This program will be hosted both in-person and online (hybrid). This is the registration page to join Chris Germer in person at our Center in Cambridge. (Register here if you prefer to attend online.)
Please bring a vegetarian lunch or plan to go out during the lunch break. Masks will be optional.
Burgeoning research confirms that self-compassion is strongly associated with happiness and emotional well-being, lower levels of anxiety and depression, healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships. Self-compassion is also an effective antidote to burnout and shame. It allows us to be more fully ourselves‚ to acknowledge our shortcomings, learn from them, and make necessary changes with an attitude of kindness and self-respect.
Mindfulness is the first step‚ turning with loving awareness toward difficult experiences (emotions, sensations, thoughts). Self-compassion comes next‚ bringing loving awareness to ourselves. Together, mindfulness and self-compassion comprise a state of warm, connected presence during difficult moments in our lives.
Fortunately, mindful self-compassion can be learned by anyone. In this workshop, you will learn to:
- Practice self-compassion in daily life
- Motivate yourself with kindness rather than criticism
- Handle difficult emotions with greater ease
- Practice the art of savoring and self-appreciation
- Apply self-compassion to alleviate burnout
Our day together will include talks, meditation, experiential exercises, and group discussion. No previous experience with mindfulness or meditation is required to attend the program. Everyone is welcome.
CIMC is deeply grateful to Chris Germer for generously contributing his time and teaching to support the Center and all who attend this CIMC Benefit Workshop.
CIMC does not offer scholarships for its benefit programs.
Chris Germer, PhD is a clinical psychologist and lecturer on psychiatry (part-time) at Harvard Medical School. He co-developed the Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) program with Kristin Neff in 2010 and they co-wrote two books, The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook and Teaching the Mindful Self-Compassion Program. MSC has been taught to over 250,000 people worldwide. Dr. Germer is also the author of The Mindful Path to Self-Compassion; he co-edited two influential volumes on therapy, Mindfulness and Psychotherapy, and Wisdom and Compassion in Psychotherapy; and he maintains a small psychotherapy practice in Cambridge, Massachusetts.