Compassionate Mind Training:

The cascade of self-compassion, from

leadership to staff to pupils

Michelle CreeConsultant Clinical Psychologist

Derbyshire Childbearing and Mental Health Service

Tel: 01332 623911

In Association with Professor Paul Gilbert

www.compassionatemind.co.uk

“Satisfactory”

“Average”

• Poor

• Satisfactory

• Good

• Excellent

Self-Esteem• Works through rank system-where we feel we are in

relation to others (old brain-threat system, applies to Shoebills, pupils, teachers, leaders….)

• Creates “old-brain” threat responses in those around us.

How do we manage: • if we feel we are “merely” average or below average,

when we are struggling, when we make a mistake? • Then need self-compassion-different brain system (old

brain-attachment, soothing, encouragement open, equal, learning etc)

The human brain is the product of many millions of years of The human brain is the product of many millions of years of evolutionevolution – a process of conserving, modifying and – a process of conserving, modifying and

adaptingadapting

To understand ourselves we must To understand ourselves we must understand our brainsunderstand our brains

Fight, Flight, Sex, Hunt, Territorial

Kin caring/affection, alliances, play, social communications

Symbolic thought, self-awareness, metacognition mentalizing

Frontal Cortex

Empathic brain - key for affect regulation

Evolution of strategies, motives and competencies: Evolution of strategies, motives and competencies:

The emergence of new psychologies in the worldThe emergence of new psychologies in the world

Three Types of Emotion Regulator SystemsThree Types of Emotion Regulator Systems

Incentive/resource- Incentive/resource- focusedfocused

Wanting, pursuing, achieving, consuming

Activating

Non-wanting/Non-wanting/Affiliative focusedAffiliative focused

Safeness-kindness

Soothing

Threat-focused Threat-focused

Protection andProtection andSafety-seekingSafety-seeking

Activating/inhibiting

Anger, anxiety, disgustAnger, anxiety, disgust

Drive, excite, vitalityDrive, excite, vitality Content, safe, connectedContent, safe, connected

Neural Bases of Threat ProcessingNeural Bases of Threat Processing (LeDoux, 1994)

How the three circles interact

• Baby in room

• Which circle do we use to manage our threat?- soothing or drive (achievment, eating, exercising, alcohol, drugs, shopping, computer games….)

Understanding the Threat Understanding the Threat System:System:

The World is a Dangerous The World is a Dangerous PlacePlace

Understanding the Threat System:Understanding the Threat System:The World is a Dangerous Place (cont…)The World is a Dangerous Place (cont…)

All organisms are structured for self-protection to stay alive until reproduce.

Hence a range of emotions (anger, anxiety, disgust)behaviours (fight, flight, freeze, submit)cognitive systems (as ‘better safe than sorry)physiological cognitive systems (Adrenalin system)

Dedicated to threat-defence

Fast/automatic via amygdala

Dispersal and avoid othersDispersal and avoid others

Protect and Comfort: Less ‘instinctive Protect and Comfort: Less ‘instinctive brain’ – post birth learning and closeness brain’ – post birth learning and closeness

seekingseeking

Secret to Survival: Be looked afterSecret to Survival: Be looked afterSelf-Protection and AttachmentSelf-Protection and Attachment

•Also attachment between other group members.

•Co-operative and mutual support when your prosperity impacts on mine

•Seeking closeness rather than dispersion.

Threat and The Mind of OthersThreat and The Mind of Others

External shame is experiencing indifference, External shame is experiencing indifference, disengaged or negative affects in the mind of disengaged or negative affects in the mind of the otherthe other

• Immediate shift to threat focusing.

• to be cast out of group equates to

great survival risk.great survival risk.

Threat can come from Threat can come from outside of us.outside of us.

But it can also come from inside.But it can also come from inside.

Meal

SexualBully-threat

Limbic system

Stomach acid

Salvia Arousal Fearful

Depressed

Stimulus-ResponseStimulus-Response

Kind, warm and caring

SoothedSafe

Meal SexBully- threat

Compassion

Others can sooth usOthers can sooth us

And we can also sooth And we can also sooth ourselvesourselves..

So Why Do We Criticise Ourselves?

• Imagine your ability to criticise yourself could be taken away forever- what would that be like?

Working with our self-critic (Three Chairs)

• 1. Imagine your self-critic appeared in front of you (self critical chair)

• 2. How do you feel when faced with your self-critic? (submissive/attacked chair)

• 3. Now imagine moving into your compassionate “chair” or “self”

• 4. Relate to self-critic with compassion

(Which self-corrector/teacher do we intuitively want for ourselves when struggling?- critical or compassionate self-corrector?)

Building up the soothing system

Three Types of Emotion Regulator SystemsThree Types of Emotion Regulator Systems

Incentive/resource- Incentive/resource- focusedfocused

Wanting, pursuing, achieving, consuming

Activating

Non-wanting/Non-wanting/Affiliative focusedAffiliative focused

Safeness-kindness

Soothing

Threat-focused Threat-focused

Protection andProtection andSafety-seekingSafety-seeking

Activating/inhibiting

Anger, anxiety, disgustAnger, anxiety, disgust

Drive, excite, vitalityDrive, excite, vitality Content, safe, connectedContent, safe, connected

Self-Critical Mind is also Threat-Self-Critical Mind is also Threat-focused Mindfocused Mind

Attention ThinkingReasoning

Behaviour

Motivation Emotions

Imagery Fantasy

Self-Critical

Compassionate MindCompassionate Mind

Attention ThinkingReasoning

Behaviour

Motivation Emotions

Imagery Fantasy Compassion

ConclusionConclusion

Compassion organises our brains in certain Compassion organises our brains in certain waysways

Compassion is linked to personal and Compassion is linked to personal and relationship happinessrelationship happiness

What Do You Wish to Be?What Do You Wish to Be?

• The wish (desire, motivation, intention) comes first, and then comes the feeling.

• Not important to get the feeling, but to get the wish.• Two Wolves: (Native American Indian story)

Grandad to Grandchild- “There are two wolves inside of me, anger and compassion.”

“Which wolf will win Grandpa?”“The one that I feed.”

The end