Workshop at Umeå University
September 18-19, 2025
Depersonalisation and derealisation are states of consciousness typically described by subjects as feelings of being detached from oneself and from one’s environment, respectively. The two states typically occur together. They can become chronic but can also occur transiently. They are common aspects of mental illness but can also occur in healthy individuals. This workshop will seek to illuminate what exactly these states consist in. Are they a matter of altered affect, altered motivations, altered perceptions, altered bodily awareness, or something else? Do the states consist in the lack of something that more normal states of consciousness have or do they consist in the presence of something that more normal states of consciousness lack? The research questions are of both theoretical and clinical interest. Theoretically, they are a part of the quest to understand the general phenomenon of consciousness. In clinical contexts, an increased understanding of these alien states can enable health care workers to better help those who suffer from them.
Alexandre Billon, University of Lille
Adam Bradley, Lingnan University
Fabiana Caserta, Umeå University
Frédérique de Vignemont, Institut Nicod
Philip Gerrans, University of Adelaide
Elaine Hunter, UCL and The Depersonalisation Clinic
Merritt Millman, King’s College
Søren Overgaard, University of Copenhagen
Program and abstracts dpdr sep 10.pdf (177 kB)
Fabiana Caserta, Umeå University
Pär Sundström, Umeå University
All interested are welcome to this event with the qualification that pre-registration was requested by August 31. This means that, if you didn’t register, you’re still very welcome to come – á la carte – to any session you may be interested in, just don’t count on being included in any meal arrangements, and please don’t help yourselves to the drinks and snacks that have been ordered based on registrations – or not without checking with organisers first.
This workshop is generously supported by a grant from Riksbankens jubileumsfond.