About my current job
Traumatic events and their effects have been the focus of much of my research, culminating in a neurobiological theory that describes the effects of extreme stress on different memory systems, and how these are manifested in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This has meant involvement in some of the huge controversies about forgetting and remembering trauma, which continue to divide the field to this day. I have also been closely involved in designing and carrying out mental health interventions after some of the major terrorist attacks in the UK and in simplifying the way PTSD will be diagnosed in the new edition of the International Classification of Diseases. I have also developed a technique involving immersive virtual reality for teaching people to be more self-compassionate, a problem that lies at the heart of many mental health problems. I am also a practising Cognitive-Behavioural Therapist.
Fond memories of my time at EP
The library remaining open the whole night so that tutorial essays could be researched and written up to the last moment before they had to be handed in the following morning!
Did you have a favourite tutor/lecturer/prof, and how did they inspire you?
A dead heat between Jerry Bruner for his chimpanzee imitations during first-year lectures and Rom Harré, then University Lecturer in the Philosophy of Science.
