ABSTRACT
As self-compassion is such a vast subject, the author focuses on the healing potential self-compassion can have on client's mind-body. The six cards she has chosen to illustrate this encompass Buddhist metaphors, her own metaphors and a brief introduction to the internal family therapy model. Self-compassion could be described as a combination of self-kindness, mindfulness and a recognition of people's common humanity. Psychologist and mindfulness teacher Tara Brach draws on the helpful metaphor of the wings of a bird to describe the delicate balancing act of mental health professionals working towards an equal measure of mindfulness and self-compassion. The grain of self-compassion metaphor has been designed to help mental health professionals reflect on the challenges most of them face when attempting to implement self-compassion, especially for those with really entrenched relational trauma histories, where it can feel almost impossible to shift critical chatter that was embedded early on.
