The Self-Compassion Pioneer
Having compassion for oneself is really no different than having compassion for others, says Dr. Kristin Neff. Yet we turn out not to be very good at the first. Neff, a leading expert on self-compassion, is an associate professor at the University of Texas in Austin. She is a professor, bestselling author and runs courses at her Center for Mindful Self-Compassion. ‘Everyone can learn the skill of being a good friend to oneself.’
She had everything going for her. But when Jo Bluett was diagnosed with the chronic fatigue condition ME, she went from high flying businesswoman to being stuck at home claiming benefits. Nothing helped, until, 13 years ago, a desperate Jo decided to laugh about it. Literally. She went on to establish Laughter for Health, teaching […]
Bipolar Art Therapist When she was a college student, Bipolar Disorder brought her to her knees. Now well-known New York art therapist and psychotherapist Maggie Robbins helps others connect with their ‘inner monster’. ‘You can almost think of anything someone makes as a self-portrait.’ Robbins, an artist herself, wrote a semi-autobiographical novel of poems while […]
Child Therapist With a husband on the front line, two young children at home, and far from family and friends, Cat Williams was often left wondering if she could cope. Cat’s journey as an army wife and relationship counsellor led to a unique blend, which she now shares through her website Stay Calm and Content, […]
Play Therapist for Children Hannah Bridge keeps tomato ketchup and brown sauce as well as clay in her playroom. ‘Sometimes children draw a big black mess,’ she says about her patients. Bridge is a play therapist and counselor, and specializes in childhood mental health. ‘Playing is our first language,’ says Bridge, who cuts a compassionate […]
Watch as the camera tracks an act of kindness as it passes from one individual to the next and manages to boomerang back to the person who set it into motion. Why not give it a try? Today?
A Guided Meditation Bad experiences are seldom the problem, it’s our thoughts about the experience that frazzle us, says author and meditation guru Burgs. Burgs, who has fast become one of Britain’s leading experts in meditation, quit his fashion business in the early Nineties to study meditation in the Far East. So far, this ‘very […]
