The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion: Freeing Yourself from Destructive Thoughts and Emotions

“Buck up.” “Stop feeling sorry for yourself.” “Don’t ruin everything.” When you are anxious, sad, angry, or lonely, do you hear this self-critical voice? What would happen if, instead of fighting difficult emotions, we accepted them? Over his decades of experience as a therapist and mindfulness meditation practitioner, Dr. Christopher Germer has learned a paradoxical lesson: We all want to avoid pain, but letting it in--and responding compassionately to our own imperfections, without judgment or self-blame--are essential steps on the path to healing. This wise and eloquent book illuminates the power of self-compassion and offers creative, scientifically grounded strategies for putting it into action. Free audio downloads of the meditation exercises are available at the author's website: www.chrisgermer.com.

See also The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook, by Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer, which provides step-by-step guidance for building mindful self-compassion skills and applying them to specific life challenges, and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program, by Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff (for professionals).

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Self-Help Book of Merit

• Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
• The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and Thrive
• Tonglen, the Path of Transformation
• Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness (Shambhala Classics)
• The Self-Compassion Skills Workbook: A 14-Day Plan to Transform Your Relationship with Yourself
• The Mindfulness-Based Emotional Balance Workbook: An Eight-Week Program for Improved Emotion Regulation and Resilience
• The Self-Compassion Deck: 50 Mindfulness-Based Practices
• Transforming Self and Others through Research: Transpersonal Research Methods and Skills for the Human Sciences and Humanities (SUNY series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)
• Emotional Alchemy: How the Mind Can Heal the Heart
• Psychoanalytic Diagnosis, Second Edition: Understanding Personality Structure in the Clinical Process