The Compassionate Mind Training (CMT) programme is an evidence-based (Irons & Heriot-Maitland, 2020) 8 week group course developed and adapted from Dr. Paul Gilbert’s Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).
The course aims to develop our compassionate minds in order to become more compassionate to ourselves and other people, to be able to reduce self-criticism and shame, and support our ability to navigate complex emotions. The course is suitable for anyone who would like to engage with more compassion in their lives and those who perhaps notice a tendency to live with a critical self-narrative that impacts negatively day to day.
Over the 8 weeks, the course will offer the opportunity for participants to learn:
- What compassion is and what it isn’t, why we need it in our lives, and the many faces of compassion.
- About our ‘tricky brains’ and how we often inadvertently find ourselves caught in tricky loops as a result.
- The three emotions model and organisation around the different systems, and how to go about creating more balance between the systems, usually through growing our soothing system.
- Different means to develop and grow our soothing systems, particularly how imagery can connect to our emotional brain.
- The different flows of compassion, from self to others, others to self and self to self and a better understanding about your own flows of compassion as an individual and the potential blocks you might experience to compassion.
The course will include direct teaching content, experiential practices and exercises, opportunities for group discussion and written work, which is designed to extend and consolidate learning and any discoveries made.
Throughout, there will be opportunities to grow skills in mindfulness, breathing and compassion based imagery, all as part of developing a more compassionate mind.
Please note there is an expectation that participants will engage in between session practice from week to week in order to extend the in-session learning, exercises and practices.
Course Dates: Due to commence early 2023
Course time: 6.30pm – 8.30pm.
Course Venue: Zoom
Course facilitator: Katy Emerson, Certified CMT Facilitator.
Cost: £295 – includes all supportive materials.