The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions

Written by Christopher K. Germer, (c) 2009,  New York: The Guilford Press. (self-compassion, loving-kindness)

Although this book is geared to a general audience and is not specific to helping professionals, I’ll share a quote here where Christopher reflects on the quality of presence he aims to bring to his encounters of emotional pain, whether of his own or another’s (including in his role as a therapist):

“It may sound strange, but I generally try to avoid the term “self-compassion” while counseling others because it creates a standard against which we all inevitably fail. Self-compassion isn’t a “thing” that we either have or don’t have. Instead, as a practitioner and as a therapist, I try to remain open to emotional pain and breathe kindness into it, one moment after the next.” (p. 240)