The Power of Self-Compassion, Chris Germer, PhD

Most people are more compassionate toward others than themselves when things go wrong. However, a large body of research shows that self-compassion is broadly associated with well-being, including emotional resilience, healthy life habits, motivation to succeed, and more satisfying personal relationships. What is self-compassion? How does it work? Can it be learned? This talk will provide an overview of the theory, research and practice of self-compassion. Christopher Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010 and they wrote two books, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. MSC has been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. Dr. Germer is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion; he co-edited two influential volumes on therapy, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy; and he maintains a small psychotherapy practice in Massachusetts, USA.