York to host major global hallucination research event

Posted on 3 August 2023

The University of York’s Department of Psychology is to host the International Consortium for Hallucination Research (ICHR) meeting in September.

First established in 2011 with the intention of bringing together a wide range of disciplines in hallucination research, the ICHR now has a global reach. It spans research disciplines including neuroscience, pharmacology, psychology, phenomenology, medical humanities, social sciences and data science.

Previous meetings have been held as far afield as the US, Norway, Australia, Japan and France as well as the UK. September’s event will be the first time ICHR members have convened at the University of York.

Dr Clara Humpston has been involved with the group for ten years, and is co-ordinating the conference. She says for the Department of Psychology to be chosen to host the event is both a privilege and an indication of its commitment to develop research in this area.

“Over the last 12 years the ICHR has expanded massively and its reach has real international impact,” she says. “Mental health research is a priority area for the University so this is a timely and prestigious event for the Department and the University.

“The Department of Psychology is really keen to expand its portfolio in mental health research. The field of interdisciplinary hallucination research, and related experiences in both clinical and nonclinical settings, is relatively new to the Department and I have absolutely no doubt that this event will complement the Department's existing strengths and portfolio by fostering new collaborations and widening currently available opportunities to staff and students alike.”

The event, says Dr Humpston, will include symposia, short talks and reports from existing and new working groups dedicated to specific topics in hallucination research. She adds many of the working groups' reports will likely be selected for publication in high impact journals such as Schizophrenia Bulletin.

She said: “This is going to be a great event. We’ll have fun and create a unique opportunity for networking and expanding our portfolio. I am delighted and honoured to act as the host for this year's event and hope to see many colleagues there.”

Find out more about the event and register