10 April 2026
We are delighted to share a new animation from the PTSD Research Clinic. This illustrates our evaluation of Compassionate Resilience Groups offered to people with Complex PTSD in some of our Neighbourhood Mental Health Teams.
Trauma affects how we handle emotions. We all have three key emotion systems - threat, drive and sooth. When we’re harmed or hurt by others, our threat system works overtime, and our soothing system goes quiet. Our drive system might be used to escape or avoid. Compassion skills help us to face suffering and find ways to help us to ease it and manage our emotions, by bringing better balance to the three systems of threat, drive and soothe.
Click here for the animation (with subtitles)
Compassionate Resilience Groups continue to be offered in some of our NMHTs, and we are seeking funding for further research and to extend their reach. The PTSD Research Clinic is led by Dr Nick Grey, and supported by many psychological professionals in the NMHTs.
These groups were first developed in the Berkshire Traumatic Stress Service by Dr Deborah Lee. The evaluation showed that the Compassionate Resilience Groups are safe and effective in a routine clinical setting. We delivered the groups to 85 adults almost all of whom had experienced multiple traumatic events. Of the 63 people who completed the intervention, 85% showed some improvement and 50% showed significant improvement. The effects of trauma can last a long time, but with the right help, recovery is possible.
We're grateful to the participants and the lived experience advisory panel who helped guide the research.
