Research Interests
I'm interested in understanding the human experience, particularly in the context of trauma, self-regulation, and the processes by which we understand, feel, embody, and respond to our experiences. I'm especially interested in how individual differences in these dynamics may contribute to variation in responses to adversity, psychological functioning, and psychotherapeutic outcomes.
My work is guided by a desire to understand how interconnected self-regulatory processes are organized within each person and how this organization might inform treatment personalization. Ultimately, I hope this work helps clinicians select therapeutic techniques that target disrupted regulatory pathways to alleviate suffering, promote resilience, and improve overall well-being.
The Mind, Body, and Soul Connection
The Mind, Body, and Soul Connection (MBSC) is a theoretical framework I'm currently developing that conceptualizes self-regulation through four distinct but interconnected domains: the Mind, the Regulatory Body, the Impulsive Body, and the Soul. Each domain represents a distinct mode for engaging with experience and may serve a primary function in maintaining homeostasis. Additionally, the MBSC proposes that the organization of these domains and the relationships between them vary across individuals, forming person-specific networks.
The Four Domains
Mind
Cognition
Cognitive processes involved in understanding experience. Its proposed primary homeostatic function is to understand our experiences.
Regulatory Body
Sensory Awareness
The physical body and sensory (i.e., interoceptive and exteroceptive) awareness. Its proposed primary homeostatic function is to metabolize, integrate, and embody our experiences.
Impulsive Body
Somatic Expression
The actions we take, including expression and creativity. Its proposed primary homeostatic function is to release or expel what cannot be integrated.
Soul
Emotions and Values
Emotion- and value-based meaning-making. Its proposed primary homeostatic function is to feel the experience.
Current Research Directions
Current work explores the theoretical foundations of the four domains, the hypothesized relationships between them, and potential patterns of regulatory organization among individuals with trauma histories. I hope to investigate these propositions during graduate school through three interconnected areas of research:
Theoretical & Empirical Foundations
Refining the conceptual foundations of the MBSC and investigating whether its proposed domains, functions, and relationships are empirically supported
Individual Regulatory Networks
Examining how the four domains are organized and interconnected within individuals, and whether distinct patterns of regulatory organization emerge among individuals with histories of trauma
Individual Change & Clinical Applications
Investigating how person-specific regulatory networks change over the course of treatment, and whether these changes may help explain differences in treatment response and inform more personalized approaches to intervention