’d like to attend, or have any queries, please contact Valentina Cazzato or Michael Richter.#

Venue: 1.48 / 1.49 – Tom Reilly Building, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, L3 3AF