Kristin Neff is a Professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Texas, author, and a leading expert on mindful self-compassion. In this episode, she shares how developing a self-compassion and mindfulness practice was the most effective tool for relieving her own suffering, and provides strategies and tactics to improve self-compassion and well-being.

We discuss:

The life crisis that turned Kristin to mindfulness and self-compassion (3:00);
How mindful self-compassion relieved Kristin’s feelings of self-judgement, and the psychology that says we all have the capacity for self-compassion (9:15);
Peter’s history of self-criticism and his personal practice of self-compassion (16:45);
The problem with prioritizing self-esteem over self-compassion, and how self-compassion produces a more stable version of self-worth (19:45);
An argument for self-compassion over self-criticism for optimizing performance (26:45);
How and when to introduce self-compassion to children (31:15);
Learning her son had autism—a personal story of how Kristin used mindfulness and self-compassion (36:15);
Self-compassion for cases of childhood trauma, PTSD, and overcoming a “fear of compassion” (43:30);
The relationship between self-compassion and physical health (49:00);
Distinguishing between self-compassion and self-pity, and the three necessary components self-compassion (52:00);
Why self-criticism comes from a desire to be safe, the circular pattern of self-judgment, and self-compassion as the ultimate motivator (55:15);
Potential role of a self-compassion practice for addiction and other maladaptive behaviors (58:15);
Clinical applications and practical uses of self-compassion (1:01:00);
Why you don’t need to meditate to learn mindfulness and self-compassion (1:04:15);
Kristin’s personal meditation practice (1:08:10);
Resources for learning self-compassion (1:11:15); and
More.

#139 - Kristin Neff, Ph.D.: The power of self-compassion

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