Compassion-based approaches offer us insight into how the human brain has evolved, the functions of emotions and the influence of our early relationships on our coping strategies and the course of our lives. Understanding these things can help us to see that emotional difficulties are not our fault, and can also help us to resolve unhelpful patterns of self-blame and shame. This style of therapy also involves identifying and resolving the barriers to compassion that people commonly experience. There is an emphasis on the emotional, felt experience of warmth, kindness and understanding towards yourself.
Compassion-based approaches give us the skills to balance strong, uncomfortable emotions with our natural capacities for soothing, tenderness, warmth, befriending, social connection and contentment. Attention training, mindfulness, compassionate refocusing and imagery are all used to evoke compassionate states of mind and to develop an inner compassionate sense of self. Mindfulness skills in particular help people to be aware of painful thoughts and feelings without necessarily buying into them or over-identifying with them. This inner compassionate self can create a safe base when painful thoughts, feelings and memories arise.