8-Week MSC Course
The 8-Week Mindful Self-Compassion Course
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an empirically-supported, 8-week training program designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, motivate ourselves with kindness, forgive ourselves when needed, relate wholeheartedly to others, and be more authentically ourselves.
What is self-compassion?
Self-compassion involves responding in the same supportive and understanding way you would with a good friend when you have a difficult time, fail, or notice something you don’t like about yourself.
Mindfulness is the first step—turning with loving awareness toward difficult experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations). Then instead of just ignoring your pain, you can stop to tell yourself “this is really difficult right now… How can I comfort and care for myself in this moment? Instead of mercilessly judging and criticizing yourself for various inadequacies or shortcomings, self-compassion means you are kind and understanding when confronted with personal failings. Most importantly, having compassion for yourself means that you honor and accept your humanness. Things will not always go the way you want them to. You will encounter frustrations, losses will occur, you will make mistakes, bump up against your limitations, fall short of your ideals. This is the human condition, a reality shared by all of us. The more you open your heart to this reality instead of constantly fighting against it, the more you will be able to feel compassion for yourself and all your fellow humans in the experience of life.
The benefits of self-compassion
Burgeoning research shows that self-compassion is strongly associated with emotional wellbeing, coping with life challenges, lower levels of anxiety and depression, stress reduction, developing healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships to name a few!
It is an inner strength that enables us to be more fully human—to acknowledge our shortcomings, learn from them, and make necessary changes with an attitude of kindness and self-respect.
Fortunately, self-compassion can be learned by anyone.
Take the self-compassion test
https://centerformsc.org/take-the-self-compassion-test/
UPCOMING 8-week MSC Course
Dates: TBC January 2023
Time: TBC
Duration: 2 3/4 hours each class weekly for 8 week PLUS a free 3 hour self-compassion mini retreat (date tbc)
All sessions are delivered live-online via Zoom meeting for an interactive learning experience. The 8-week MSC program week by week:
Week 1: What is Self-compassion
o Discovering Mindful Self-Compassion
o How to approach this course?
Week 2: Practicing Mindfulness
o Resistance
o What is Backdraft?
Week 3: Practicing Loving-Kindness
o Loving-Kindness and Compassion
Week 4: Discovering Your Compassionate Voice
o Stages of Progress
o Self-criticism and Safety
Week 5: Living Deeply
o Core Values
o Silver Linings
Free Mini Silent Retreat - 3 Hours
o MSC and Mindfulness-based Meditations to deepen your practice
Week 6: Meeting Difficult Emotions
o Stages of acceptance
o Soft Sooth Allow Meditation
o Shame
Week 7: Exploring Challenging Relationships
o The Pain of Disconnection and working with anger
o Forgiveness
o Caregiver Fatigue
Week 8: Embracing Your Life
o Cultivating Happiness
o Savoring & Gratitude
o Maintaining your practice as you move forward
We look forward to having you join this Self-Compassionate Community!
Course Investment: TBC
Early Bird pricing: valid until December 2022
Compassionate scholarships: limited places are offered for those with the most need. Please inquire directly
Testimonials for the 8-week MSC Course
I'm a skeptical person but I was impressed with the volume of research together with mindfulness’s scientific roots. I decided to give it a go… and I can say with a hand on my heart this is the best money spent. Not only I am a happier, more grounded and better-balanced person but also I can now control the only one true factor which is my reaction to so common life challenges. Amanda is not only a professional teacher but also a wonderful person that speaks from the heart. The way meditations were led, the preparation of the materials before sessions and post sessions and the thoughtful structure of each lesson were top standard. I will be forever grateful for the life skills I have learnt during this course. I wholeheartedly recommend it.
- Monika
Amanda explained self-compassion in a way that helped me to understand it. I found the group environment supportive, and Amanda created a very welcoming atmosphere. The course gave me a much greater understanding of mindful self-compassion and how it could be applied to my life. I would highly recommend others to try this course.
- Suzie
Amanda is amazing, she is so knowledgeable, approachable and caring. The mindful self-compassion course has changed my life! I would recommend it to anyone and feel it should be compulsory for every adult in the world. It has given me the tools to ease my anxiety, to the point I feel calm a lot of the time. I am also liking myself a lot more these days and catch myself being kind to myself and rewriting negative thought patterns without trying. This is not mumbo jumbo, this works in real life.
- Elaine
Amanda is a warm, open and caring teacher who explains everything clearly. I appreciated the way she led the practices and group sharing, particularly that she led a full three-hour retreat single-handedly. She created a welcoming, friendly environment for the course and I would definitely recommend her courses and workshops to others.
- Katie
This is the most wonderful course, which I’d highly recommend to absolutely everyone; those struggling with big issues and those who’d just like to live a happier and calmer life. It has changed my life and has given me the tools I desperately need to confront some very difficult emotions and life experiences. Amanda is an absolutely wonderful course leader. She’s so calm, loving and has a beautiful voice for meditations. I really loved how any contribution at all, from any of us on the course, was really valued, meaning that we in turn felt valued. There was never any point at all where I felt I had to speak or share anything about myself unless I wanted to. This made the course feel absolutely safe and non-threatening. I’m so utterly grateful to Amanda for giving me all this.
- Karen
I have enjoyed taking the MSC course with Amanda. Her gentle voice guiding the mediations, wise insights and communications between sessions have been so helpful and supportive throughout this journey. Anyone taking this course with Amanda will find that it is a rich and rewarding journey.
- Lisa
Contact me for more information.
Resources
Please enjoy this video of Mindful Self Compassion teacher, Dr. Chris Germer, on shame and Self-Compassion.
