Michelle Cree Consultant Clinical Psychologist Derbyshire Childbearing and Mental Health Service

1. Compassionate Mind Training: The cascade of self-compassion, from leadership to staff to pupils Michelle Cree Consultant Clinical Psychologist Derbyshire Childbearing and Mental Health Service Tel: 01332 623911 In Association with Professor Paul Gilbert www.compassionatemind.co.uk

2. “Satisfactory” “Average”

3. Poor • Satisfactory • Good • Excellent

4. Self-Esteem • Works through rank system-where we feel we are in relation to others (old brain-threat system, applies to Shoebills, pupils, teachers, leaders….) • Creates “old-brain” threat responses in those around us. How do we manage: • if we feel we are “merely” average or below average, when we are struggling, when we make a mistake? • Then need self-compassion-different brain system (old brain-attachment, soothing, encouragement open, equal, learning etc)

5. The human brain is the product of many millions of years of evolution– a process of conserving, modifying and adapting

6. To understand ourselves we must understand our brains

7. Evolution of strategies, motives and competencies: The emergence of new psychologies in the world Symbolic thought, self-awareness, metacognition mentalizing Kin caring/affection, alliances, play, social communications Fight, Flight, Sex, Hunt, Territorial Frontal Cortex Empathic brain - key for affect regulation

8. Three Types of Emotion Regulator Systems Content, safe, connected Drive, excite, vitality Non-wanting/ Affiliative focused Safeness-kindness Soothing Incentive/resource- focused Wanting, pursuing, achieving, consuming Activating Threat-focused Protection and Safety-seeking Activating/inhibiting Anger, anxiety, disgust

9. Neural Bases of Threat Processing(LeDoux, 1994)

10. How the three circles interact • Baby in room • Which circle do we use to manage our threat?- soothing or drive (achievment, eating, exercising, alcohol, drugs, shopping, computer games….)

11. Understanding the Threat System: The World is a Dangerous Place

12. Understanding the Threat System:The World is a Dangerous Place (cont…) All organisms are structured for self-protection to stay alive until reproduce. Hence a range of emotions (anger, anxiety, disgust) behaviours (fight, flight, freeze, submit) cognitive systems (as ‘better safe than sorry) physiological cognitive systems (Adrenalin system) Dedicated to threat-defence Fast/automatic via amygdala

13. Dispersal and avoid others

14. Protect and Comfort: Less ‘instinctive brain’ – post birth learning and closeness seeking

15. Secret to Survival: Be looked afterSelf-Protection and Attachment Also attachment between other group members. Co-operative and mutual support when your prosperity impacts on mine Seeking closeness rather than dispersion.

17. Threat and The Mind of Others External shame is experiencing indifference, disengaged or negative affects in the mind of the other Immediate shift to threat focusing. to be cast out of group equates to great survival risk.

19. Threat can come from outside of us. But it can also come from inside.

20. Stimulus-Response Sexual Bully-threat Meal Sex Meal Kind, warm and caring Bully- threat Compassion Limbic system Soothed Safe Stomach acid Salvia Fearful Depressed Arousal

21. Others can sooth us And we can also sooth ourselves.

22. So Why Do We Criticise Ourselves? • Imagine your ability to criticise yourself could be taken away forever- what would that be like?

23. Working with our self-critic (Three Chairs) • 1. Imagine your self-critic appeared in front of you (self critical chair) • 2. How do you feel when faced with your self-critic? (submissive/attacked chair) • 3. Now imagine moving into your compassionate “chair” or “self” • 4. Relate to self-critic with compassion (Which self-corrector/teacher do we intuitively want for ourselves when struggling?- critical or compassionate self-corrector?)

24. Building up the soothing system

25. Three Types of Emotion Regulator Systems Content, safe, connected Drive, excite, vitality Non-wanting/ Affiliative focused Safeness-kindness Soothing Incentive/resource- focused Wanting, pursuing, achieving, consuming Activating Threat-focused Protection and Safety-seeking Activating/inhibiting Anger, anxiety, disgust

26. Self-Critical Mind is also Threat-focused Mind Thinking Reasoning Attention Imagery Fantasy Self- Critical Behaviour Motivation Emotions

27. Compassionate Mind Thinking Reasoning Attention Imagery Fantasy Compassion Behaviour Motivation Emotions

28. Conclusion Compassion organises our brains in certain ways Compassion is linked to personal and relationship happiness

29. What Do You Wish to Be? The wish (desire, motivation, intention) comes first, and then comes the feeling. Not important to get the feeling, but to get the wish. Two Wolves: (Native American Indian story) Grandad to Grandchild- “There are two wolves inside of me, anger and compassion.” “Which wolf will win Grandpa?” “The one that I feed.”

30. The end