Lily Martin

Dr. Lily Martin is a Researcher at the Research Institute for Creative Arts Therapies (RIArT) at Alanus University for Arts and Social Sciences, Alfter/Bonn. She is also a Free Lecturer specializing in Embodiment and Embodied Learning, collaborating with institutions like SBH Nord/Berlin and DGVT/Erlangen. Her doctoral research at Heidelberg University focuses on schizophrenia’s relationship with body movement and the empirical basis of embodiment/disembodiment theories. She co-leads The Pop-Up Institute, an arts-based initiative reducing mental health stigma through nonverbal communication.

Education
- Doctorate (2019–2024): Heidelberg University, Psychology
- M.Sc. in Clinical & Health Psychology (2012–2016): Free University Berlin
- B.Sc. in Psychology (2009–2012): Free University Berlin

Research Interests
Lily’s work bridges psychiatry and movement science, exploring how artistic interventions (e.g., dance, visual art) improve health outcomes. She develops arts-based methods to quantify schizophrenia’s motor aspects and reduce stigma via sensory experiences. Key themes include: embodiment theory, flow dynamics in group therapy, and aesthetic distancing in creative therapies.

Publications
Her 20+ peer-reviewed articles span schizophrenia’s motor markers, phenomenological models of mental illness, and dance therapy efficacy. Recent work emphasizes gait analysis in schizophrenia and mixed-methods approaches linking movement to self-experience.

Awards
- SDW PhD Scholarship (2020–present)
- DAAD-funded PROMOS Internship (2015–2016)
- ERASMUS Scholarship (2011–2012)

Grants & Projects
- Co-PI for Schizophrenia and the Moving Body (Heidelberg University)
- Co-founder of The Pop-Up Institute (Alanus University)

Labs/Teams
Affiliated with RIArT’s Therapy Science group and interdisciplinary collaborations at York University (Niko Troje).