Interview with the IPS Principal Investigators: Judy Veldhuijzen
Who are you and how did you become involved with IPS?
My name is Judy Veldhuijzen, Associate Professor at the University of Leiden, Health, Medical and Neuropsychology department. As a senior researcher, I have been involved in various placebo and nocebo studies for many years now. Together with my colleagues at Leiden University, I am one of the founders of IPS. I am specifically interested in how psychological processes, particularly expectations, learning and attention, can shape, or are shaped by, somatosensory sensations such as pain. Placebo and nocebo studies provide important insights showcasing these brain-body interactions.
What is the focus of your current research, and why is this important?
My interdisciplinary research focuses on the bidirectional relationship between psychological and somatosensory processes, particularly pain. I use advanced psychophysiological methods, quantitative sensory testing, psychopharmacological, and neuroimaging approaches to demonstrate the role of psychological processes in somatosensory sensations and conditions. More recently, my work has focused on resilience measures, awareness and trust in bodily sensations. These insights provide tools to advance our theoretical understanding and develop novel clinical applications for managing somatosensory symptoms such as pain.
What inspired you to pursue this research topic?
I have been intrigued by the complex interplay between psychological factors and somatosensory sensations since the beginning of my research career. The severe burden of somatic conditions on patients’ quality of life, combined with a lack of interdisciplinary research on the psychological factors involved at the time (over 20 years ago) initially drove me to pursue a career in this field. The power of the mind and the interdisciplinary nature of my work keeps me fascinated and highly inspired.
How does your research align with the mission and goals of IPS?
My interdisciplinary research includes state-of-the-art methodological approaches and yields new theoretical insights, which can be used to develop novel evidence-based clinical approaches. This aligns closely with the mission and goals of IPS.
What impact do you hope your research will have, both in science and in society?
I hope to advance our theoretical understanding of the brain-body interaction and to utilize this better in practice through psychoeducation and intervention approaches.
What are the next steps or future ambitions for your research?
The next steps are to deepen our knowledge on the role of expectations in mental health outcomes. My ambitions are to further elucidate the role of positive expectations in shaping resilience factors and improved health outcomes. This includes the development of optimized treatment approaches (i.e., pharmacological conditioning) based on evidence-based insights, as well as improving our understanding of negative treatment outcomes.
