A locally led train-the-trainer model for psychosocial support in South Kivu, DR Congo. This page sets out the methods, findings and limitations of the 2026 follow-up evaluation in full.
At a glance
More than a year after training, all seven surviving practitioners reported using Hypno-Neuro-Imaginative Techniques (HNI) personally and sharing or guiding them with others. Six practised at least weekly; five perceived their general wellbeing as improving “a lot” since using HNI. Continued practice and sharing suggest a pathway for strengthening locally led psychosocial support, with remote supervision and further training still needed.
Self-report, n = 7; percentages rounded.
Wellbeing: retrospective perception, not measured change. The 100% describes reported behaviour, not an effectiveness rate.
Authors: S. Lurot¹, A. Python¹, A. J.², R. B.², S. J.², M. Hegyaljai-Python¹
¹ Association Hypnose Humanitaire, Switzerland · ² Hope Association of Africa, DR Congo
Background and objective
In conflict-affected South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, local professionals support people affected by violence while facing insecurity themselves.
Background
AHH and Hope Association of Africa developed a peer-to-peer, train-the-trainer model to make brief stress-regulation practices available within existing local organisations and projects. Local practitioners retain implementation decisions; AHH provides training and remote supervision.
Intervention
Hypno-Neuro-Imaginative Techniques (HNI) use hypnosis and guided imagery as brief practices for self-regulation. Practitioners adapt HNI to local language, culture and resources — for example with local metaphors, music and dance.
Objective
Implementation, reported continuation of HNI practice and sharing, and support needs, to inform further development of locally led psychosocial support. Progressive capacity transfer and reduced external dependence are longer-term aims still to be evaluated.
Theory of change
Local decisions and adaptation connect training and remote support to two routes: personal HNI practice towards staff wellbeing, and peer sharing or guiding towards stronger local psychosocial capacity.
Training + remote support
Local decisions and adaptation
Personal HNI practice
Staff wellbeing
Peer sharing & guiding
Stronger local psychosocial capacity
Methods
Field implementation in 2025 and a single-cohort observational follow-up in 2026. The earlier workshop with refugee women in Switzerland was a separate pilot and is not pooled with this cohort.
Hope Association of Africa selected eight local professionals for a four-day training. They embedded HNI in their existing structures and projects, including work with survivors of violence and sexual violence.
Likert scales, checklists and open questions on learning, confidence, personal use and intentions to share; seven retrospective pre–post assessments. Only published aggregate summaries are available, with no matched individual records.
One trainee died during a field mission. All seven surviving eligible trainees responded (100%), 13–14 months after training: practice, sharing, perceived improvements, barriers, support needs, WHO-5 and the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS).
Percentages are rounded and shown with counts. WHO-5: five-item sum × 4, complete responses only (one incomplete response, no imputation). BRS: mean of six items after reversing items 2, 4 and 6. The general wellbeing item asked about improvement perceived since using HNI; it is separate from the coping item and WHO-5. All participants gave informed consent; AHH conducted an internal ethics review.
Findings from the 2026 follow-up
Eight professionals were trained; one died during a field mission. Findings use the seven respondents unless specified otherwise.
Categories overlap; no unique beneficiary total is inferred. Six reported positive reactions; one reported hesitant reactions. Sharing does not establish onward teaching competence or beneficiary improvement.
Descriptive follow-up scores: with no prospective outcome baseline or locally validated norm, they do not establish improvement, preserved wellbeing or a causal benefit.
Two respondents requested local-language audio.
“Imagination fosters connection through humour, dreams and shared creativity.”
From 2025 to 2026
2025: reported gains in learning and confidence; readiness to share. 2026: continued HNI practice and onward sharing; further support requested.
Different questions and denominators prevent a matched change estimate, and no growth rate is calculated between the 2025 intention and the sharing reported in 2026.
Discussion
Discussion
Continued reported HNI practice and sharing, alongside perceived wellbeing benefits, suggest a practical pathway for strengthening locally led psychosocial support. Practitioners adapt HNI within existing activities, retain implementation decisions and receive remote supervision.
Local capacity
Reported sharing with colleagues, beneficiaries and survivors of violence, together with local decision-making, provides a foundation for capacity development. Requests for further training and guided practice identify priorities for consolidating local delivery.
Limitations
Small sample, self-report and no prospective outcome baseline or comparator limit causal interpretation and generalisation. Beneficiary outcomes and onward teaching competence were not independently assessed.
Next steps
Extend locally led training and follow-up with guided practice and adapted resources. Prospectively assess staff wellbeing, beneficiary outcomes and teaching competence; track external support to evaluate progressive capacity transfer; add comparison studies where feasible.
Global mental health
Embedding HNI within local organisations may extend psychosocial support through staff self-regulation and peer sharing. This experience supports further development and evaluation of the approach in conflict-affected settings.
Chapter · Routledge, 2026
Python A, Ribaux C, Hegyaljai Python M — Hypno-Neuro-Imagination Techniques for Promoting Mental Health in Humanitarian-Peacebuilding Contexts
The chapter describes the HNI approach in humanitarian and peacebuilding contexts.
Further reading on the approach; it is not validation of this cohort's outcomes.
Local partners, humanitarian organisations, researchers or funders: let's develop the next phase of support and evaluation with our local partners.
