“Compassion practice is daring. It involves learning to relax and allow ourselves to move gently towards what scares us. The trick to doing this is to stay with emotional distress without tightening into aversion, to let fear soften us rather than harden into resistance.”
Western culture places great emphasis on being kind to our friends, family, and neighbours when they are struggling; but places comparatively little emphasis on being kind to ourselves when we struggle.
Somewhere along the line, we get the message that strong individuals should be stoic, silent, and removed from their own suffering.
Unfortunately, these attitudes rob us of one of our most powerful coping mechanisms when dealing with the difficulties of life: self-compassion.
What is self-compassion?
In short, self-compassion is learning to be kind and supportive to ourselves in moments of doubt, uncertainty, difficulty, and failure. It is training in offering ourselves the support, in these moments, that we would offer a good friend—it is a powerful inner resource.
What would it be like to receive self-compassion, whenever we need it?
Self-compassion is a skill that can be learned by anyone, even those who didn’t receive enough affection in childhood or who find it embarrassing to be kind to themselves.
Research has shown that the practice of self-compassion greatly enhances emotional well-being and resilience. It boosts happiness, reduces anxiety and depression, and can even help us stick to our goals.
What does the course cover?
The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported 8-week course designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion.
This is an invitation to familiarise ourselves with the practice of self-compassion and transform the way in which we relate to pain, suffering, failures, and feelings of inadequacy.
We will learn to embrace our vulnerabilities and shortcomings with warmth and kindness. All that is required is a shift in the direction of our attention — recognising that as a human being, we too are always worthy of receiving compassion.
When / how often does the course run?
We will meet in an intimate group for eight consecutive Wednesdays from 6 pm to 8: 30 pm.
Dates:
Wednesday, March 4, 11, 18, 25, April 1, 8, 15 and 22 from 6 pm to 8:30 pm.
There is a half-day retreat on Saturday, 19 April from 10 am to 2 pm.
- You are able to miss two sessions maximum if needed
Why 8 weeks?
New habits—particularly those that go against deeply ingrained old habits—take time, and support, to develop. Research has shown that the self-compassion practice, under appropriate instruction, and over time, can literally rewire our brains. But these changes take time, and research shows that 8-weeks of supported practice is required to experience change and to give us the best chance of sustaining the practice going forward.
For whom?
This workshop is intended for anyone who is curious and motivated to learn about self-compassion. It is designed primarily for personal growth and development. However, professionals who wish to integrate mindful self-compassion into their work activities are also encouraged to attend.
-Meditation experience, or a background in mindfulness, is not required to participate in this program.
Group ethos
This workshop will be conducted in a safe, supportive, and phone-free environment and will involve short exercises, guided practices, personal reflection, and a group ethos of deep listening and friendly speech.
Pricing
Early bird: $645 (ends on Wednesday, 5 February 2020).
Booking for two early bird: $1240 (ends on Wednesday, 5 February 2020).
After early bird: $690
Booking for two: $1310
- Concessions are available for those of limited means and students—please email me at jossyjimenezaceves@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Meet our facilitators:
Lydia Brown is a clinical psychologist with an interest in self-compassion, mindfulness and cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT). She specialises in treating anxiety, depression, and stress influenced by factors such as life transitions, relationship issues and living with illness. She has a particular interest in self-compassion, supporting adults of all ages to be kinder towards themselves in their thoughts, feelings, and actions. She has recently returned from a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School where she researched resilience and the mind-body connection. She continues to partner with Harvard for her part-time research. She has a warm and gentle approach. She is committed to her own contemplative (meditation) practice, and this adds depth to her work as a facilitator.
Jossy Jimenez has a master’s degree in human development and is certified as a mindfulness facilitator by UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behaviour and the Mindful Schools organisation. She has training in Stanford University’s Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) and has completed teacher-training in the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with UCSD.
She has developed wellbeing programs for institutions in Australia, the United States, and Mexico -everything from kindergartens to large corporations. Above all, she is an enthusiastic practitioner who has great personal appreciation for the benefits of these practices.
What does the course draw on?
The research of Christopher K. Germer, PhD, a leader in the integration of mindfulness and psychotherapy, and Kristin Neff, PhD, a pioneering researcher in the field of self-compassion.
In particular the books:
The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself: Self-Compassion, by Kristin Neff, Ph.D.; and
The Mindful Path of Self Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions by Christopher K. Germer Ph.D.