Paul says, "After years of exploring the processes
underpinning shame and its role in a variety of psychopathologies, my
current research is exploring the neurophysiology and therapeutic
effectiveness of compassion focused therapy."
The
publisher describes Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) as "a
form of psychotherapy that emphasizes the development of self-compassion
in people who are prone to feelings of shame and self-criticism. Created
by Paul Gilbert and his colleagues, this therapy is rooted in Mahayana
Buddhist psychology, which considers compassion and mindfulness to be
central to healing the mind. CFT develops four skills: compassionate
attention, compassionate thinking, compassionate behavior, and
compassionate feeling.
This therapy has been proven effective for the treatment of eating
disorders, depression, anxiety, and other mental health conditions, and
can even benefit those who do not suffer from these disorders as it
improves emotional regulation, distress tolerance, and nonjudgment."
In this interview, Paul and Edwin have a wide ranging
discussion about shame, depression, empathy and compassion, as well as,
how to foster compassion in society. Sub Conference:
Science
The healing
properties of compassion have been written about for centuries. The
Dalai Lama often stresses that if you want others to be happy – focus on
compassion; if you want to be happy yourself – focus on compassion
(Dalai Lama 1995, 2001). Although all clinicians agree that compassion
is central to the doctor–patient and therapist–client relationship,
recently the components of compassion have been looked at through the
lens of Western psychological science and research
The publisher describes
Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) as "a form of psychotherapy
that emphasizes the development of self-compassion in people who are
prone to feelings of shame and self-criticism. Created by Paul Gilbert
and his colleagues, this therapy is rooted in Mahayana Buddhist
psychology, which considers compassion and mindfulness to be central
to healing the mind. CFT develops four skills: compassionate
attention, compassionate thinking, compassionate behavior, and
compassionate feeling. This therapy has been proven effective for the
treatment of eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and other mental
health conditions, and can even benefit those who do not suffer from
these disorders as it improves emotional regulation, distress
tolerance, and nonjudgment."
Author and therapist Paul Gilbert explores how awareness of how our own
minds work can help break negative thought patterns and help us to
become more compassionate.
