When reality retreats: How schizophrenia distorts reality and self part of the Instant Expert event 'Brain: The latest science behind the headlines' organised by New Scientist.

Event details

The human brain is often described as the most complex object in the known universe. But that doesn’t mean scientists are clueless about how it works.

Dr Clara Humpston is one of the six leading brain scientists who will reveal, via the latest research in neuroscience, psychology and physiology, what is going on in our heads when we think, feel and communicate, and how we can maximise the power of our brains. Join her as she explores the latest research evidence from both neuroscience and philosophy of psychiatry behind the main symptoms of schizophrenia-spectrum psychoses, and considers whether such symptoms are necessarily all that distant or different from our daily experiences of reality that are often taken for granted by the rest of us.

When we think, how do we know that our thoughts are truly our own? What happens in the brain when someone suffers a break or detachment from these common-sensical notions of reality? It may seem far-fetched but symptoms of schizophrenia frequently challenge, if not destroy, our everyday notions of reality and even our sense of self. Indeed, the very name of schizophrenia strikes fear and aversion in those unaffected by it, and often its sufferers are stigmatised as beyond human understanding or societal acceptance. 

Booking information:

The event will be held at the Conway Hall, 25 Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4RL

Doors will open at 9:15am, with talks commencing at 10am sharp. The event will finish at 5pm.

The name of each person attending is required - please ensure this is provided at the time of booking. If you need to change the name of an attendee, please notify the organisers as soon as possible at: live@newscientist.com

Eventbrite will email you your ticket(s) immediately after purchase. Please remember to bring your ticket(s) with you as you'll need it to gain entry. Tickets can be scanned out from a print out, or off the screen of a phone / tablet / smartwatch.

The schedule / exact running order for the day will be confirmed closer to the event, and will be emailed to all ticket holders.

Lunch will NOT be provided at this event. Visitors are welcome to bring their own food, or purchase lunch at one of the many establishments around Red Lion Square and the surrounding area.

Should you require details about disabled access, please contact the organisers at : live@newscientist.com

Tickets are non-transferable to any other New Scientist event.

All tickets are non-refundable.

New Scientist reserves the right to alter the event and its line-up, or cancel the event. In the unlikely event of cancellation, all tickets will be fully refunded. New Scientist Ltd will not be liable for any additional expenses incurred by ticket holders in relation to the event.

Tickets are subject to availability and are only available in advance through Eventbrite.

About the speaker

Dr Clara Humpston

Clara is Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Mental Health at the Department of Psychology of the University of York. She is working towards an interdisciplinary understanding of schizophrenia. Her research interests mainly focus on schizophrenia-spectrum psychoses. Her research experiences span from psychopharmacology to cognitive neuropsychiatry to phenomenology, and she is heavily involved with the International Consortium for Hallucination Research. She is a strong proponent of inter- and multidisciplinary approaches and values the importance of multiple lines of scientific inquiry in mental health research.