Stephanie Ashton (S.M.)

I am a third year researcher in the department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology and my projects focus on intrusive memories and factors that impair or improve our ability to control them. These projects lead from the idea that everybody, at some point, experiences thoughts they would like to let go of. To some extent, we have the ability to control which memories we remember and which we forget. Forgetting can be a powerful tool for improving our wellbeing and reducing symptoms in mood and anxiety disorders. Before starting my PhD, I studied Psychology at the University of Reading in England and then moved to Maastricht to study the research master in Psychopathology. I teach in practical courses in the bachelor program and supervise students for their master thesis for projects relating to stress and memory, often combining physiological measures and brain imaging techniques.