Dissociation Research at the University of Birmingham

11/03/2025

We are really proud to say that our latest paper - authored by one of our fantastic graduate students - is now published!

In this paper, we used machine learning to analyse your responses to our 2022-2023 online study. This helped us identify which 'sources of stress' have the most impact on young people's levels of dissociation.

We wrote about it more here: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-02-external-factors-dissociation-young-people.html

Thank you so much for making this happen!

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/eip.70015

Everyday stress, loneliness, and feelings of exclusion or marginalization have been highlighted as the biggest risk factors, along with childhood trauma, for contributing to dissociation in teenagers and young adults, a new study has revealed. The findings challenge traditional perceptions of dissoc...

12/06/2024

New study!

We are seeking volunteers for our in-person study about memory, reality, and imagination - and how these link to dissociation, among other things.

Participants receive £15 via bank transfer or Amazon vouchers for completing an online survey about their experiences and wellbeing (30-45 minutes) and an in-person session involving a word-generation game, categorisation task, and a memory test (60 minutes).

You must be aged 18-30 years, have normal or corrected hearing, and feel confident in spoken English to participate. Additionally, you must be able to attend the in-person session at the University of Birmingham.

Register your interest by scanning the QR code in the poster below or email Gwynnevere Suter at gms377@bham.ac.uk.

24/11/2022

Our latest study is live! 🥳
We want to hear from 16-25 year olds who usually live in the UK.
More info here: https://bhampsychology.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_ebUOnVOZDXlsA5w

17/11/2022

It's been quiet on here, but I'm excited to say that a new research project will be launching soon...!

This one will be for anyone aged 16 to 25 years old (inclusive), who usually lives in the UK.

No particular level of dissociation is required - we're interested in what life experiences might lead to some people experiencing / not experiencing dissociative feelings.

The survey link will give much more info... but for now, watch this space!

11/05/2022

We're in the middle of Mental Health Awareness Week in the UK, so I thought I'd share this excellent video by Rethink Mental Illness featuring Joe Perkins (aka DPD Diaries) talking about the difficulties people with disorder face in getting help in the NHS. ( is a type of dissociative experience).

Experiences like this are the reason we need more research into . So thanks again for being part of the community of people making that happen! Together, we're going to make a change 🙌

“🗣️ "Nobody's ever really heard of this" For , Joe () spoke to us about how isolating living with depersonalisation can be. Find out more about the condition 👉 https://t.co/me10561KE2 https://t.co/K3b5Xu4ZLr”

29/04/2022

Hi everyone!

Big news: we're moving... to Birmingham! 🚀

Thanks to *your* incredible support of our online surveys, Emma passed her PhD at the University of Oxford, and has now joined the University of Birmingham as Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychology.

This is a fantastic step in furthering dissociation research: full-time, permanent research posts are incredibly hard to find, and we're really excited that UoB has put their trust in Emma's research in this way.

So what's next?

Well for a start, we need to re-name this page...!

**If you have suggestions for what to call our "lab" / research group, please comment below 👇**

Secondly, keep your eyes peeled for more research opportunities and results coming soon!

Thanks again, everyone. We're really excited to have you on board for this adventure! 😃

27/05/2021

Hello! I'm excited to tell you that we had an article published in Psyche magazine last week about 'felt sense of anomaly'. This is the key concept from the 'Mapping Dissociation' and 'Understanding Dissociative Experiences' online studies and a new way of thinking about .

I've already had a lot of lovely feedback about this piece, so please do share with anyone else who may find it helpful.

https://psyche.co/ideas/when-reality-slips-through-your-fingers-in-search-of-dissociation

All the best
- Emma

Pinning down the slippery strangeness of dissociation is like grappling with a bar of soap, but it badly needs a definition

12/05/2021

The second research paper from the "Mapping Dissociation" study (which ran in summer 2018) has now been published!

With your help, this study tested a new theory that many dissociative experiences share a "felt sense of anomaly" (something feeling really odd, even though you logically know it's fine). This is a new way of thinking about dissociation that could really help researchers and clinicians understand it more easily.

You also helped to create a new questionnaire that will help researchers and clinicians measure this set of experiences.

It's Open Access (free to read) - but be warned, it is quite a long one..! A more digestible magazine article based on the key idea will be coming out soon, too.

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0247037

So once again: thank you! :)

- Emma

Background Dissociative experiences occur across a range of mental health disorders. However, the term ‘dissociation’ has long been argued to lack conceptual clarity and may describe several distinct phenomena. We therefore aimed to conceptualise and empirically establish a discrete subset of di...

02/01/2021

Did you take part in the 'Understanding Dissociative Experiences' study that took place in 2019? Then THANK YOU!

Our new research paper, just released, used these helpful responses to make a new questionnaire. The questionnaire measures the thoughts people have when they notice dissociation happening.

We hope that clinicians will start to use the questionnaire to understand dissociation better and get the conversations started!

This paper is free to access:
https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioural-and-cognitive-psychotherapy/article/cognitive-appraisals-of-dissociation-in-psychosis-a-new-brief-measure/11DE22F984FAEF0DA7FDFF0806B0A6EB/share/4c4741e78889c7a775f4d034d358fec36a0c6ab7

- Emma

29/11/2020

New research taking place! Do you know someone aged 13-18 in years 8-13? We're looking for teens in the UK to fill out a 20min survey for the chance to win an Amazon voucher.

The survey is about anxiety and depersonalisation in teens and could inform better mental health treatment. No experience of anxiety or depersonalisation is required to take the survey - it's open to anyone aged 13-18!

Participants aged 16 and below will require a parent to complete a consent page at the beginning.

Click here to take part: https://oxfordxpsy.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1GrEjkP5pXfU29v

- Katie

20/10/2020

New paper!

After a long time analysing, writing, and responding to suggestions from reviewers, the first paper using data from the "Mapping Dissociation in Mental Health" study (that took place in 2018!) has now been published: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022395620309341

A very big thank you again to everyone who took part.

Dissociative experiences, traditionally studied in relation to trauma and PTSD, may be important phenomena across many different psychological conditi…