As a society, we have evolved to strive for more and more and push ourselves to attain bigger and better measures of success. Rather than give us a lasting sense of pleasure, however, we are often left with a relentless critical inner voice and a belief that if only (I was more successful, richer, thinner) then I
would be happy.
Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) (Paul Gilbert) focuses on helping clients develop self-compassion.
Compassion is defined as “A sensitivity to the suffering of self and others (and its causes) with a commitment to relieve and prevent it”. Being self compassionate involves empathising with the position we are in and the choices we have made so far, given the unique life experiences we have had and not beating ourselves up for making mistakes or being imperfect.
Being self compassionate is not about self indulgence but about coaching and encouraging ourselves to live the live we want to live and achieve our goals. CFT helps people to develop a better relationship with themselves and become less self-critical.
