Compassion Focused Therapy: Distinctive Features

246 Pages·2010·1.427 MB·English

by  Paul Gilbert

Compassion Focused
Therapy
Research into the beneficial effect of developing compassion
has advanced enormously in the last ten years, with the devel-
opment of inner compassion being an important therapeutic
focus and goal. This book explains how Compassion Focused
Therapy (CFT)—a process of developing compassion for the
self and others to increase well-being and aid recovery—varies
from other forms of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy.
Comprising 30 key points this book explores the founding
principles of CFT and outlines the detailed aspects of com-
passion in the CFT approach. Divided into two parts—Theory
and Compassion Practice—this concise book provides a clear
guide to the distinctive characteristics of CFT.
Compassion Focused Therapy will be a valuable source for
students and professionals in training as well as practising
therapistswhowanttolearnmoreaboutthedistinctivefeatures
of CFT.
Paul Gilbert is Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of
Derby and has been actively involved in research and treating
peoplewithshame-basedandmooddisordersforover30years.
He is a past President of the British Association for Cognitive
and Behavioural Psychotherapy and a fellow of the British
Psychological Society and has been developing CFT for twenty
years.
Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) occupies a central
position in the move towards evidence-based practice and is
frequently used in the clinical environment. Yet there is no one
universal approach to CBT and clinicians speak of first-,
second-, and even third-wave approaches.
This series provides straightforward, accessible guides to a
number of CBT methods, clarifying the distinctive features of
each approach. The series editor, Windy Dryden, successfully
brings together experts from each discipline to summarise the
30 main aspects of their approach divided into theoretical and
practical features.
TheCBTDistinctiveFeaturesSerieswillbeessentialreadingfor
psychotherapists, counsellors, and psychologists of all orienta-
tions who want to learn more about the range of new and
developing cognitive-behavioural approaches.
Titles in the series:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Paul Flaxman and
J.T. Blackledge
Beck’s Cognitive Therapy by Frank Wills
Behavioral Activation by Jonathan Kanter, Andrew Busch and
Laura Rusch
Compassion Focused Therapy by Paul Gilbert
Constructivist Psychotherapy by Robert A. Neimeyer
Dialectical Behaviour Therapy by Michaela Swales and Heidi
Heard
Metacognitive Therapy by Peter Fisher and Adrian Wells
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy by Rebecca Crane
Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy by Windy Dryden
Schema Therapy by Eshkol Rafaeli, David P. Bernstein and
Jeffrey Young
For further information about this series please visit
www.routledgementalhealth.com/cbt-distinctive-features
Compassion Focused
Therapy
Distinctive Features
Paul Gilbert
Firstpublished2010byRoutledge
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SimultaneouslypublishedintheUSAandCanada
byRoutledge
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This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2010.
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(cid:216)2010PaulGilbert
TypesetinTimesbyGarfieldMorgan,
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Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthisbookmaybereprintedor
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BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationData
AcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Gilbert,Paul,1951June20–
Compassionfocusedtherapy:distinctivefeatures/PaulGilbert.
p.cm.
ISBN978-0-415-44806-2(hbk.) – ISBN978-0-415-44807-9(pbk.)
1.Emotion-focusedtherapy.2.Compassion–Psychologicalaspects.
3.Cognitivetherapy.I.Title.
RC489.F62G552010
616.89'1425–dc22
2009046045
ISBN 0-203-85119-6 Master e-book ISBN
ISBN:978–0–415–44806–2(hbk)
ISBN:978–0–415–44807–9(pbk)
Contents
Preface and acknowledgements vii
Part 1 THEORY: UNDERSTANDING THE MODEL 1
1 Some basics 3
2 A personal journey 13
3 The evolved mind and Compassion Focused
Therapy 19
4 Multi-mind 29
5 Attachment and the importance of affection 39
6 Affect regulation: The three affect-regulation
systems, caring and CFT 43
7 Affiliation, warmth and affection 53
8 Clarifying the CFT approach 59
9 Formulation 67
10 Shame 83
11 Self-criticism 93
12 Distinguishing shame, guilt and humiliation:
Responsibility vs. self-critical blaming 101
13 Distinguishing compassionate self-correction
from shame-based self-attacking 105
14 Threat and the compensations of achievement 109
v
CONTENTS
Part 2 COMPASSION PRACTICE 115
15 Understanding soothing: The wider context of
balancing affect-regulation systems 117
16 The nature of compassion 125
17 Preparing and training one’s mind: Mindfulness
and soothing breathing rhythm 137
18 Introducing imagery 145
19 Creating a safe place 151
20 Varieties of compassion focused imagery 155
21 Developing the compassionate self 159
22 Compassionate chair work 167
23 Focusing of the compassionate self 171
24 Compassion flowing out 177
25 Compassion flowing into oneself: Using
memory 181
26 Compassion flowing into oneself:
Compassionate images 185
27 Compassion letter writing 195
28 Compassion and well-being enhancing 197
29 Fear of compassion 199
30 Last thoughts 209
References 213
Index 231
vi
Preface and
acknowledgements
I would like to thank Windy Dryden for putting this excellent
series together, inviting me to contribute, and his patience with
myvariouseffortstodoso.Ifounditdauntingbecausetodate
thereisno majortextonCompassionFocusedTherapy(CFT),
so there was a need for some background and evidence for the
value of acompassion approach.Inconsequence this volume is
a smidgen longer and more referenced than others in the
series—so many thanks to Windy, Joanne Forshaw and Jane
Harris at Routledge for all their support.
I have tried to indicate the distinctive features while at the
same timerecognizing thehuge debtand borrowingfrom other
approaches.ManythankstoallwhohavesupportedCFTespe-
ciallymycurrentresearchteam:CorinneGale,KirstenMcEwan
and Jean Gilbert; the board members of the Compassionate
Mind Foundation: Chris Gillespie, Chris Irons, Ken Goss,
Mary Welford, Ian Lowens, Deborah Lee, Thomas Schroder
andJeanGilbert;clinicalcolleagueswhohavealsobeenworking
on this approach, Michelle Cree, Sharon Pallant and Andrew
Rayner,whohaveallsharedtheirknowledge,insightandlearn-
ing, greatly enriching our understanding of CFT. Gratitude
goes to Giovanni Liotti who guided me in the importance of
vii
PREFACEANDACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
mentalizing and how to link that with social mentalities; to
Andrew Gumley for his support, interest and leadership in the
fieldofpsychosisandtoSophieMayhewandChristineBraehler
for their inspiring CFT work with people with psychosis. Com-
passionate focused therapy is supported by the Compassionate
Mind Foundation which offers links to other compassion
focused websites and updates, downloads and training in CFT
(see www.compassionatemind.co.uk). Thanks also to all those
whocontributetothecompassionateminddiscussionlist(alsosee
www.compassionatemind.co.uk). My gratitude goes to Diane
Woollands for her wonderful support in running the Com-
passionate Mind Foundation and Kelly Sims for her enthusi-
asm, secretarial work and reference checking—no small feat.
This book is dedicated with thanks to all the clients who
over many years have shared their tragedies and triumphs and
guided the development of CFT with their honesty of what
helps and what doesn’t. To all I owe a great debt.
viii
Part 1
THEORY:
UNDERSTANDING
THE MODEL