For when you prefer to listen rather than read, an audio version of the blog post, Compassion Definition(s) with Inspiration from Chris Germer is now available. You can listen to the audio version here, or from within the original post.
in Announcements and Reminders,Articles,Compassion,Self-Compassion
The upcoming open group sessions I am offering provide clients with the opportunity to regularly nourish the seeds of mindfulness and self-compassion they are growing via guided, structured practice in a safe, group therapy environment, as well as providing the opportunity to have some time for connection with others and for self-reflection. Read more ›
in Announcements and Reminders,Compassion,Expressive Arts,Mindfulness,Self-Compassion,Working with Emotion
I recently updated the compassion entry in the glossary section of the website—nothing fancy—but I realized it needed some attention. Read more ›
The book, The Heart and the Bottle, written and illustrated by Oliver Jeffers (2010), wisely begins, “Once there was a girl much like any other…”. The story is about someone and something common—someone and something understandable, relatable. Read more ›
When people express feeling unsure how to proceed with working on something they are desiring to work on in their lives, and when my input about this conundrum is solicited, one of the responses I sometimes give is akin to this: to proceed, begin where you are and go from there. Read more ›
At this link you can watch a video on compassion that was produced, recently released, and generously shared by The International Center for Compassionate Organizations. For those who have participated in compassion-focused therapy sessions (e.g., via the mindful compassion group therapy program), some of the lines early on in the video will sound very familiar—I hope! Read more ›
Think of a being you deeply cherish, maybe it is a person, maybe it is a cherished pet. Take a moment to feel the presence of this being, to feel the warmth you feel toward this being, the joy, the delight. What do you wish for this being? What does your heart wish for this being? Connect to the feelings imbued in this wish. Read more ›
“My whole heart for my whole life.” I saw this quote in a piece of artwork hanging on a studio wall that served as part of the backdrop for videos in the online course, Self-Compassion, with Kristin Neff and Brené Brown. It was love at first sight. Read more ›
in Articles,Compassion,Expressive Arts,External Resources,Self-Compassion
Did you know that the human brain tends to act like teflon to positive experiences and like velcro to negative experiences? This is a wonderful metaphor Dr. Rick Hanson uses in the video below to describe the brain’s negativity bias, in essence, its tendency to absorb and remember readily negative experiences and potential threats combined with its tendency to not so readily absorb and remember positive experiences. Read more ›
in Articles,Compassion,External Resources,Working with Emotion
Earlier this fall, I stumbled across and read the autobiographical book, 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, by Cami Walker. Cami became very ill and subsequently received the diagnosis of multiple sclerosis when she was 30 years old. As she shared in the video I link you to below, this experience changed her life forever. At the same time, through hard work, serendipity, and the prescription of giving away 29 gifts in 29 days, she also found a way to come back to herself and back to others. Read more ›