Learning to Resonate with Yourself in a Healthier Way
1/16/2018 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM at IMCW Center for Mindful Living, (4708 Wisconsin Avenue, NW, Upper floor, Washington, DC, 20016)
Tuesdays, January 16 to March 6 | Half-day retreat: Saturday, February 17, 1-5:30 p.m.
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported program designed by Kristin Neff, Ph.D. and Christopher Germer, Ph.D. It builds our capacity to be present in the face of our suffering much like we would for a beloved friend. It cultivates a courageous attitude that stands up to harm, including the harm that we inflict on ourselves through self-criticism, self-denial, or self-absorption.
Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to really see ourselves, acknowledge unmet needs, motivate ourselves with kindness and to be fully human. Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who didn’t receive enough affection in childhood or feel uncomfortable when they are good to themselves. Meditation experience is not required.
Program activities include: meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. The goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment for exploring how we typically respond when difficult emotions arise and to provide tools for becoming a warm and supportive companion to ourselves. The emphasis of the program is on enhancing emotional resources and personal capacities. The retreat portion of the series is a powerful opportunity for participants to practice and deepen their experience of mindful self-compassion.
Upon completion, participants should be able to: respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness; begin to transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation; motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism; relate to difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance; and teach simple self-compassion practices to patients, students, or clients.
