Library
Listen and read
Five recorded office-hours sessions from Doc Russ, then everything worth your time from the two researchers this module is built on. All of it free.
Five short sessions
These were recorded conversationally rather than scripted, which means they sound like someone talking rather than someone presenting. Play them in the car, on a walk, or while you cook. There is nothing to write down.
They run in order, but the second one is the one most people need first.
Introduction
Start here
What this whole idea is, why a physical therapist ended up caring about it, and what it has to do with anything you are trying to change.
Introduction Why self-compassion is so difficult
The one most people need first
If you have read the science, agreed with all of it, and still cannot actually do it, this is the session. Pair it with week two of the practice, which is where the same wall usually shows up.
Go to week twoWhy self-compassion is so difficult Turning self-criticism into self-compassion
The mechanics
The practical conversion. This is the audio companion to the 90-second reset, and the closest thing in the series to a set of instructions.
Go to the 90-second resetTurning self-criticism into self-compassion What it is and what it is not
Clearing the objections
Self-pity, self-indulgence, self-esteem, letting yourself off the hook. Four things this is regularly confused with, and why it is none of them.
What it is and what it is not How to choose self-compassion
Making it a decision, not a mood
The closing session. Self-compassion is not something that arrives when you feel like it. It is something you pick, in a specific moment, often while feeling nothing of the sort.
How to choose self-compassion
Dr. Kristin Neff · University of Texas at Austin
The researcher who defined self-compassion
Dr. Neff conducted the first empirical studies of self-compassion in the early 2000s and developed the Mindful Self-Compassion program with Dr. Chris Germer. If you only watch one thing in this module, watch this.
The difference between self-esteem and self-compassion, the three components, and a direct answer to the "won’t I go soft?" objection.
The Science of Self-Compassion
WatchTalks at GoogleA fuller research presentation than the TEDx talk, and she walks the audience through a live self-compassion break partway through. Good if you want the evidence in more depth.
Harnessing Fierce Self-Compassion
WatchThe answer to anyone, including yourself, who thinks self-compassion means going easy. Dr. Neff separates tender self-compassion from the fierce, action-taking kind. Changing how you eat needs both.
Watch the full talkShorter version, with a guided meditation
The Self-Compassion Break
Practice5 minutesWritten steps plus guided audio, hosted by the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley. This is the formal version of the 90-second reset in this module.
self-compassion.org
PracticeReadFreeHer own site. Guided audio practices, written exercises including the self-compassion journal, her published papers, and the Self-Compassion Scale, which you can take yourself to get a baseline before you start the four weeks.
Dr. Richard Davidson · University of Wisconsin–Madison
The neuroscientist who showed it is trainable
Richie Davidson founded the Center for Healthy Minds and has spent four decades measuring what changes in the brain when people practise. His central claim is the one that makes this module worth doing rather than merely agreeing with: well-being is a skill, and skills respond to practice.
Four trainable components of a healthy mind, the evidence that the underlying circuits change, and his recommendation to start with three minutes a day.
The Healthy Minds Program
PracticeFree, no paywallThe app built directly out of Davidson’s lab, given away free by a nonprofit rather than sold on subscription. Its best feature for busy people is the active practices, designed to be done while walking, driving, or folding laundry rather than sitting still.
Well-Being Is a Skill
WatchGreater Good Science CenterDavidson lays out the four constituents of well-being and how each is practised, followed by a conversation with Dacher Keltner. The clearest short statement of the thesis.
Center for Healthy Minds
ReadThe research centre itself, including the published studies behind the claims in this module. If you want to check the primary sources rather than take anyone’s word for it, start here.
Guided practices elsewhere
The Self-Compassion Break
Dr. Neff’s core practice, with written steps and guided audio, hosted by the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley. This is the formal version of the 90-second reset.
Open the practiceFree libraryDr. Neff’s guided practices
Her own collection of guided audio and written exercises, including the self-compassion journal and the self-compassion scale you can take yourself.
Browse the practicesFree appThe Healthy Minds Program
Built from Dr. Richard Davidson’s research at the University of Wisconsin and given away free with no paywall. Includes active practices you can do while walking or doing chores.
Get the appFrom Practical Innovations
Three pieces worth your time
If you want the long version
Four books
Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself
Kristin Neff
Part memoir, part research summary. The general-audience starting point.
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook
Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer
If you want exercises rather than argument, this is the one.
Fierce Self-Compassion
Kristin Neff
The action-oriented side: boundaries, speaking up, and changing what needs changing.
Altered Traits
Daniel Goleman and Richard Davidson
A hard-nosed look at what meditation research actually supports and what it does not, written by two people well placed to say.
Linked talks, practices, and applications remain the property of their respective creators.