Factors that impact the development of compassion in Complex PTSD
Research type
Research Study
Full title
What are the barriers and facilitators to developing compassion for shame-based traumatic experiences in individuals with complex PTSD?
IRAS ID
354830
Contact name
Pooja Takhar
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 10 months, 29 days
Research summary
Research has shown that Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is associated with intense and pervasive feelings of shame. The presence of shame following a traumatic event(s) can be very disabling and may affect how an individual perceives themselves. Shame can maintain a self-critical dialogue and may subsequently become an obstacle to treatment. This is supported by findings that have shown shame to be associated with poorer treatment outcomes in therapy.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was developed to address the needs of individuals experiencing high levels of shame and self-criticism, and it has been proposed that symptoms of CPTSD may be more responsive to compassion based interventions. Fears, blocks and resistances to compassion are common, and part of developing compassion involves addressing and working with these barriers.
We know that people with CPTSD struggle with self-compassion and shame. It would therefore be helpful to understand some of the barriers and facilitators to developing compassion, to support clients to develop their capacity to be compassionate towards themselves and to reduce the feelings of shame related to past traumatic experiences.
Our goal is to explore the perspectives of service users who have received a compassion focused intervention, and to gain insight into these barriers and facilitators. The findings from this study may help us to better understand some of the unique challenges that are experienced for people with CPTSD, and it is hoped that this will draw together useful insights to share with practitioners delivering compassion focused interventions with a potential to improve effectiveness.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
25/ES/0057
Date of REC Opinion
13 Aug 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion