VIDEO: Moving Forward When Treatment Seems to Make a Problem Worse
Chris Germer on shifting the focus from fixing a problem to embracing it with compassion
Chris Germer on shifting the focus from fixing a problem to embracing it with compassion
What someone resists persists.
It’s a paradoxical dynamic that you’ve probably seen in the course of your own clinical work. A hyper-focus on anxiety can lead to a panic attack or a single-minded approach to eliminating resentment unfolds into anger.
Now the mindfulness practice of moment-by-moment noticing is a great therapeutic tool for easing this dynamic because it allows clients to recognize and explore an issue without rushing to fix it. But sometimes holding a behavior in awareness does not open the door to healing.
Why?
According to Chris Germer—a pioneer of compassion-based psychotherapy—there’s often a tenacious underlying issue such as shame. And nothing is more effective at addressing these tough issues than self-compassion.
In this video, Chris explains how “fixing” approaches can backfire and then he shares an example from his own life of self-compassion’s ability to soften resistance and heal a deep, persistent issue.
I think you’ll find this video clinically helpful and personally inspiring
Christopher Germer, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist specializing in mindfulness and compassion-based psychotherapy. He is a founding member of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy, a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School, and author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion.
Want to Know More?
Check out our new video course The Transforming Power of Self-Compassion: A New Paradigm for Deeper Healing and Lasting Change. This course is only available for a limited time.Mindfulness has profoundly enhanced our practice of therapy, but many therapists are discovering that moment-to-moment awareness has its limits—especially for clients who are overwhelmed by fear, shame, or other intense emotions. What helps clients experience deep transformational healing is self-compassion. Learn more about mindfulness, self-compassion, and how they work together with these resources.
Free Resources
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From our Friends at PESI
Want to learn more about using self-compassion in therapy? Check out Kristin Neff’s comprehensive course.Do you have kid or teen clients who could benefit from Mindfulness, Self-compassion, and Yoga practce? Learn 115 mindfulness and yoga skills to teach your young clients for trauma, self regulation, special needs and anxiety in this book.
Topic: Anxiety/Depression | Mindfulness | Trauma
Tags: clinical psychologist | learning | meditation | mindful | panic attack | psychologist | psychology | psychotherapy | resistance | self-compassion | therapists | therapy | yoga | Chris Germer
