The Compassionate Mind

Paul Gilbert

Paperback

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DEVELOP YOUR FEELINGS OF COMPASSION AND INCREASE YOUR SENSE OF WELLBEING

In societies that encourage us to compete with each other, compassion is often seen as a weakness. Striving to get ahead, self-criticism, fear, and hostility towards others seem to come more naturally to us.

The Compassionate Mind explains the evolutionary and social reasons why our brains react so readily to threats - and reveals how our brains are also hardwired to respond to kindness and compassion.

Research has found that developing kindness and compassion for ourselves and others builds our confidence, helps us create meaningful, caring relationships and promotes physical and mental health. Far from fostering emotional weakness, practical exercises focusing on developing compassion have been found to subdue our anger and increase our courage and resilience to depression and anxiety.

Book Details

Publisher: Robinson Press
Publish Date: Feb 18th, 2025
Pages: 672
Language: English
Edition: undefined - undefined
Dimensions: 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00in - 0.00lb
EAN: 9781472149121
Categories: • Mental Health• Mental Health• Nursing - Psychiatric & Mental Health

About the Author

PAUL GILBERT is professor of clinical psychology at the University of Derby and, until his retirement from the NHS in 2016, was consultant clinical psychologist at the Derbyshire Health Care Foundation Trust. He has researched evolutionary approaches to psychopathology for over 40 years with a special focus on the roles of mood, shame and self-criticism in various mental health difficulties for which compassion focused therapy was developed. He has written and edited many books on psychology, therapy, and compassion. He was awarded an OBE by the Queen in March 2011 for services to mental health.

Praise for this book

Paul Gilbert has created a masterpiece, urging us to harness the power of our minds to shape our brains toward compassion and kindness. Exploring the science of our ancient neural circuitry and weaving this with our con- temporary cultural pressures, The Compassionate Mind takes us on a powerful journey into the origins of our current challenges to live life with meaning, connection and resilience. Gilbert then shows us in useful detail the important personal practices that enable us to sharpen our skills of compassion - for ourselves, for others, and for the larger world in which we live. The result is not only increased happiness and better physical health, but more meaningful relationships with others, and even our planet

Paul Gilbert is one of the most brilliant scientists studying compassion today. In this wonderful book, he makes his theories very accessible and down-to-Earth. You feel like you're having a chat in his living-room with a warm cup of tea

Anyone who struggles with their inner critic should make sure to read this book. Professor Gilbert writes in a masterly fashion about compassionate mind training - an innovative approach which is likely to grow in importance ... as the evidence for its benefit continues to build

Internationally-renowned psychologist Paul Gilbert has provided all of us with a much-needed book. Written with wisdom and warmth, Gilbert takes us on a journey through the far reaches of evolution to the very depths of our own hearts. This helpful and thoughtful guide to living a compassionate life - for yourself and for others - will be a reminder for many of us that we are all human but that we need to be more humane toward our own troubled selves. Throughout this book the reader will feel like the author is speaking directly to him or her - and will recognise that you can use the tools of modern psychology to fix what feels broken inside of us. A timely book for a time when competitiveness, materialism and narcissism have failed us. This book provides timeless wisdom that you can use every day. It will make a wonderful gift for someone you care for - especially, if you give it to yourself

As one of Britain's most insightful psychologists, Gilbert illuminates the power of compassion in our lives ... The increasing drive to find a competitive edge in all aspects of our lives may create efficiencies but they are cold, heartless and unpleasant to live with. Gilbert shows how and why this occurs, and explains why our capacity for compassion is the antidote

Like so frequently in the past, Paul Gilbert has come forth again with a book about the mind, its unused potential, and how to harness that potential to one's and others' benefit. The Compassionate Mind is a roadmap to compassion for the self and towards others. It is a book for those curious enough to explore their hidden potential to attain a special kind of humanness and happiness. A 10 on a scale of 1 to 10

Wise and perceptive. [It] teaches self-compassion and the consolations of kindness. I recommend it

Fascinating ... thoughtful and well written ... this book is a resource to be owned and used with enjoyment--Nursing Standard

A challenging and useful addition to anyone's self-help shelf, as well as a refreshingly rigorous look behind why our brains work the way they do. In fact, this is a self-help book for people who don't like self-help books--ONEinFOUR magazine

Deeply empowering--Kindred Spirit magazine