about the workshop series

Participants will engage in activities including meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, and group discussion. This is not a silent retreat. The goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment for exploring how we typically respond when difficult emotions arise and to provide tools for becoming warm and supportive companions to ourselves. The emphasis of the program is on enhancing emotional resources and personal capacities.

For more information on self-compassion and the founders of this program, please visit Dr. Kristin Neff’s website Self-Compassion.org, and Dr. Chris Germer's website ChrisGermer.com.

The MSC program is a journey—an adventure in self-discovery and self-kindness. Compassion has the paradoxical effect of both soothing and comforting as well as opening us to emotional distress that we may have been unconsciously holding inside, often for many years. Therefore, some difficult emotions are likely to surface during the program as we grow in our capacity to embrace and heal them. The teachers are committed to providing an environment of safety, support, privacy, individual responsibility, and a common commitment to developing compassion for oneself and others.

At the completion of this course, participants should be able to:

• Describe the theory and research supporting mindful self-compassion

• Motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism

• Relate to difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance

• Respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness

• Begin to transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation

• Practice the art of savoring and self-appreciation

• Integrate core mindfulness and self-compassion exercises into daily life

RECOMMENDED READING:

• The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer

• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself by Kristin NeffThe Mindful Path to Self-Compassion by Chris Germer

If you want to dive in deeper into the research https://self-compassion.org/the-research/ is an excellent resource.