The Compassionate Mind (Compassion Focused Therapy)

In this book, British Psychologist Paul Gilbert formally introduces us to the model that underlies his treatment model,Compassion-Focused Therapy. This book serves both as an introduction to the Compassionate Mind model and as a self-help book of sorts. In my perspective, this is a book that will benefit anyone who reads it, and will particularly benefit individuals struggling with issues of depression, anxiety, anger, or shame, clinicians in psychology or other helping fields, or anyone else who is generally interested in understanding their minds better and working with them in the pursuit of a happy life. The Compassionate Mind model operates from a premise that should be the basis of any valid psychology: that in order to work effectively with our minds and emotions, we need to understand something about how and why they work the way they do. In 'The Compassionate Mind,' Gilbert skillfully weaves together evolutionary psychology, affective neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and recent psychology applications of Buddhist mindfulness and compassion practices into a model which helps us understand that many of our problems originate in the very ways our brains evolved, and the ways in which they fit with modern life. The reader learns about the evolution of our threat systems and how they predispose us to difficult emotions that evolved to protect us but which have a troublesome fit with both our new brain capacities for fantasy and rumination and the cultural dynamics of modern life. In doing so, Gilbert makes a case for compassion that is both unique and powerful: not only, as the Dalai Lama suggests, is the cultivation of compassion good for us; it is also the only response that makes sense when we observe the difficult fit between our evolved minds and the demands of our lives. However, this model isn't just about understanding why our minds are so difficult to manage. It presents a theoretical model of emotion based in the neuroscience of affiliation which shows us how to work with them, and fully half of the book is dedicated to exercises for doing so. 'The Compassionate Mind' model teaches us how to work with our soothing/affiliative systems to bring balance to our affective responding, with particular emphasis given to mindfulness and the cultivation of self-compassion. One really nice thing about Gilbert's approach is that it is both deeply explanatory and intensely pragmatic - he wants us to understand our minds, but at the end of the day, his business is giving us practical tools for working with them. He does all of this in his friendly, conversational tone, so that it feels less like a dense read than a pleasant chat over a cup of tea, or perhaps a glass of red wine. Rather than writing a book in the attempt to capture this one, I'll simply state that if you've bothered to read this, you owe it to yourself to buy this book. While written for the general reader, it is also a wonderful read for clinicians who would like a friendly introduction to the Compassionate Mind model, which provides the basis for Compassion-Focused Therapy. For those who've read the above and note that there are already plenty of therapy models based upon Mindfulness and compassionate acceptance, I'd like to say that in my view, Compassion-Focused Therapy is not another "therapy model" per se, and seemingly doesn't seek to add itself to the already dizzying list of Empirically Supported Treatment models (although it certainly is the subject of much evolving empirical work); rather, CFT provides a frame for understanding and approaching psychological functioning generally and emotional difficulties in particular. As such, it provides a unifying framework that is compatible with many empirically-based therapy approaches, while providing therapists and clients with a better understanding of the way our minds work and a model for working with them effectively. In doing so, it introduces new ways of working with our clients (for example, the purposeful cultivation of compassion for oneself and others), and couches already-proven methods in a context of warmth and a theoretical understanding of affective functioning that may very well enhance their effectiveness. In my opinion, if you're looking to ride the "third wave" of therapy, this may very well be the longboard of choice. Enjoy!

This is not a quick-fix self-help book you can read in an afternoon. The first section of the book is clearly written for individuals who want to delve into evolutionary psychology and the influence of genetics and environment on our personalities. I found it to be very clearly written (even if it is rather academic in nature) and I particularly enjoyed learning about the evolutionary components of our brains-- how different parts of the brain developed at different periods of time and therefore don't always work well together. I was familiar with the concept of our "lizard-brain"- that flight/flight/freeze part of our brains- but was not aware that there's a part of our brain that is specifically designed to self-soothe-- to calm ourselves down. Learning to focus on that and develop a self-soothing system is key to good mental health and to developing the compassionate mind. The second part of the book goes into various meditation and other techniques you can use to calm yourself down. I found this section to be very helpful and interesting. Ironically, I was reading this book on my computer while sitting next to a highly anxious person on a flight. She was very close to having a panic attack, and I was able to read parts of the book to her and get her engaged in a conversation about what she was feeling-- getting her to describe her anxiety in detail (one of the techniques in the book) and she calmed down. So I guess that's proof that at least one of the techniques works! :) I understand some of the other reviewers' criticisms of the book in that if you're looking for more immediate solutions and less theory-- this isn't it. This is for individuals who, for whatever reason, want to know the psychological theories behind compassion. Well worth the time invested.

A minister friend recommended this book to me. The first half is rather technical, dealing with compassion in general and how it affects our brains and emotions. The second half is very helpful. Meditations, guided imagery and practical applications have helped me learn how to be nicer to myself and therefore a happier person.

This book has completely altered the state of my critical mind forever. Paul Gilbert the Author of “ The Compassionate Mind” is a delightful book on many details, examples, practices , scientific research of history. he’s helped me get through just basically shutting off the old self shame, toxic thinking, self criticism, self blaming during an earlier stage of my adolescence years and has followed me through adulthood. Anyone who feels they need some reading therapy, give this book a try. If you really want to grow and leave the old tiring old thinking , and seek growth, who is serious I recommend giving “ The Compassionate Mind” a chance to see if this book can help you. I will definitely reread Paul Gilbert’s “ The Compassionate Mind a reread again . Second time is where we might find a treasure that can change our life forever.

Best

Book was in perfect condition.

It’s a must read when diving in self compassion. Paul Gilbert takes time to explore ideas from the evolutionary perspective of the most common human experience: suffering.

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This was a fantastic read