When I first read the headline of the recent Greater Good Science Center article “Can Self-Compassion Increase Resilience in the Face of Discrimination?”, I assumed that, of course, self-compassion would provide some protection from the impact of overt racism. For years I’ve taught that self-compassion is a powerful resource for coping with anything. Apparently the […]
I believe it was Maya Angelou who said if you can’t find the book you want to read, write it yourself. At the time I heard her (or someone) say that, I was wanting to have a book about resilience that I could hand my clients and say, “Here, this will be really helpful.” I […]
I have learned to practice self-compassion from some of the best teachers in the world – Kristin Neff, Chris Germer, Jack Kornfield, and just a few days ago from Gabor Mate. And the most reliably powerful teacher for my clients, and very often for myself, is the skillful and eloquent meditation teacher Tara Brach. Tara’s […]
Judgment has the ability to trap us in many ways. By judging ourselves, we think it will help us improve. And with judgment and resentment of others, we often imagine it will help the other person better themselves. Somehow, it never quite works out that way. You probably know first-hand how self-judgment and blame can […]
Whenever we become caught in a habit of harsh self-judgment, it can block us from vital connection and intimacy. Breaking free of the blame and judgment that might be harming our relationships – not only with others but also with ourselves – is essential to our resilience and well-being. The beloved psychologist and meditation teacher […]
Tara Brach’s teachings on bringing mindfulness and compassion to our experiences of self-judgement and self-blaming are among the most powerful I – and my clients – have ever practiced, transforming the all too common sense of unworthiness or inadequacy into experiences of kindness and acceptance of who we really are, all of who we are […]