Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) was developed by Professor Paul Gilbert and is based on evolutionary psychology, attachment theory, and affective neuroscience. CFT teaches people to develop skills in compassion and self-compassion, which can help regulate mood and lead to feelings of safety, self-acceptance, and comfort. Research shows that self-compassion is associated with lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Evidence suggests that CFT may be especially beneficial for people who experience high levels of self-criticism and shame.

There are often misunderstandings about what compassion is. Compassion essentially involves being sensitive to our own or others' distress and learning how to skilfully reduce this distress. CFT helps people to develop self-compassion; you can read more about what self-compassion is here. CFT sometimes involves breathing techniques, imagery and letter writing as well as traditional talking therapy.