Epilepsy Ireland media volunteer Izzy Hodder is inviting adults with epilepsy in Ireland to take part in a study at Trinity College Dublin exploring the link between interoception (how we sense internal body signals, like our heartbeat) and emotional regulation.
Izzy, the lead researcher of the project, is a final-year psychology student at Trinity College Dublin. Izzy is also a person with epilepsy and is one of Epilepsy Ireland’s media volunteers. Izzy, and her friend Aaron (another media volunteer) shared their experiences of epilepsy with back in #EpilepsyWeek 2022 – you can read this story by visiting the ‘Life with Epilepsy’ section of our website.
We are delighted to assist Izzy with the dissemination of her research which is investigating whether people with epilepsy experience differences in body awareness compared to people without epilepsy - and whether this awareness affects how we manage emotions.
According to research, being more aware of internal bodily signals may play a role in how we regulate our emotions. This process, called interoception, is still not well understood in people with epilepsy.
This study aims to compare interoceptive awareness in people with and without epilepsy, and to explore whether body awareness could be an important factor in supporting emotional health.
You will be asked to attend a single research session (about 20 minutes) in the School of Psychology at Trinity College Dublin.
During the session, you will do a short heartbeat counting task and fill in questionnaires about body awareness, emotional regulation, and mood.
Adults aged 18+ can take part in the study and the project would welcome people with a diagnosis of epilepsy, or people without a diagnosis of epilepsy (control group) to take part in the research.
If you are interested in taking part or would like more information, please email Izzy directly at hodderi@tcd.ie.
Thank you for considering taking part in this important research, and for supporting one of Epilepsy Ireland’s wonderful media volunteers. Your input could help researchers better understand the emotional experiences of people living with epilepsy and we would like to wish Izzy well with her continuing studies – and look forward to hearing more about the results.
In the meantime, should you need any information or support on your or your loved one’s journey with epilepsy, please do not hesitate to contact your local Community Resource Officer. You can find their details by visiting the ‘Our Local Service’ page on our website.