Why Bring MMFT to Ukraine?
After more than three years of full-scale war, Ukrainians are facing extraordinary challenges. Daily air raid sirens, missile strikes on civilian areas, widespread power outages, and the constant stress of uncertainty have become the new normal. With nearly 6 million internally displaced people and thousands of civilians, children, first responders, and military personnel experiencing trauma, the mental health burden is immense. Ukraine’s health care system is overwhelmed, with more than two-thirds of Ukrainians needing some form of psychological support. Many are experiencing symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression, yet have limited access to effective coping tools in their native language.
For this reason, in 2023, several Ukrainian organizations approached me about bringing MMFT to Ukraine. They had read our published scientific research with stressed and traumatized populations that shows how MMFT transforms participants’ relationship with stress, trauma, and difficult emotions and reduces physical and psychological symptoms. Given how Ukraine’s health system cannot meet the immense need, these organizations wanted to empower Ukrainians with self-regulation skills to support themselves as much as possible.
How Are We Helping?
Since then, we’ve been working with the Ukrainian Catholic University (UCU) to translate, adapt, produce, and host a Ukrainian-language version of the Sounds True self-administered MMFT Online course. Once launched, it will be freely accessible to all Ukrainian speakers worldwide. Sounds True and I have given UCU a free license for MMFT Online to make this possible. Initial work has begun, but funding gaps have stalled the project.
Our goal is to raise $75,000 to complete this crucial project and make Ukrainian MMFT Online freely available to anyone who needs it. All donations towards this campaign are tax-deductible. By translating and adapting MMFT Online, we can provide an evidence-based resource that teaches practical skills for managing stress, regulating emotions, building resilience, and preventing trauma-related disorders—accessible to any Ukrainian speaker with an internet connection.
In the meantime, MMFT Trainers are teaching introductory workshops and the 8-week MMFT course live on Zoom to Ukrainian groups. These live Zoom sessions with Ukrainians have shown strong results, but we simply can’t meet the scale of need this way. The video above shares reflections from some Ukrainian participants in MMFT.
Eventually, our Ukrainian collaborators would like us to train Ukrainian-speaking MMFT Trainers from several sectors, including first responders, health care providers, veterans, and community and business leaders. Paired with Ukrainian MMFT Online, this would allow MMFT to reach millions of Ukrainians affected by the war.
We Could Use Your Help!
We hope that you can help us help Ukrainians during these incredibly bleak and challenging times. Every little bit counts. We have three, tax-deductible ways that you can contribute:
GoFundMe (via PayPal Giving): Link here
Direct via Sounds True Foundation: Link here OR you can mail a check to “Sounds True Foundation” at PO Box 1020 Lafayette, CO 80026. Please write “MMFT” on the check.
Either way, to have your gift added to the GoFundMe total, email admin@elizabeth-stanley.com with your name and gift total.
Foundation Gifts or Donor Advised Fund: EIN: 46-1236964. Contact the Sounds True Foundation Program Manager Fernie Tiflis at ferniet@soundstruefoundation.org if you have questions.
Please share this appeal with your network! If you know anyone who might want to support Ukraine and this effort, please forward this webpage or the GoFundMe link to them.
We appreciate any and all support that you can offer for this project—no amount is too small. Thank you for your generosity to the Ukrainian people!
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