Compassion Focused Therapy

Compassion Focused Therapy, or CFT, was developed to address the crucial role of self-compassion in mental health recovery. We sometimes learn to be relentlessly critical of ourselves as a way to cope. This can happen especially when caregivers or bullies are overly critical, unaccepting, or abusive towards us growing up. We can end up being much harder on ourselves than we would be towards anyone else. We may believe this harsh negative criticism helps us survive or just represents the truth, but it can really get in the way of happiness and fully living the life we want.

Automatic negative thinking is a common challenge, and automatic self-criticism (like “I’m stupid” or “I’ll never be good enough”) can hold us back from engaging with life. CFT helps us learn the practice of self-compassion and being kind to ourselves, which can feel like breaking free from a self-made prison. It is a profound shift of awareness for anyone used to digging themselves into fearful pits of anxiety, isolation, and despair. Clients learn to develop and nourish a compassionate self that’s connected with their unique inner wisdom. As with many other forms of psychotherapy, it all starts by cultivating mindfulness skills that allow us to notice chaos in the mind without becoming it. This allows us to step back from automatic negativity and shift towards nonjudgmental self-acceptance, letting life unfold without constant defensive resistance. CFT facilitates this shift towards ourselves and the world as it promotes wellness and recovery.