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Day 1: Compassion in Therapy
Tara Brach, PhD, Kristin Neff, PhD and Christopher Germer, PhD: Opening Keynote: Fresh Insights and Practices to Support You in Bringing Compassion Into Therapy
Richard J. Davidson, PhD: The Neuroscience of Compassion
Christopher Germer, PhD: Day 1 Practice: The Self-Compassion Break
Day 2: The Compassionate Therapist
Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP and Pamela Ayo Yetunde, JD, ThD: Live Keynote: The Quaking of America: An Embodied Approach to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoning
Gaylon Ferguson, PhD: The Practice of “Sending and Taking”
Kristin Neff, PhD: Day 2 Practice: A ‘Fierce Self-Compassion’ Break
Galia Tyano Ronen: Day 2: Practice Through Poetry: Connecting to Nature
Day 3: Compassion in the Therapeutic Relationship
Russell Razzaque, MD: “Open Dialogue”: A Compassion-based Holistic Approach to Working with Mental Health Crises
Rhonda V. Magee, MA, JD: Mindfulness as a Support for Healing, Compassion, and Social Justice
Dennis Tirch, PhD and Laura Silberstein-Tirch, Psy.D: Integrating Compassion into Your Current Evidenced-Based Therapy Practice
Christopher Germer, PhD: Day 3 Practice: Loving Kindness for a Loved One
Galia Tyano Ronen: Day 3: Practice Through Poetry: Deep Listening
Day 4: Clinical Applications of Compassion
Rick Hanson, PhD: Learning to Learn from Positive Experiences: Helping Clients Get the Most out of Therapy
Norma Day-Vines, PhD: Strategies for Broaching Issues of Race, Ethnicity and Culture
Les Greenberg, PhD: Changing Emotion with Emotion: A Transtheoretical and Transdiagnostic Approach to Psychological Healing
Lorraine Hobbs, MA and Lisa Shetler: Mindful Self-Compassion with Teens in Psychotherapy
Kristin Neff, PhD: Day 4 Practice: Soles of the Feet
Galia Tyano Ronen: Day 4: Practice Through Poetry: Love and Acceptance
Day 5: More Clinical Applications of Compassion
Bessel van der Kolk, MD, Licia Sky and Christopher Germer, PhD: Live Keynote: New Embodied Approaches to Healing Trauma
Paul Gilbert, FBPsS, PhD, OBE: Working with Fears, Blocks, and Resistance to Compassion in Clients
Ron Siegel, PsyD: Mindfulness and Compassion in the Treatment of Depression and Anxiety
Sue Johnson, PhD: The Practice of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy
Dr. g (Claudelle R. Glasgow), PsyD: The Shaman Therapist: A Fresh Perspective on Psychotherapy and Healing
Zev Schuman-Olivier, MD: Mindfulness, Self-Compassion and Compassion in Addiction Treatment
Christopher Germer, PhD: Day 5 Practice: Chris Germer – The Compassionate U-Turn
Netanel Goldberg and Galia Tyano Ronen: A Musical Journey to Cultivate Inner and Outer Compassion
Post-Event
Kristin Neff, PhD: Tender and Fierce: Self-Compassion in Therapy
Eduardo Duran, PhD: Bringing Indigenous Wisdom into Psychotherapy
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Day 2 Practice: A ‘Fierce Self-Compassion’ Break

with Kristin Neff, PhD

In this practice, we invoke the clarity, power, and bravery of self-compassion to protect us (or our clients) in a difficult situation.

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About the speakers

Kristin Neff, PhD

Kristin Neff, PhD, is currently an Associate Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion nearly twenty years ago, and is the author of the best-selling book Self-Compassion. She has been recognized as one of the most influential researchers in psychology worldwide. Along with her colleague Chris Germer, she developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program, taught internationally, and co-wrote The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook. Her newest book is Fierce Self-Compassion: How Women Can Harness Kindness to Speak Up, Claim Their Power, and Thrive

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  • Thank you so much for this amazing talk and meditation. It was a very special and meaningful learning for me. I’m soon starting a MSC mindfulness self compassion course in Israel by Galit and Rvital, your students.

  • I really appreciate the open hand with fist as we can be soft but fierece when needed, and will use this in my practice – thank you Kristin for this.

