TUESDAYS, SEPTEMBER 25-NOVEMBER 13
Half-day retreat: Saturday, October 27, 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.
For further information , visit www.self-compassion.org (Kristin Neff) where you can listen to talks, review MSC research, and “Test how self-compassionate you are.”
Series Dates and Topics:
7-10 p.m.
09/25: Discovering Mindful Self-Compassion
7-9:30 p.m.
10/02/2018 Practicing Mindfulness
10/09/2018 Practicing Loving-Kindness
10/16/2018 Discovering Your Compassionate Voice
10/23/2018 Living Deeply
10/27/2018 Saturday Retreat 1-5:30 p.m.
10/30/2018 Meeting Difficult Emotions
11/06/2018 Exploring Challenges Within Relationships
11/13/2018 Embracing Your Life
