EUROPEAN CENTER FOR MINDFULNESS
Shame is probably the trickiest human emotion. It’s everywhere so we barely see it. It’s also the glue that makes other emotions stick around longer than they should – fear, anger, guilt—and it hollows out the observer in a way that there’s no one home to work with the emotions. The mere mention of the s-word usually sends people packing. However, seen through the eyes of compassion, we discover some surprising new insights about shame that loosen its grip in our lives. They are:
These 3 insights, or paradoxes, correspond to the 3 components of self-compassion as defined by Kristin Neff (2003) – self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness.
Please join Chris Germer, a leader in the burgeoning field of self-compassion and co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion training program, for a daylong experiential workshop including talks, meditation, research, exercises, and discussion.
In this program, we will explore the nature of shame, its causes (including prejudice and cultural exclusion), and learn simple skills to detect shame in our daily lives and transform it through the power of self-compassion. Meditation practitioners will be able to integrate these tools into their contemplative practices and psychotherapists will learn new skills to work with shame in clinical settings.
Everyone is welcome. Participants can expect to touch difficult emotions in this workshop, but they will also learn how to transform the stickiest and trickiest of human emotions through mindful self-compassion.