Llera Laboratory for Emotion Regulation and Anxiety Research

Call for Posters:

The Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s (ADAA) April conference in Washington D.C. encourages Poster presentations from mental health professionals, including trainees and students working in the fields of anxiety, depression, and related disorders to highlight their new research findings or innovative clinical case/treatment approaches. Posters allow you to showcase innovations, interact with your peers, identify mentors, and discover professional opportunities.

Deadline to Submit your Poster is December 1, 2022.

Check out our newest Psychology Today blog post!

Are You Problem-Solving, or Just Worrying? Insights on how to stop worrying about your problems and start solving them

New article on worry! This new research, that I published with Michelle Newman, contradicts the myth that worry helps people to solve their problems. In fact, worry has a clear negative impact on problem-solving! Something most worry researchers have thought for a while, but surprisingly hadn't been tested in a controlled laboratory setting.

Worry impairs the problem-solving process: Results from an experimental study Many individuals believe that worry helps solve real-life problems. Some researchers also purport that nonpathological worry can aid problem solving. …

Check out the new Psychology Today blog post on worry in the age of COVID-19!

Here’s why you should STOP worrying about COVID-19 What you should be doing instead of worrying, and how to stop.

A big congratulations to Nick Myers for publishing his thesis in the Journal of Trauma & Dissociation! A very interesting read for those wanting to learn more about the social anxiety / dissociation link. Well done, Nick!!

The Role of Childhood Maltreatment in The Relationship Between Social Anxiety and Dissociation: A Novel Link (2020). The Role of Childhood Maltreatment in The Relationship Between Social Anxiety and Dissociation: A Novel Link. Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. Ahead of Print.

Check out my new blog on Psychology Today!

The Secret Reason Why You Can’t Stop Worrying And how to fix it

More publicity for the Contrast Avoidance Model and Michelle Newman and Hanjoo Kim's awesome study on relaxation-induced anxiety. Such a great study - and so wonderful how much coverage it's been getting!

Afraid of losing control, anxious people may choose worrying over relaxing Trying to relax may actually make some people more anxious, not less.

A very cool article about the Contrast Avoidance model, and a new study by Michelle Newman and Hanjoo Kim that provides support for it. Very exciting!

Anxious People Also Get Anxious From Relaxing There's a name for these feelings: relaxation-induced anxiety.

A very interesting article by a TU student about surviving college with ADHD. Some really great tips in here!

ADHD in college: How to manage By: Samuel Smith, Columnist The date is Jan. 8 - only four days after my 19th birthday. I’m sitting in a psychiatrist’s office which is decorated with Red Sox merchandise. I’m fidgeting with one of...

Important tips to keep in mind...

10 Survival Tips for Survivors of Sexual Trauma When News Coverage is Triggering - I wish I could say I was surprised by this latest news cycle and the backlash that followed. But, when you’re a trauma therapist, you become a repository for some of the deepest secrets and pain humankind can offer. You … Continue reading →

Check out the Llera Lab's new webpage!

Sandra J. Llera, Ph.D. – Laboratory for Emotion Regulation and Anxiety Research Towson University Home At the Llera Lab, our focus is on exploring factors underlying the etiology and maintenance of anxiety and mood disorders, with an emphasis on understanding the role of emotional dysregulation in these processes. Our research utilizes multiple levels of observation, including self-report, behav...

Presenting so much anxiety and emotion research this spring! First at the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) conference in DC, then at Towson's first annual Psychology Graduate Student Association (PGSA) conference. Great job spreading the word, everyone!