Kindness Matters The power of mindfulness and self-compassion Compassion in Healthcare, Auckland, New Zealand March 2019 Dr. Anna M. Friis Ph.D Health Psychologist www.annafriis.com
“For someone to develop genuine compassion for others, first they must develop compassion for themselves. Caring for others requires caring for oneself”. Dalai Lama 1995, 2002
"We live in a time when science is validating what humans have known throughout the ages: that compassion is not a luxury; it is a necessity for our well- being, resilience, and survival". Joan Halifax, 2012
Self-Compassion: an informal definition Treating ourselves with the same kindness as we would treat a dear friend when things go wrong
Self-compassion: a formal definition (Neff, 2003) Kindness Common Mindfulness Humanity Loving – Connected - Presence
Two approaches: Yin and Yang Yin: comfort, connect, validate Yang: protect, provide, motivate
Hand gestures Gestures
Self-Compassion: the evidence Research Publications on Self-Compassion* ! ! 1400! 1200! 1000! 800! 600! 400! 200! 0! 3! 4! 5! 6! 7! 8! 9! 10! 11! 12! 13! 14! 15! 16! ! ! !!!*Based!on!an!EBSCO!search!of!articles!(2017)with!"self=compassion"!in!the!title published!in!scholarly!peer=reviewed!journals! ! !
Self-Compassion and wellbeing Less depression, anxiety, psychological stress, self-criticism Less maladaptive perfectionism, rumination, shame, suicidal ideation Greater emotional intelligence, better emotional coping skills Greater happiness, life satisfaction, vitality and positive affect Better coping with life crises (e.g. divorce, illness diagnoses) Better coping (e.g. infertility-related distress, chronic pain)
Self-Compassion and health behaviour Better health behaviour (more likely to stick to diet and exercise regimes) More likely to quit smoking Get enough sleep Have protected sex Visit the doctor earlier
Self-Compassion for caregivers Less compassion fatigue Greater compassion satisfaction Greater personal resilience Less sleep disturbance
Mind-Body Mind-Body Direct effects on physiological measures (e.g. HRV, stress hormones, inflammatory processes, HBA1c)
Threat system
Threat system Care system
Misgivings Self-Compassion Is weak or self-pity Undermines motivation Same as self-indulgence Is passive and complacent Is selfish or self indulgent
Self-compassion training Psychotherapy (e.g. CFT, ACT, DBT, IFS) Brief manipulations (e.g. self-compassion meditations, writing exercises) Structured mindfulness training programmes (MBCT, MBSR) Structured compassion training programmes (MBCL, CBCT, CCT) Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC, Neff & Germer, 2013; Friis et al, 2016) Six-week Self-Compassion training for Caregivers Neff & Gregory (manuscript in preparation)
Give yourself a break
Thank you www.annafriis.com www.chrisgermer.com www.compassionatemind.org www.self-compassion.org www.centerformsc.org
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