Lori Zoellner

Image of Lori Zoellner

Lori Zoellner, Ph.D.

Professor
(206) 685-3126
Advising: Accepting new graduate students in 2025-2026.
Interests: Understanding the processes (e.g., memory processing, fear learning) underlying the prevention and treatment of chronic psychopathology following trauma exposure, including fear and loss such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression.
Links:

Research

Over the last 20 years, our knowledge regarding the nature of post trauma reactions has increased substantially but key questions in understanding mechanisms associated with recovery following trauma exposure remain. Who is most likely to develop chronic psychopathology? How do we most effectively intervene for those immediately following trauma and for those who are still suffering months and years later? How do we promote resilience and recovery after trauma? Better understanding the mechanisms associated with natural and therapeutic recovery we may be better able to answer these key questions. My research focuses on addressing these questions across three main areas of inquiry: information processing mechanisms associated with trauma exposure and psychopathology, prevention of chronic psychopathology following trauma exposure, and intervention for chronic psychopathology following trauma exposure. Ultimately, our work seeks to reduce mental health disparities after trauma exposure and expand our interventions to those who need it the most.

Education

University of California - Los Angeles (1997)

  • Marks, E. H., Franklin, A., & Zoellner, L. A. (2018). Can't get it out of my mind: A systematic review of predictors of intrusive memories of distressing events. Psychological Bulletin.
  • Bedard-Gilligan, M., Zoellner, L. A., & Feeny, N. C. (2017). Is trauma memory special? Trauma narrative fragmentation in PTSD: Effects of treatment and response. Clinical Psychological Science, 5, 212-225. doi:10.1177/216770261667658
  • Garcia, N. M. & Zoellner, L. A. (2017). Fear generalization in individuals with high neuroticism: Increasing predictability is not necessarily better. Cognition and Emotion. doi: 10.1080/02699931.2016.1259160 PMID: 27892819
  • Zoellner, L.A., Telch, M., Foa, E. B., Farach, F. J., McLean, C. P., Gallop, R., Bluett, E. J., Cobb, A., & Gonzalez-Lima, F. (2017). Enhancing extinction learning in posttraumatic stress disorder with brief daily imaginal exposure and methylene blue: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, DOI: 10.4088/JCP.16m10936
  • Echiverri-Cohen, A., Zoellner, L. A., Gallop, R., Feeny, N., Jaeger, J., & Bedard-Gilligan, M. (2016). Changes in temporal attention inhibition following prolonged exposure and sertraline in the treatment of PTSD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 84, 415-426. doi:10.1037/ccp0000080
  • Jerud, A.B., Farach, F.J., Bedard-Gilligan, M., Smith, H., Zoellner, L.A., Feeny, N.C. (2016). Repeated trauma exposure does not impair distress reduction during imaginal exposure for posttraumatic stress disorder. Depression and Anxiety. doi:10.10002/da.22582
  • Keller, S. M., Feeny, N. C, & Zoellner, L. A. (2014). Depression sudden gains and transient depression spikes during treatment for PTSD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82, 103-111.
  • Zoellner, L. A., Pruitt, L. D., Farach, F. J., & Jun, J. J. (2014). Understanding heterogeneity in PTSD: Fear, dysphoria, and distress. Depression and Anxiety, 31, 97-106.
  • Jun, J., Zoellner, L. A., & Feeny, N. C. (2013). Sudden gains in prolonged exposure and sertraline for chronic PTSD. Depression and Anxiety, 30, 607-613.
  • Zoellner, L. A., Bedard-Gilligan, M. A., Jun, J. J., Marks, E. H., & Garcia, N. M. (2013). The evolving construct of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD): DSM-5 criteria changes and legal implications. Psychological Injury and the Law.