Research Overview
The New School Trauma & Affective Psychophysiology Lab investigates the effects of chronic and complex trauma, and how these effects differ from those of acute, single-incident traumatic experiences. Emerging evidence suggests that acute and chronic trauma may differ not only in magnitude, but also in quality, shaping emotional, cognitive, and physiological systems in distinct ways.
Our work examines how prolonged exposure to adversity reorganizes attention, emotion regulation, self-processing, and embodied stress responses. By distinguishing between trauma types and timing, we aim to clarify the mechanisms through which trauma alters both subjective experience and biological functioning.
Core Research Areas
Acute and Chronic Trauma
We investigate how chronic and interpersonal trauma differ from acute traumatic events in their effects on development, self-regulation, and neural and physiological systems. This work includes the study of complex PTSD and the long-term adaptations that emerge in relational and institutional contexts.
Affective and Cognitive Processes
We examine attention, cognition, and emotion regulation as central processes through which trauma reshapes experience. Our research explores how shame, dissociation, and implicit regulation mechanisms operate differently depending on trauma type and developmental timing.
Psychophysiology and Autonomic Regulation
Using measures of autonomic nervous system reactivity—including heart rate, skin conductance, and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA)—we investigate how trauma alters physiological regulation. These biological markers allow us to examine how embodied stress responses differ across trauma profiles.
Methods and Measurement
To study trauma across levels of analysis, we integrate:
• Experimental paradigms of attention and emotion regulation
• Behavioral and cognitive assessments
• Psychophysiological measurement of autonomic reactivity
• Functional neuroimaging
• Qualitative and narrative methodologies
By combining biological, behavioral, and lived-experience data, we aim to build models of trauma that are both mechanistically precise and clinically meaningful.