Grounded Theory, Perfect Nurturer and Complex PTSD (CPTSD)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Barriers and facilitators to engaging with perfect nurturer imagery for people with complex PTSD.
IRAS ID
368912
Contact name
Anya Aggarwal
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Holloway University of London
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Compassion focused therapy (CFT) is a therapeutic approach designed to address experiences of shame and self-criticism, which are widely recognised as key maintaining factors in a range of mental health difficulties, including Complex PTSD (CPTSD). Compassion focused imagery (CFI) is a tool used within CFT which helps individuals develop their three flows of compassion (compassion to others, from others, and for the self), which is suggested to be important in individuals’ wellbeing.
Perfect Nurturer Imagery (PNI) is a type of CFI used to access or develop compassion towards oneself. PNI has been specifically designed to evoke an internalised sense of being cared for by an idealised caregiver figure. For people with CPTSD, early relationships may not have felt safe or caring, meaning that the experience of being soothed or supported can feel unfamiliar, uncomfortable, or even threatening. Because of this, engaging with PNI may be meaningful for some individuals but challenging for others.
Although PNI is widely used in clinical practice, there is currently no research that explores how people with CPTSD actually experience this imagery, or what helps and hinders the process. This study therefore hopes to explore this, and it is hoped that understanding what the facilitators and challenges are can generate learning and develop therapists’ skills when delivering these interventions.
REC name
South West - Central Bristol Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/SW/0071
Date of REC Opinion
3 Jun 2026
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion