Center For Mindfulness Compassion And Resilience
Interest in mindfulness continues to expand as scientific research increasingly reveals benefits to health mentally, physically and socially. The Center for Mindfulness, Compassion and Resilience brings together Arizona State University faculty, students and research partners to examine the impacts of mindfulness across wide ranges of areas, including studies of social relationships and social justice, neuroscience and aging, wellbeing and immune function.
For example, the Interdisciplinary Research Cluster at ASUs Institute for Humanities Research studies cognitive psychology and how individuals learn about the physical world through engaging with it, experiencing it and forming skills to navigate it. This cluster investigates the scientific perspective on the mind-body connection, from the premise that sensations accompanying actions contribute to the way individuals make sense of their environment.
Studies in ASUs School of Social Work also examine the impacts of mindfulness training and daily practice. Their findings have shown that both approaches improve individuals quality of communication and social connectedness. Working to design new interventions to maintain and improve wellness, ASU researchers in ASUs School of Social Work have also identified how mindfulness interrupts the development of stress as an emergency response, which consequently forges a depleted immune system and a cycle of exacerbated stress.
Kristin Neffs Work On The Topic
Kristin Neff is one of the current leading researchers and academics exploring self-compassion, authenticity and self-concept development. It was during her studies at graduate school that Neff first became interested in Buddhism and self-compassion as a central construct of its teachings.
As a concept, self-compassion had not really been studied empirically previously, and her pioneering research led her to co-found the Mindful Self-Compassion Center with Chris Germer, and write several books on the topic.
Her TEDx talk is a great introduction to her research and findings on the topic of self-compassion.
Teacher Courses And Training Programs
If youâre interested in taking your knowledge of MSC to a new level, teacher training courses in the subject could be the next step for you.
The most prominent program in this area has been developed by Neff and Germer, as part of the Mindful Self-Compassion Center. Based on the overwhelming success of their program, they seek to further educate, support and guide other researchers, psychologists and interested parties in how to teach others to develop Mindful Self-Compassion.
The most common way to participate is through their 8-week long training program, but for those unable to travel for this amount of time or at all they also offer intensive programs :
- Mindful Self-Compassion Program: Teacher Training
Other centers have also developed training to help support individuals wanting to add the concept of Mindful Self-Compassion to their repertoire of teaching skills. Two of the most prominent are:
- Mindful Self-Compassion: Core Skills Training with the Greater Good Science Center
- The Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy Certificate Program
Alongside their program and teacher training, the MSC Center also offers on-going development courses and community of practice for those who have completed the training and want to continue to develop their skills and knowledge in MSC:
- The Power of Therapeutic Presence: Mindfulness and Compassion for Clients and Clinicians.
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The Center For Compassion Focused Therapy New York
389-6282 | cftcenternyc@gmail.com
The Center for Compassion Focused Therapy is an internationally known psychotherapy practice providing evidenced-based and effective psychotherapy methods to adults and adolescents in New York, NY. Our mission is to provide the cutting edge of clinical psychological science to our New York community, with compassion and deep commitment. We also provide world class training to psychotherapists from around the globe.
Please call us at any time at 389-6282 to book a consultation, or email us at cftcenternyc@gmail.com.
We are the first clinical training center for Compassion Focused Therapy in the USA.
CFT is a form of evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy that builds on the science by integrating the neuroscience of positive emotion, and methods derived from Buddhist psychology. We have established this center in affiliation with CFT founder, esteemed English psychologist Dr. Paul Gilbert OBE. The Center is the volunteer base for The Compassionate Mind Foundation, USA.
The Centers therapists bring extensive experience in mindfulness and compassion focused cognitive and behavioral therapies to a range of problems including: depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, phobias, OCD, emotion regulation problems, relationship conflicts, executive coaching challenges, stress reduction and many other challenges.
Our psychologists are acknowledged experts in:
Find out about our approach to psychotherapy, our team,
Chris Germer And Mindful Self
Chris Germer, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist who has specialized much of his work research around compassion and mindfulness. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program alongside Kristin Neff, and co-authored The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook. Germer has released another book titled The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion and is also the co-editor for two publications: Mindfulness and Psychotherapy and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy .
As well as writing and editing, Germer helped to found the Center for Mindfulness and Compassion at the Cambridge Health Alliance, Harvard Medical School, and teaches workshops globally on Mindful Self-Compassion.
In this interview with Linda Graham, Germer further discusses his work with MSC and how to develop a practice:
The Yin Yang of Mindful Self-Compassion
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El Cmsc Es Una Fundacin Sin Nimo De Lucro De Alcance Internacional
El CMSC es el Center for Mindful Self-Compassion fundado en 2012 por la Dra. Kristin Neff y el Dr. Christopher K. Germer el centro es un lugar donde cualquier persona puede acceder a recursos de mindfulness y autocompasión, descubrir el programa MSC y explorar la propuesta de formador de formadores : MSC-TT. El MSC es un programa de 8 semanas diseñado para cultivar habilidades de autocompasión para la vida diaria.
El Center for Mindful Self-Compassion coordina la formación del profesorado en EE.UU., en colaboración con el UCSD Center for Mindfulness en Europa a través de Arbor Seminars en Friburgo, Alemania el Centrum for Mindfulness en Amsterdam, Holanda en el Reino Unido a través del The Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice, Bangor University.
Sometimes Life Is Hard Can You Be Kind To Yourself
Pain in lifeloss, worry, heartbreak, hardshipis inevitable, but when we resist the pain, it usually just makes the pain more intense. Its this add-on pain that can be equated with suffering. We suffer not only because its painful in the moment, but because we bang our head against the wall of realitygetting frustrated because we think things should be other than they are.
Another common form of resistance is denial. We hope that if we dont think about a problem, it will go away. Research shows that when we try to suppress our unwanted thoughts or feelings, however, they just get stronger. Moreover, when we avoid or suppress painful thoughts and emotions, we cant see them clearly and respond with compassion.
Mindfulness and self-compassion are resources that give us the safety needed to meet difficult experience with less resistance. Just imagine how you would feel if you were overwhelmed and a friend walked into the room, gave you a hug, sat down beside you, listened to your distress, and then helped you work out a plan of action. Thankfully, that mindful and compassionate friend can be you. It begins by opening to what is, without resistance.
When we fully accept the reality that we are imperfect human beings, prone to make mistakes and struggle, our hearts naturally begin to soften.
Together, mindfulness and self-compassion form a state of warmhearted, connected presence that strengthens us during difficult moments in our lives.
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Can You Help Us Better Support The Mindfulness Field
Mindful Directory is freshly launched and we have many plans for the road ahead. We would hugely appreciate your feedback! Share your ideas and let us know if you notice any problems while exploring the site.
Mindful Directory Ltd, a collaboration with mindful.org, is a platform for mindfulness teachers and other professionals to register their credentials and list their events. This platform is being constantly developed to meet the needs of the field. Please contact the team should you have any feedback, we welcome community engagement. Elements of this service are based on a self-declaration system with the more advanced teachers credentials being checked. We are not offering guarantees on teacher competency or availability or event quality, suitability or event availability.
The Criticizer The Criticized And The Compassionate Observer Exercise
This exercise is a little more advanced and has been developed from the two-chair dialogue exercise, originally developed through Gestalt Theory . It encourages you to become more connected with three different parts of yourself: The Criticizer, The Criticized and the Compassionate Observer. You will need three chairs, a pen, and paper.
To begin:
These exercises were taken from the fantastic resources page of the Mindful Self-Compassion Program, developed by Kristin Neff.
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The Physiology Of Self
When we criticize ourselves were tapping into the bodys threat-defense system . Among the many ways we can react to perceived danger, the threat-defense system is the quickest and most easily triggered. This means that self-criticism is often our first reaction when things go wrong.
Feeling threatened puts stress on the mind and body, and chronic stress can cause anxiety and depression, which is why habitual self-criticism is so bad for emotional and physical well-being. With self-criticism, we are both the attacker and the attacked.
Compassion, including self-compassion, is linked to the mammalian care system. Thats why being compassionate to ourselves when we feel inadequate makes us feel safe and cared for, like a child held in a warm embrace. Self-compassion helps to downregulate the threat response. When the stress response is triggered by a threat to our self-concept, we are likely to turn on ourselves in an unholy trinity of reactions. We fight ourselves , we flee from others , or we freeze .
When we practice self-compassion, we are deactivating the threat-defense system and activating the care system. Oxytocin and endorphins are released, which helps reduce stress and increase feelings of safety and security.
We’re Partnering With Harvard’s Center For Mindfulness & Compassion To Provide Hrv Training
We’re delighted to announce that we are partnering with Harvard’s Center for Mindfulness & Compassion to provide HRV training in February. They will be brining together two scientifically validated trainings in one 8-week program so you can start the year getting more benefits from their Programs.
If you enroll in the February Mindfulness and Self Compassion course, you will have the choice to include the Heart Rate Variability biofeedback in the training, provided with Dr. Inna Khazan.
Why Take a Mindful Self-Compassion Course?
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Learn the science and components of self-compassion
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Practice self-compassion to live in alignment with your values
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Gain tools to manage difficult emotions with greater ease
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Build emotional strength for dealing with daily stresses
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Motivate yourself with kindness rather than criticism
Why include HRV training?
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What Is Mindful Self
When we talk about mindfulness, there are a number of thoughts that come to mind.
We know itâs about building our own sense of self-awareness, creating a greater connection with our bodies and emotions, and a stronger presence within our immediate environments.
We might even know that mindfulness can help us manage a number of mental disorders, including depression and anxiety, and help us achieve a sense of calm in our often-overloaded daily lives.
But what about mindfulness for self-compassion?
Weâre often pretty good at demonstrating compassion for others, but not so much for the self. Self-compassion can be an incredibly tricky process to fully adopt. Where mindfulness can feel like self-care, self-compassion can often be mixed up with feelings of self-indulgence .
Itâs good to know that psychologists are beginning to connect the two, with some incredible results, and Mindful Self-Compassion is emerging as a beneficial concept in its own right.
