The Compassionate Mind Workbook: A step-by-step guide to developing your compassionate self

There is good and increasing evidence that cultivating compassion for one's self and others can have a profound impact on our physiological, psychological and social processes. In contrast, concerns with inferiority, shame and self-criticism can have very negative impacts on these processes and are associated with poorer physical and mental health.

The Compassionate Mind Workbook is for anyone who is interested in how compassion - in the form of ideas and practices derived from Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and other approaches - may help us to engage with, understand and ultimately, try to alleviate suffering.

CFT utilises both Buddhist practices and Western psychological science. It draws on neuroscience, insights into emotion regulation and identity formation, interpersonal psychology and a range of psychotherapeutic models. CFT-based interventions can help people with a range of mental health problems develop compassion for themselves, be open to the compassion of others and develop compassion for others.

This workbook is a step-by-step guide to CFT, in which the chapters build your understanding of yourself, the skills that give rise to a compassionate mind, and ways to work with whatever difficulties you're struggling with in life. The exercises, prompts and case stories in this book provide an understandable and practical way to develop compassion.

Chris Irons (Author)
Dr Chris Irons is a clinical psychologist, researcher, author and trainer. He is co-director of Balanced Minds (www.balancedminds.com), a London-based organisation providing compassion focused psychological interventions for individuals and organisations. He is the author of a number of books, including The Compassionate Mind Workbook.

Elaine Beaumont (Author)
Dr Elaine Beaumont is a psychotherapist who specialises in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), compassion focused therapy (CFT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR).

Elaine is a part-time lecturer in counselling and psychotherapy at the University of Salford, where her research explores the impact that compassionate mind training has on people working in the helping professions and on people who have experienced trauma. Elaine provides workshops regarding mental health, compassion and wellbeing for a variety of organisations and her research has been presented worldwide.
www.beaumontpsychotherapy.co.uk

Elaine co-authored The Compassionate Mind Workbook: A step-by-step guide to developing your compassionate self, The Compassionate Mind App and The Kindness Workbook:Compassionate and Creative ways to Boost your Wellbeing.