Compassion Focused Therapy
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Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is a recent branch of Psychology that can be summed up by its founder Professor Paul Gilbert as “an integrated and multimodal approach that draws from evolutionary, social, developmental and Buddhist psychology, and neuroscience. One of its key concerns is to use compassionate mind training to help people develop and work with experiences of inner warmth, safeness and soothing, via compassion and self-compassion."[1]
Biological evolution forms the backbone of CFT by considering how the brain operates with the application of three interconnecting systems. The Drive, Threat and Soothing systems are natures responses to our every day life,[2] and through the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Compassionate Mind Training, each system can be managed effectively to give the desired response. There are an increasing number of empirical research papers,[3] that demonstrate the important link between self-esteem and compassion as a way of directing behaviour to deal with threat and resolve thought conflict.
Overview[edit]
The compassion branch of psychology developed to deal with observations within Mental Health. With an increasing number of individuals reporting shame and self-criticism, there was a primary issue with those individuals finding it difficult to be kind to themselves, feel self-warmth or of being self-compassionate [1]. In consultation exploration, it was straightforward to establish the link between self-criticism and shame as being a learnt response to environmental factors. Research[4][5] has demonstrated the link between lack of self-compassion with histories of abuse, bullying, neglect/lack of affection and high expressed emotion in the family. By empowering individuals with an evolutionary and neurological understanding of how the brain works, coupled with cognitive behavioural therapy will allow a high number of individuals to understand and apply core principles by saying “I understand the logic of my alternative thinking”. Additionally, where compassion focus therapy goes one step further, is to solve deep rooted self perceptions of understanding the logic and aiding the individual in feeling better by enhancing the safeness and warmth in their relationships with both others and themselves.
References[edit]
- ↑ http://apt.rcpsych.org/content/15/3/199.full
- ↑ Gilbert, P. (2010). Compassion Focused Therapy. Routledge: UK.,
- ↑ Neff, K. D (2003). Self-compassion. An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity; 2: 85–102.,
- ↑ Kaufman, G. (1989). The Psychology of Shame. Springer.
- ↑ Schore, A. N. (1998). Early shame experiences and infant brain development. In Shame: Interpersonal Behavior, Psychopathology and Culture (eds P Gilbert, B Andrews): 57–77. Oxford University Press.
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