The Gifts of Compassion

"In this beautifully written book, esteemed clinical psychologist and therapist Stan Steindl takes us on a personal journey into the ups and downs of what it is to be human and reveals both the challenges and the joys of building one's compassionate mind."- Professor Paul Gilbert OBE, Founder of Compassion Focused Therapy Sometimes life can become so complicated and challenging for us that we can end up suffering from stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, isolation or shame. But did you know that a lot of that suffering comes from within? Rumination and self-criticism are uniquely human thought processes, developed over hundreds of thousands of years. Our brains evolved into an impressive and complex organ that helped us to survive a primitive world, and yet today may yell at us with harsh and hostile criticism, sometimes even over the smallest thing! In fact, critical self-talk is very common. And it flies just under the radar of our conscious mind - condemning and undermining us with its inner voice. This book will show you how to do better - to turn anguish into delight through the use of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). Through a clear series of steps and practices, noted clinical psychologist Dr Stan Steindl explains how compassion evolved as a vital part of our nature and thought, and the way we look after one another, and even ourselves. He then shows how to use our compassion as a key to a healthier mental life. With personal vignettes illustrating the therapeutic benefits of compassion focused therapy, practical exercises that use mindfulness and imagery to help us develop attention to the present moment, and a wealth of guidance on self-criticism, shame and forgiveness, this book can change your life. CFT considers compassion to flow in three directions: compassion for others, receiving compassion from others, and compassion for oneself. Certain fears, blocks and resistances to compassion can be present across the three flows, and a big part of CFT is working with these fears to allow compassion to be naturally expressed and received. Research has shown the benefits of CFT to include:reducing self-criticism, worry and rumination improving depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental health problems reducing body-weight shame reducing trauma or posttraumatic stress.