معرفی
Christoph Benke is a Scientific Staff member at the Department of Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychopathology and Psychotherapy within the Faculty of Psychology at Philipps University of Marburg since September 2019. Previously, he worked as Scientific Staff at the University of Greifswald from January 2016 to August 2019. He holds a PhD in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. nat.) from the University of Greifswald (2018) and is a licensed Psychological Psychotherapist specializing in behavioral therapy (2019).
His educational background includes:
- Master's degree in Psychology, University of Greifswald (2008-2013), with thesis: "Interoceptive threat and the severity of panic disorder with agoraphobia: A psychophysiological study" (2013)
- PhD scholarship from Landesgraduiertenförderung Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (2013-2015)
- Practical training (Diplom-Psychologe) at Clinic for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medicine Greifswald (2016-2017)
- Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.), University of Greifswald (2018), dissertation: "Threat from the inside: Determinants of defensive responses to body sensations and clinical implications"
- Licensed Psychological Psychotherapist (specializing in behavioral therapy) (2019)
Dr. Benke's research focuses on experimental psychopathology, particularly the etiology, prevention, and therapy of panic disorder. He investigates interoception and interoceptive learning, symptom provocation, and reactions to bodily symptoms using psychophysiological methods. His work examines defensive responses to bodily threats and suffocation fear, with recent expansion into pandemic-related mental health impacts including age-specific effects of lockdown measures on depression and anxiety.
His publication record (2015-2020) shows a consistent core in panic disorder and interoception mechanisms, with a notable shift toward contemporary crisis research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The broad disciplines span Clinical Psychology, Experimental Psychopathology, and Public Mental Health, with specific subfields including suffocation fear, defensive respiratory responses, age differences in mental health, and psychological effects of social isolation across German adult populations.
Dr. Benke was supported by a PhD scholarship during his doctoral studies and is an integral member of Prof. Dr. Christiane Melzig's research team at Philipps University of Marburg, contributing to the department's clinical psychology and psychotherapy initiatives.
