Inspyrd Angels: A Pilot Initiative Exploring a Neuroscience-Informed Coaching Protocol for Survivors of Human Trafficking

Human trafficking leaves deep neurological, emotional, and relational injuries that are often underserved by traditional mental-health systems. This report presents a practice-based pilot evaluation, initiated and funded by Rising Angels Awareness & Restorative Care, examining whether a structured, neuroscience-informed coaching protocol could meaningfully improve outcomes for women already receiving survivor support services. The pilot was designed as a service-evaluation and quality-improvement initiative — not a clinical trial — to assess the validity, safety, and practical utility of integrating the protocol into existing programming.

Fourteen adult survivors of human trafficking enrolled; eleven completed the full protocol of five structured coaching sessions emphasizing emotional safety, minimal disclosure, autonomic regulation, and Visual-Spatial Tasking (VST)-based memory reconsolidation. A mixed-methods design combined quantitative pre- and post-protocol measures — an adapted PTSD Symptom Scale Interview (PSSI-5) and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI) — with qualitative participant feedback.

Outcomes were encouraging: an 86.6% average reduction in PSSI-5 symptom severity, ten of eleven participants falling below the diagnostic threshold, significant shifts in time orientation, and improvements in sleep, emotional regulation, and non-triggerability. While preliminary and exploratory, the results support further investigation through larger, controlled studies.