Welcome to the Compassionate Mind Foundation

Set up in 2006 the Foundation aims to promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion.  We aim to do this by a number of different means

                       Research

                       Supervision

                       Dissemination

This website is the Foundation's window on the world and as such we hope that it will provide both useful information and a forum for discussion.

  "Promoting Wellbeing Through the Scientific Understanding & Application of Compassion"

Details of the April 2010 3 day workshop are now available.  Please see 'Training' for details.

 'Compassionate Mind' by Paul Gilbert.

A landmark new book from the author of the bestselling Overcoming Depression. Compassion and particularly compassion towards oneself can have a significant impact on our wellbeing and mental health. Developing our sense of compassion can affect many areas of our lives, in particular our relationships with other people. In this book, Professor Paul Gilbert explores how our minds have developed to survive in dangerous and threatening environments by becoming sensitive and quick to react to perceived threats. This can sometimes lead to problems in how we respond to life’s challenges and scientific evidence has demonstrated that compassion towards oneself and others can lead to an increased sense of happiness and wellbeing - particularly valuable when we are feeling stressed. Based on evolutionary research and scientific studies of how the brain processes emotional information, this compassionate approach offers an appealing alternative to the traditional western view of compassion, which sometimes sees it as a sign of weakness and can encourage self-criticism and a hard-nosed drive to achieve.

"Anyone who struggles with their inner critic should make sure to read this book. Professor Gilbert writes in a masterly fashion about compassionate mind training - an innovative approach which is likely to grow in importance over the next decade as the evidence for its benefit continues to build." David Veale President British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2006-8

"Paul Gilbert is one of the most brilliant scientists studying compassion today. In this wonderful book, he makes his theories very accessible and down-to-earth. You feel like you're having a chat in his living-room with a warm cup of tea. I also love his easy-to-follow exercises, which offer concrete ways to help you develop greater compassion in daily life." Kristin Neff Associate Professor of Human Development, University of Texas at Austin.

To order this book click on the link below:

 http://www.constablerobinson.com/?section=books&book=the_compassionate_mind_9781845297138_hardback

What's New:  

New documents have been added - see 'Training material'

Talks - visit our new Talks page

New websites and a conference information section coming soon...

If you would like to join the Compassionate Mind Foundation discussion list, please email dianewoollands@compassionatemind.co.uk

A Registered Charity

Last updated 25 January 2010