“Buck up.” “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” “Don’t ruin everything.” When you are anxious, sad, angry, or lonely, do you hear this self-critical voice? What would happen if, instead of fighting difficult emotions, we accepted them? Over his decades of experience as a therapist and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Dr. Christopher Germer has learned a paradoxical lesson: We all want to avoid pain, but letting it in--and responding compassionately to our own imperfections, without judgment or self-blame--are essential steps on the path to healing. This wise and eloquent book illuminates the power of self-compassion and offers creative, scientifically grounded strategies for putting it into action. You’ll master practical techniques for living more fully in the present moment -- especially when hard-to-bear emotions arise -- and for being kind to yourself when you need it the most. Free audio downloads of the meditation exercises are available at the author's website: www.mindfulselfcompassion.org.
For more info and free downloads of self-compassion meditations, please visit www.MindfulSelfCompassion.org
Christopher Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist in the Boston area, specializing in mindfulness and compassion-based psychotherapy. He has been applying the principles and practices of meditation in psychotherapy since 1978 and has taken numerous journeys to India to explore the varieties of meditation.
Dr. Germer is a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School and he's a founding member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, an organization dedicated to teaching mental health professionals how to integrate Buddhist psychology and modern psychotherapy. Dr. Germer lectures internationally on mindfulness and self-compassion and he's currently co-developing (with Dr. Kristin Neff, pioneering researcher on self-compassion) an 8-week Mindful Self-Compassion training program.
