A research led organisation advocating for nervous system regulation, and making the science of safety, dignity, and connection, to self and to others, accessible to everyone.
The Restoration Collective advocates for nervous system regulation as a fundamental human right. We work to build nervous system literacy, with a particular focus on autonomic states, and to deepen public understanding of how dysregulation shapes quality of life, particularly for individuals and communities disproportionately affected by systemic inequity, discrimination, trauma, and social exclusion.
These are the measurable shifts in nervous system function that shape how safe, focused, and connected we feel. Working at the intersection of neuroscience informed education, regulation, and community building, we make the latest findings from cognitive neuroscience, psychology, and somatic research accessible, and offer practical tools for restoring a sense of safety, dignity, connection, and wellbeing. Our work spans the full spectrum of disability, and any condition that disrupts the ordinary functioning of the nervous system. Regulation is not only an individual responsibility. The conditions we live in, such as poverty, racism, disability discrimination, and systemic inequity, can disrupt the nervous system and make regulation harder to access. When the nervous system is understood and supported, inclusion, quality of life, and the right to restoration follow. We deliver this through three branches.
Collaborating with institutions and contributing to the field through speaking and academic presentation, keeping our practice grounded in current evidence.
Delivering practical workshops and talks that put regulation directly in people's hands, designed for the communities who need them most.
Telling the stories that data alone cannot, using film and the arts to raise awareness and advocate for systemic change.
For further information on our projects, please get in touch to discuss.
Larissa Hope (formerly Wilson) was street cast as Jal in the worldwide hit series Skins. Years later, a severe mental breakdown led to a diagnosis of Complex PTSD and dissociation, alongside several comorbid conditions. That experience began a long search to understand what was happening in her brain and body, and it became the foundation of her work.
Today Larissa is a neuroscience researcher, filmmaker, and founder of The Restoration Collective. She holds a First Class Honours BSc in Creative Writing and Psychology, and her MSc research in Neuroscience at King's College London, in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London, was awarded a First Class grade across her dissertation, lab work, and presentation. It explored the effects of brief mindfulness on psychophysiological arousal and attention using pupillometry, with a focus on early autonomic shifts in meditation naive individuals. She has presented her research internationally, including several times in the United States, holds a certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies from the Trauma Research Foundation, and is currently training towards certification in Polyvagal Theory. Her debut short film, exploring mental health in the Black male community, is four time award winning.
This work is rooted in lived experience. Larissa's understanding of Complex PTSD, dissociation, and nervous system dysregulation comes from the inside, and it underpins her commitment to accessible, evidence based approaches that bridge research and real life.
The Restoration Collective is in its first year of trading. Every donation goes directly towards delivering our research, our workshops, and our film, and towards building a proper home online so our work can reach further.
If our work speaks to you, please consider supporting it.
Donate to TRCFor collaborations, speaking, workshops, or further information on any branch.