Among the approaches of the so-called third wave of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies, the Therapy focused on compassion (CFT) It has been the subject of numerous studies of effectiveness and growing interest in its theoretical base.
There compassion It is a not new concept in psychotherapy, but recently self -compassion and practices to enhance it have aroused attention in the field of research. The word compassion derives from the Latin words “Cum” and “Patior”, which mean “suffering with”.
The best known definition of this process, however, comes from the Buddhist tradition that defines compassion “sensitivity towards its own suffering and others, combined with a profound commitment to trying to alleviate and prevent it”.
The CFT was theorized by Paul Gilbert (2000), in response to the observation of depressed patients who presented strong components of shame and self -criticism, often derived from difficult family environments, characterized by abuse or neglect.
These patients often showed an internal devaluing and aggressive dialogue, linked to strong emotions of Shame and self -criticismwith great difficulty in being kind to yourself, in opening up to the kindness of others, to experience sensations of internal heat and reassurance (Gilbert, 1992, 2007c).
Standard renovation cognitive techniques seemed to be often ineffective in these cases. Initially the CFT was therefore designed to help patients develop feelings of closeness with themselves and a more compassionate internal dialogue.
The CFT, in addition to borrowing some concepts from Buddhist philosophy, is based on an evolutionary and neuroscientific approach that presupposes that affiliate motivations and emotions can have a great impact on self -regulation and emotions.
Experience care, acceptance and sense of belonging and affiliation to others It is essential for the physiological and emotional development and for the well -being of the person.
The emotions that derive from the activation of the affiliate system are sensations of calm and peace, security and well -being and are related to lower levels of depression, anxiety and stress. The other two adjustment systems are the threat protection system and the stimuli and resources search system. The protection system is central to identification and response to the threat.
The activation of this system can give rise to cognitive distortions, such as selective attention, and lead to negative emotions such as anger, anxiety and disgust. The research system of stimuli and resources, on the other hand, has a motivational function, directing attention to rewards and giving life to positive emotions such as excitement, vitality and desire.
The CFT aims to remedy the imbalances between these three affective regulation systems, trying to help those who have difficulty accessing the calming affiliate systemreplacing self -criticism with self -kindness and compassion, and encouraging people to develop compassionate behaviors.
By helping patients developing the ability to experience compassion, the possibility of dealing with painful experiences, unpleasant sensations and the memories of past traumas is increased. Precisely for this reason, the applications of compassion as a psychotherapeutic intervention have received growing attention.
For therapists use The approach focused on compassion It implies educating patients to develop three types of compassion: self-compression, compassion for others and opening to compassion by others, in response to adversity and threatening situations.
Gilbert integrates many standard interventions of the cognitive-behavioral therapy with third generation interventions such as the Mindfulnessthe techniques aimed at acceptance and imaginative techniques.
Precisely the latter, together with the Mindfulness techniques, are the backbone of this approach, with the aim of developing specific affective regulation patterns by accessing the calming system and generating sensations of calm and safety.
Especially for those patients with an internal devaluing and critical dialogue, which may not have experienced sufficient care or affiliate behavior, it becomes essential to make this system for regulating emotional experience accessible.
In this approach, a fundamental step is the learning of the compassionate meditationwhich aims to help patients learn basic skills to develop compassion by increasing well -being, sensitivity, tolerance to stress, empathy and non -judgmental thought.
This type of ability allows to respond to self -criticism through self -compression, using a different internal dialogue and reducing the emotional impact of stressful environmental events. The CFT encourages the patient to focus, understand and feel compassion, during negative cognitive processes, with a strong focus on compassion towards oneself.
Gilbert claims that the CFT can be used as a frame within other interventions, making them be more effective once the affiliate system has been stimulated.
