A group program using Compassion Focused Therapy, adapted from the book CFT Made Easy by Russel Kolts, and The Power of Self Compassion by Mary Welford and the Untethered Soul by Michael Singer

1. Compassion
Focused
Therapy
Session 6

2. Working with Self-Compassion
 We have laid the foundation for self-
compassion (understanding and non-
judgmental awareness)
 Now we move to directly cultivating self-
compassion

3. Self-Compassion
 The idea is foreign for many, easy to direct
compassion at others, hard to direct towards
self
 1 Self-criticizing seems motivating 2. People
think they deserve the criticism

4. The self-critic

5. What makes yours hard to let go?
 What would you be risking if you didn’t listen
to the self critic?
 What is the fear that you have? The worst you
imagine happening?

6. What if your compassionate self
could do the same for you?
 What is the function of your self-critic?
 What is the cost you pay for this service?

7. The two teachers…pg 43 green book

8. The Compassionate Self
 Shift away from avoiding or getting rid of
feelings of pain and discomfort to being able
to approach and manage these feelings with
compassion and understanding

9. Method acting…
 Imagine what it would be like to have qualities
of the compassionate self:
 It is normal not to feel like you have these
qualities, only to imagine what it might be like
 Exercise Compassionate self practice
imagery (pg 117)

10. Extending compassion to the
vulnerable self:
 Imagine yourself at your most vulnerable, a
recent situation pg 121 orange book

11. The Compassionate Self in
Action:
 Use mindfulness to notice when the mind is
captured by threat
 Practice shifting into the compassionate self,
slow down, soothing breathing, come back
and solve the problem
 The coming back is what is different, not
coming back is avoidance

12. Compassionate Letter Writing:
 Homework:
 Schedule in a quiet 30-60 minutes in the week
and tell others this is your homework time
 Get a pen and paper or use your journal

13. Write a letter to your vulnerable
self:
 Acknowledge how you are feeling
 I.e “I understand you are hurting, angry, scared etc”
 Write about where these feelings come from in your past,
where did you learn to feel this way? Acknowledge that it
is not your fault.
 Write about what you usually do when you feel this way,
and how that helped in the past
 Write about how you are trying to change that pattern now
and how hard you have been working
 Write what you need right now from others and yourself
 Write words of encouragement to keep going, what would
you say to a friend?