The majority of people with psychosis and a substantial minority of the healthy population report psychotic-like anomalous experiences, such as hearing voices. What factors determine whether such experiences lead to a pathological or benign outcome? Are the psychological processes identified by cognitive models of psychosis involved in leading to a ‘need-for-care’? How can research involving individuals with psychotic experiences who do not cross the psychosis threshold inform psychological interventions for psychosis?
These are the questions we are seeking to address in the UNIQUE research group. A range of studies involving people who experience persistent, full-blown psychotic experiences but are not in need of care, are being carried out. These individuals are an ideal group for identifying both potential risk and protective factors in the development of psychosis. As therapists, we have much to learn from this unique group, who can help us to pinpoint what psychological processes are at play in keeping anomalous experiences benign.
Read a summary by Prof. Emmanuelle Peters of the history of psychological therapies for psychosis, and how this population can inform these developments here.
See short videos below of talks on the differences and similarities between healthy and distressed voice-hearers.
The people in this group have collaborated with Prof. Emmanuelle Peters on UNIQUE and other projects.
People
Reader in Clinical Psychology
Senior Lecturer
Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology
Senior Lecturer
Professor of Molecular Psychiatry
Senior Lecturer
Projects
How do we make sense of, and respond to, unusual experiences? Cognitive and social processes in the pathway to psychosis
We compared the differences in interpretations in response to simulations of unusual experiences between 3 groups: people with unusual experiences and a ‘need for care’, those with unusual experiences but no need for care and people without any unusual experiences We also investigated a number of psychological and social factors to investigate what distinguishes between people whose unusual experiences are positive from those whose experiences become more distressing
The VOICES scale (Varieties Of Individual voiCe-Experiences Scale)
The role of coping in determining need-for-care in psychosis: A comparison of clinical and non-clinical individuals from the UNIQUE Study
'Voices of God': understanding altered self-experience in religion and psychopathology through Humanities, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Understanding unusual experiences
The role of appraisals and response style in distinguishing between psychotic experiences with and without a ‘need for care’
The role of social factors in dissociation and threat processing in psychosis
Stress-reactivity and mindfulness in non-clinical and clinical voice-hearers
What can the Experience Sampling Method tell us about psychotic experiences?
Cognitive and neural pathways to psychosis
Noise, Stress and Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia
Appraisals of Anomalous Experiences in Need for Care versus Non-Need for Care Groups: Examining the Cognitive Route of Impact of Victimisation Life Events
The role of safety-seeking behaviours in maintaining pathological appraisals in psychosis
Psychotic-like experiences, appraisals and trauma
Intrusions in trauma and psychosis: information processing and phenomenology
Anomalous experiences, cognitive processing and the development of psychosis
Publications
The publication feed is not currently available. This could be due to a server fault or an incorrect feed address, please check the feed is valid and the Pure site is up.Awards
Awarded to Prof. Emmanuelle Peters
British Psychological Society “Award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Practice” 2017
Supervisory Excellence Award, joint IoPPN winner & overall KCL winner. 2017
May Davidson, British Psychological Society (for “outstanding contribution to the development of clinical psychology within the first 10 years of qualification”) 2003
SIRS (Schizophrenia International Research Society) 2020 Research Excellence Award
Centre awards
PICuP, our Psychological Interventions Clinic for ourpatients with Psychosis, has won many awards
People
Reader in Clinical Psychology
Senior Lecturer
Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology
Senior Lecturer
Professor of Molecular Psychiatry
Senior Lecturer
Projects
How do we make sense of, and respond to, unusual experiences? Cognitive and social processes in the pathway to psychosis
We compared the differences in interpretations in response to simulations of unusual experiences between 3 groups: people with unusual experiences and a ‘need for care’, those with unusual experiences but no need for care and people without any unusual experiences We also investigated a number of psychological and social factors to investigate what distinguishes between people whose unusual experiences are positive from those whose experiences become more distressing
The VOICES scale (Varieties Of Individual voiCe-Experiences Scale)
The role of coping in determining need-for-care in psychosis: A comparison of clinical and non-clinical individuals from the UNIQUE Study
'Voices of God': understanding altered self-experience in religion and psychopathology through Humanities, Psychiatry and Neuroscience
Understanding unusual experiences
The role of appraisals and response style in distinguishing between psychotic experiences with and without a ‘need for care’
The role of social factors in dissociation and threat processing in psychosis
Stress-reactivity and mindfulness in non-clinical and clinical voice-hearers
What can the Experience Sampling Method tell us about psychotic experiences?
Cognitive and neural pathways to psychosis
Noise, Stress and Cognitive Function in Schizophrenia
Appraisals of Anomalous Experiences in Need for Care versus Non-Need for Care Groups: Examining the Cognitive Route of Impact of Victimisation Life Events
The role of safety-seeking behaviours in maintaining pathological appraisals in psychosis
Psychotic-like experiences, appraisals and trauma
Intrusions in trauma and psychosis: information processing and phenomenology
Anomalous experiences, cognitive processing and the development of psychosis
Publications
The publication feed is not currently available. This could be due to a server fault or an incorrect feed address, please check the feed is valid and the Pure site is up.Awards
Awarded to Prof. Emmanuelle Peters
British Psychological Society “Award for Distinguished Contributions to Professional Practice” 2017
Supervisory Excellence Award, joint IoPPN winner & overall KCL winner. 2017
May Davidson, British Psychological Society (for “outstanding contribution to the development of clinical psychology within the first 10 years of qualification”) 2003
SIRS (Schizophrenia International Research Society) 2020 Research Excellence Award
Centre awards
PICuP, our Psychological Interventions Clinic for ourpatients with Psychosis, has won many awards
Useful links
