COMPASSION-FOCUSED THERAPY (CFT)

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is differentiated from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by emphasizing on cultivating and developing the individual’s innate capacity for compassion towards self and others. CFT is a “mix” of different approaches including evolutionary, developmental and social psychology, neuroscience, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy.
Its founder, Paul Gilbert, created the model by working with people who had complex and persistent mental health difficulties, in whom he observed that they had developed high levels of shame and self-criticism that prevented traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy practices from working. So he began to incorporate other techniques into the traditional Cognitive Behavioral Therapy that cultivated (self) compassion in order to “soften” these feelings and allow the clients to experience inner peace and tranquility.
The term ‘compassion’ was defined by P. Gilbert as the sensitivity to another’s and our own suffering with a commitment to alleviate and prevent it (Paul Gilbert, 2010).
Compassion is a skill that we inherently possess (research findings from observing infants’ interactions with their mothers in caring and non-caring environments) and which we can potentially cultivate through practice.
This can be done through a range of practices such as learning and training in the qualities of compassion, cultivating compassionate attention to memories and moments when we have been compassionate to ourselves or others or times when others have been compassionate to us, cultivating mindfulness in the here and now with openness and interest, practicing mindfulness exercises such as calm breathing rhythm, soothing color imagery, safe place imagery or even written exercises for expressing and accepting compassion from and to self and others.

Material for Compassion Focused Therapy can be found on the official CFT website. On the website one can find rich literature on CFT, as well as books and audio files aimed at strengthening mindful awareness and compassion.
https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScwXgqO_d7Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93LFNtcR1Ok