Read on to find out more about Mindful Self-Compassion.
Before you continue, we thought you might like to . These detailed, science-based exercises will not only help you increase the compassion and kindness you show yourself but will also give you the tools to help your clients, students, or employees show more compassion to themselves.
The Space Between Self
Neff also developed a short questionnaire that can help you test how self-compassionate you currently are , and provides starting resources and practices to help you improve. Itâs a great resource is youâre looking to get started with a Mindful Self-Compassion practice.
Through her work, Neff established the Mindful Self-Compassion Program with co-founder, Chris Germer. The program seeks to train others as teachers in MSC, so they can help to further spread the practice and encourage others to develop more self-compassion in their lives.
In a randomized, controlled trial, Neff & Germer found that the program increased not only self-compassion but compassion for others and feelings of satisfaction with life overall. They also found that the participants in the program reported decreased feelings of depression and stress.
The program is delivered through a number of different options including an 8-week in-person course, 2-day intensives, or via online tutorials.
Some of Neffâs most recent work on the topic includes:
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Benefits Of Mindfulness And Compassion Training
Mindfulness teaches us to be present to moment to moment experience, without judgement, and with compassion. Research has show benefits include:
- Less stress and anxiety
- Increased comprehension and retention of information
- Improved interpersonal relationships
- Enhanced clarity of awareness and thought
- A greater sense of compassion for self and others
- Improved health
What’s Being Said About The Mbsr Workshop
I’m so glad I attended your MBSR workshop for hundreds of reasons. Daily I practise shorter meditations and keep readingand re-readingthe FCL book. I’m so much more aware of my thoughts and how at times they lead to nausea. It is fascinating and definitely helpful, though I have much more learning to do. ~KJ, Scarborough
“The MBSR course taught me techniques for managing daily stress and for handling highly stressful situations. The change has been transformational in my life… Most valuable for me was the way it lead me to calm my mind and centre myself. I sleep better and feel that I have found my real self again. The instructor was supportive, compassionate and provided profound insights.” ~ RH, Don Mills
“Both my mother and I enjoyed the MBSR workshop earlier this year. She practices faithfully every single day and finds that it helps her manage her pain. We are thrilled for that. At the June 19 full day meditation, she was pain free for the first time in years”. ~ FF, Richmond Hill
Thanks once again for all your efforts in making the past eight weeks such a success for me. I’m excited about moving on with my life and incorporating thinking mindfully as part of my daily routine.
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The Compassionate Mind Workbook By Elaine Beaumont & Chris Ions
This workbook incorporates Buddhist practice and contemporary Western psychological concepts to provide a step-by-step guide to build better self-compassion, and develop coping strategies to overcome barriers preventing you from leading the life you want.
From the blurb on the back: âThis workbook is a step-by-step guide, in which the chapters build your understanding of yourself, the skills that give rise to a compassionate mind, and ways to work with whatever difficulties youre struggling with in life.â
What Is Mindfulness
Mindfulness is exercise for the brain. When practiced regularly, by meditating or simply redirecting your attention back to the present moment using one of your five senses, your brain chemistry will actually change causing you to feel more calm, focused, happy, and able to manage any difficult thoughts and emotions that you experience.
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Can You Be Too Self
Many people fear self-compassion is really just a form of self-pity. In fact, self-compassion is an antidote to self-pity. While self-pity says poor me, self-compassion recognizes that life is hard for everyone. Research shows that self-compassionate people are more likely to engage in perspective taking, rather than focusing on their own distress. They are also less likely to ruminate on how bad things are, which is one of the reasons self-compassionate people have better mental health.
The Mindful Path To Self
This wise and eloquent book illuminates the power of self-compassion and offers creative, scientifically grounded strategies for putting it into action.
Readers will master practical techniques for living more fully in the present moment especially when hard-to-bear emotions arise and for being kind to yourself when you need it the most.
Available from .
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Research Connecting Mindfulness And Self
As the research has overwhelmingly found positive outcomes for those with strong self-compassion, further research has sought to find ways to help support others build their own self-compassion or enhance their self-compassion. A strong body of research now exists that suggests participation in both the MBSR and the MBCT programs also increases self-compassion .
Key studies connecting mindfulness and self-compassion include:
- Beddoe & Murphy found that nurses who participated in the MBSR program reported that their mindfulness practice helped them to develop more compassion and empathy for the patients, and also helped their own self-compassion so they didnât take on the negative emotions of their patients.
- Shapiro et al. also found that health care professionals who completed the MBSR program reported an increase in feelings of self-compassion and reduced stress.
- Kuyken et al. found that depressed participants who engaged in the MBCT program reported increased feelings of self-compassion. Their study also found that it was the greater sense of self-compassion that participants attributed to a reduced relapse into depressive episodes.
- After developing the Mindful Self-Compassion program, Neff and Germer conducted a pilot study to explore the impact on self-compassion. From two control studies, they found that participants reported significant self-compassion gains following the program, which were maintained at both 6 months and 1-year follow-ups.
