—✦— Giving oneself compassion is a challenging process for just about everyone. That’s why the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program was created by Drs. Chris Germer and Kristin Neff in 2010…
This incisive and thoughtful commentary teaches how self-compassion, mindfulness, and relationship can support us in coping with tragedy and violence
I can remember my very first MSC training experience from several years ago like it was yesterday. There was definitely a surge of internal experiences that I observed as I…
Six years in the making, a comprehensive textbook describing the Mindful Self-Compassion program will finally be released this August. This is THE authoritative guide to conducting the MSC.
Touched by the depth of caring and authentic brotherhood he found during a recent trip to Angola Prison in Louisiana, USA, Chris Germer discovered the power of self-compassion to support those suffering under the oppressive weight of shame for their crimes, their incarceration, and their inability to care for their families while in prison. So where must we go from here?
I can remember my very first MSC training experience from several years ago like it was yesterday. There was definitely a surge of internal experiences that I observed as I…
by Mara Elwood
CMSC Correspondent
Parenting can be one of the planet’s toughest jobs. In her forthcoming book, Susan M. Pollak, MTS, EdD, shares practical strategies and practices for the parenting journey, all based on a foundation of self-compassion and acceptance that we are enough, just as we are. Interview with CMSC Correspondent, Mara Elwood
by Krista Gregory, MDiv
Amidst unprecedented rates of burnout and suicide, RCT shows that abbreviated MSC program provides much-needed relief to health care professionals.
By Lyndi Smith
Low-back pain is a big deal. An estimated 80% of the population will suffer from back pain at some point. Read five self-compassionate responses that can help.
The following guidelines are designed to facilitate widespread dissemination of the principles and practices of the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC™) program while maintaining the integrity and consistency of the program, the quality of teaching, and the intellectual property of Chris Germer and Kristin Neff
By Dr. Cynthia Phelps
As an MSC teacher, you have the opportunity to be the missing link for those who want to recover.
By Dr. Cynthia Phelps
Shame and recovery: How self-compassion stepped in where rehab left off
By Steve Hickman
The future of MSC is going to be adaptations of the program. What can you dream up?
By Daniel Ellenberg, PhD
A startling number of men suffer in silence. They hide their pain, often from even themselves. Self-compassion leads men to the source of their own inner strength.
A recent study examined the effects of dog ownership on veterans with symptoms of post-traumatic stress. This research suggests that being a dog owner may be a way to access and cultivate the warmth and comfort provided by self-compassion through connecting with the loving presence of a canine friend.
By Steve Hickman
“The beatings will continue until morale improves!” In the new year, what would it be like to motivate yourself out of love and positive regard for yourself rather than criticism, judgment and shaming?
by Martin Thomson-Jones
Less pressure on teachers, more reinforcement for participants.
Teens often live in a world where they constantly feel under scrutiny. Every waking moment is filled with a sense that they are being watched, their flaws exposed as if under a microscope. They compare themselves to their peers and feel that they come up short. They feel inadequate, unworthy, and often consumed with shame. The feeling of emotional safety often eludes them.
Written by Dr. Kristin Neff
In many ways the #MeToo movement can be seen as the collective arising of female yang. We are finally speaking up to protect ourselves, our sisters, our daughters and sons. Thank goodness. Women need to fully embrace and integrate both tender and fierce compassion if we are ever going to free ourselves from patriarchy.
Who am I to teach MSC? I’ve no Masters in Mindfulness. I don’t hold a PhD in Self-Compassion. I am not a researcher, a clinician or a psychologist. I am no expert in this field. I cannot quote chapter and verse regarding the research of MSC and I cannot remember all the science behind all the benefits. Sometimes I can barely remember what day it is!
My son Benji reminds me of Lovejoy, the glowing green comet that visited earth a few years ago for the first time in 11,500 years. Both are beautiful and rare, other-worldly phenomena transiting my life.
Families today live in a society that is rapidly changing, increasingly demanding, faster moving, overly stimulating, increasingly unpredictable, and financially insecure. In the midst of this, stress-related symptoms and conditions in adults and children alike have become common, and cross all socioeconomic lines.
I recall my visceral response to Chris Germer’s question: ‘What burns most in your heart that has to be done in this lifetime?’
As MSC goes far and wide, we feel an obligation to our teachers and prospective students to help maintain the consistency and integrity of the program.
On Saturday September 16, 2017, twenty-five MSC teachers working in the UK met in London at the lovely Breast Cancer Haven and spent a wonderful day together sharing our hopes and fears and plans for MSC. We met with a shared vision of creating an MSC ‘sangha’ to nourish and support us as teachers and also a very real feeling of the importance of connection in this work which is so firmly rooted in our common humanity. We all appreciate how this sense of connection has been fostered throughout our training thanks in the beginning to the generosity of Chris and Kristin.
