New York City PTSD Support
New York City PTSD Support, organized through Meetup and the Empathy Matters community, is a free peer-led group for adults recovering from traumatic experiences. Founded on Carl Rogers’ principles of empathic listening and informed by trauma researchers like Bessel van der Kolk and Judith Herman, the group emphasizes safety, mutual respect, and the slow work of being heard. A formal PTSD diagnosis is not required — people with complex PTSD, relational trauma, or simply the lasting weight of difficult experiences are equally welcome.
What to Expect
Meetings happen multiple times each week online via Zoom and are intentionally non-clinical. Sessions follow a few different formats — guided group meditations, active-listening practice circles, drop-in meet-and-share gatherings, and ADHD-friendly weekly planning groups — but the underlying tone is consistent: members are invited to speak about what’s present for them, while others practice listening without analyzing, fixing, or rushing the speaker. No one is pushed to dig deeper into their story, and revisiting trauma is never required. Group guidelines, posted publicly on Empathy Matters, set the boundaries for how members engage so the space feels safe to return to.
Who This Group Is For
This group is for adults who recognize the long shadow of trauma in their lives — whether that trauma was a single event, ongoing relational harm, abuse in childhood or adulthood, or something they’re still trying to name. It welcomes people working with their own therapists alongside the group, people who can’t currently afford therapy, and people exploring whether community support could complement their existing recovery work. Survivors of so-called non-traditional trauma and those who carry the symptoms but don’t fit neat diagnostic categories will find the door wide open.
Why Peer Support Works
Trauma thrives in shame, isolation, and the sense that no one would understand. Being witnessed by people who carry their own version of the same weight can dissolve that sense more effectively than any single conversation with a clinician. Hearing another member describe a flashback, a freeze response, or a relationship dynamic in language that fits your own experience is often the first time a survivor realizes their reactions make sense. Over weeks and months, that recognition becomes the foundation for change.
How to Join
All meetings are free. To join, create a free Meetup account and request membership in the New York City PTSD Support group at meetup.com/newyorkcity-ptsd. Once approved, members receive access to the upcoming event calendar and can RSVP to any session they’d like to attend. The group is private by design, so personal details and shared stories stay within the membership. New attendees are encouraged to read the published guidelines before their first meeting and to come prepared simply to listen.