Calming Minds study

The Calming Minds project is a programme run by University of Exeter, exploring what makes Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) effective in reducing worry and overthinking.

The Calming Minds study is looking for volunteers who experience overthinking, worry, and rumination to test which elements of CBT works best.

Results will help the project better understand Repetitive Negative Thoughts (RNT) and find new and better ways to prevent and treat anxiety and depression.

NHS England has been asked to identify people who may be eligible and to invite them to join the Calming Minds study. We will use the data we hold to identify potentially suitable people and send them an invitation to take part. The data used will include name and address. Your personal data will not be shared directly with the research study team.

To manage the invitation process, we will need to keep the list of people who have been invited until 6 months after the research study recruitment is complete. This is to ensure that you are not invited if you have told us you do not want to be contacted.

After this time, all the information stored for the purpose of this research programme will be deleted. You can find out more about your choices on how the NHS uses your data for research and planning.

We will use your data to produce summary reports to monitor recruitment into the research study (for example how many people were invited). These reports will not identify you personally.

As an executive non-departmental body reporting to the Department of Health and Social Care most of our processing activity is directed by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. NHS England is Directed under the NHS DigiTrials Recruitment Service Directions 2026 to process data to identify potentially eligible participants to take part in the research study.

If you have requested that your NHS data is not shared for research and planning purposes (by registering a National Data Opt-out) then you will not receive an invitation for this research study.

To read more about the health and care information NHS England collects, our legal basis for collecting this information and what choices and rights you have, see How we look after your health and care information and our general transparency notice and the related GDPR register entry.

If you do not want to be invited by NHS England to take part in the Calming Minds study, complete our online opt-out form using the button below, or call the team on 01392 722 080.

The team will complete the form on the NHS England website on your behalf and will not record your details in the Calming Minds database.

In the future you may be approached by other organisations to join the Calming Minds study, but NHS England will not invite you. You will always be able to choose if you wish to volunteer.

NHS England processes and holds the opt-out list on behalf of the Calming Minds study. 

If you have previously opted out of sharing your health data for planning and research purposes by submitting a national data opt-out, you do not need to take any action. You will not be invited to take part in this challenge study by NHS England.