  • Wow…just wow…Very much enjoying and appreciating the evolution of your work. Berkeley momma bear here (no pun intended, Oski 😉 who has been (imperfectly) following your work for many years…long before I learned my kiddo had special needs and is now a young adult. I don’t practice or follow regularly / closely but ALWAYS find safe refuge in your teachings and your guided practices, in particular. Nice to circle back around to meet you again. This time, noting that your work has evolved… and I have too. I love how the universe leads you to exactly what you need when you need it. I am so grateful for you, for your work and for your teachings. You’re a gift who has provided strength and compassion through some of the most difficult times. I am so truly grateful. Namaste.

  • Great. The “Unifying theory” of counselling practice. Puts together the neuropsych, evolutionary and humane elements of helping into a cohesive whole.

  • I absolutely loved it and found it helpful. I especially liked the fist merging with the open hand over the heart. It made me feel empowered with compassion. Thank you, Kristen!

    • I am sure that this works well for most people and I am sure that Dr. Neff is doing a great job, it just did not work for me.

  • Beautiful, Kristin. Thank you for teaching a softie like me how to integrate self-protection and compassion in time of challenge. I usually roll over or disengage to avoid confrontation as I am afraid of my own power to protect myself. Promise to the teacher: I will practice this often to be sure I “get it.”

  • @kristinneff This was the first thing I did today & it was powerful! I modified it a bit as I’m very spiritual & always put my hands on my heart. The fist felt emotionally & physically uncomfortable. 2 hands on my heart is how I connect with my heart daily. Namaste for this new practice🙏

  • Both these days have been so inspiring .. I was moved to tears by how Tara brought me to honouring my own goodness + trusting in my gold. I have shared her book with so many others in the hood that the ripple effect of coming home to our authentic goodness will radiate to others + in some way help make this world a kinder more compassionate place for our earthly bodies to reside. I have found like so many others the ongoing + recent sufferings almost too much to bear yet I also believe + need to kept holding onto the goodness that is within all of every sentient being of this planet. We are all to done degree wounded adult children. A heartfelt thanks for putting this community + teachings together.I’m so looking forward to tomorrow teachings. Namaste 💚

    • What a lovely comment. Just had to say ‘hi’.
      Hi .
      And I completely agree! Have you seen DR Germer’s talk on shame? So inspiring!

  • The practice is what I needed to recognize when my middle aged son has crossed my lived “true”boundary to protect the breastfeeding dyad anywhere, anyway, and/or anytime. Thanks Kristen

  • Thank you Dr. Kristin. The wisdom and practice of fierce self-compassion has been the core of my emotional/physical self-care. This allows me to establish healthy boundaries and identify with honestly courage my affective needs. Also I feel less overwhelmed by guilt or shame after I say no, understanding that behind that no there is a solid loving motivation to taking care of me, and that I am not exaggerating with that decision.

    I think that having the courage to recognizing and accepting my own emotional boundaries, I am more able to identify where and when I need to pause or stop some situation. This help me to prevent some events that could impact significantly in my integrity, my health and my life, specially if I live in the middle of an armed conflict.

    I learned that I can be kind but at the same time, I can establish boundaries with kindness from the inner place of self-love, and at the same time, feeling love to others. Now I feel more satisfaction with my social life, there is more harmony and quality in my relationships, which now are more genuine and compasive; always in coherence with the guide of my heart. I feel that I can to protect others, but at the same time, I can give me the permission to protect myself.

  • I have been practicing the tender and fierce techniques for several years and always know “they have my back!” I teach them to my patients as well and notice the difference when they incorporate it into their lives. Thank you!

  • Loved the tender fierceness as represented by my fist over my heart with my other hand gently covering it. Thank you for this 🙏🏼

  • Thank you for this practice. Let me start speaking-up 🙂 My view is the VA has disgraced (many) veterans. My local politicians only seem to care for themselves to allow the corruption to continue etc; etc: Stop the gaslighting!

  • What a balanced exercise. The use of the gentle, compassionate embrace of the fist balances the initial emotional response (fight or flight) with a reassuring and calming embrace that activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Make peace. Move forward.

  • So clear and helpful! We have been programmed to comply with the expectations of others before or even at the cost of meeting our own needs for authenticity. Here we learn how compassion can meet both our deepest inner needs and our need for respectful relationships all at the same time.

  • Namaste. I love the value of fierce compassion. I felt a surge of strength when I placed my fist on my heart and deeply exhaled when I placed my open hand over my fist. What a powerful way to create congruence through the connection of consciousness thought with emotions and the physical body.

  • Hello Kristen,
    Thank you for the practice. I found it impossible to make the fist. It just doesn’t seem to be in my nature….

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