MSC Intensives

This in person offering is an intensive version of the 8-week, empirically-supported MSC program, developed by Christopher Germer, PhD, a leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy and Kristin Neff, PhD, a pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion. This program fulfills a prerequisite for becoming a MSC teacher, we are currently in planning for our next offering. Please keep in mind that MSC is therapeutic, but it’s not therapy.  MSC is not a substitute for medical or mental health care.

5 Day In-Person Intensives

MSC activities include short talks, experiential exercises, meditation, group discussion, and home practices. Past intensives have been held in wellness and retreat centers around the United States with varied natural landscapes.

What will I learn in an MSC Intensive?

Upon completing MSC, participants should be able to:

  • Motivate yourself with encouragement rather than self-criticism;
  • Relate to difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance;
  • Respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness;
  • Transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation;
  • Practice the art of savoring and self-appreciation;
  • Identify core mindfulness and self-compassion exercises for use in daily life;
  • Discuss simple self-compassion practices with patients, students, or clients;
  • Describe the theory and research supporting self-compassion;
  • Identify fierce and tender aspects of self-compassion and their role in well-being.

The emphasis of the program is on building the resources of self-compassion and mindfulness through a process of self-discovery. We begin with mindfulness, through which we turn with loving awareness toward difficult experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations). Next, we learn to turn that loving awareness toward ourselves. Together, mindfulness and self-compassion comprise a state of warm, connected, presence during difficult moments in our lives.


Ways of learning MSC: The MSC Intensive

When considering which format of MSC you’d like to undertake, we encourage you to explore the variety of options available. The deep dive into self-compassion that happens at an Intensive is a unique opportunity to experience MSC’s transformative potential. Because self-compassion has the paradoxical effect of both soothing our emotional distress as well as opening us to the pain that we may have been unconsciously holding inside, difficult emotions are likely to surface during the program, including past traumas. We view the intensive format as the most emotionally challenging format in which to learn MSC, so we urge careful consideration before enrolling.

MSC teachers are committed to helping participants feel safe and supported during the course. However, participants agree at the outset that they will take primary responsibility for their emotional wellbeing. If you are unsure, please contact CMSC for further discussion of the best fit for your particular circumstances.

To create an optimal learning experience, Intensives are only taught by Certified MSC Teachers (the highest level of teacher training available). All participants are encouraged to engage in the Intensive to the extent that they feel comfortable, and not more.

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