5-Day Mindful Self-Compassion Intensive
September 15–20, 2024
Experiential Retreats, Healing Workshops, Meditation & Mindfulness, On Land Retreats, Personal Transformation
This 5-day residential program is an intensive form of the internationally recognized, eight-session Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) training developed by Christopher Germer and Kristin Neff. It is open to laypeople and professionals alike. Participants will learn to: practice self-compassion in daily life, motivate themselves with kindness rather than criticism, meet difficult emotions with greater ease, transform challenging relationships, learn tools to manage caregiver fatigue, and teach simple self-compassion practices to others.
This program fulfills the prerequisite for MSC teacher training.
Detailed Information
Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) is an intensive training retreat version of an empirically-supported 8-week program designed to cultivate the skill of self-compassion. Based on groundbreaking research by Kristin Neff and integrated with the clinical perspective of Christopher Germer, MSC teaches core principles and practices that enable participants to respond to difficult emotions with kindness and understanding.
The three key components of self-compassion are self-kindness, a sense of common humanity, and balanced, mindful awareness. Kindness opens our hearts to suffering, so we can give ourselves what we need. Common humanity opens us to others, so that we know we aren’t alone. Mindfulness opens us to the present moment, so we can accept our experience with greater ease. Together they comprise a state of warm, connected, presence during difficult moments in our lives.
Self-compassion can be learned by anyone, even those who didn’t receive enough affection in childhood or who feel uncomfortable when they are good to themselves. It’s a courageous attitude that stands up to harm, including the harm that we inflict on ourselves through self-criticism, self-denial, or self-absorption. Self-compassion provides emotional strength and resilience, allowing us to admit our shortcomings, forgive ourselves, motivate ourselves with kindness, care for others, and be fully human.
Rapidly expanding research clearly demonstrates that self-compassion is related to emotional wellbeing, lower anxiety and depression, maintenance of healthy habits such as diet and exercise, and more satisfying personal relationships.
Objectives
At the completion of this activity, participants should be able to:
- motivate themselves with encouragement rather than self-criticism
- relate to difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
- respond to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness
- begin to transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
- practice the art of savoring and self-appreciation
- integrate core mindfulness and self-compassion exercises into daily life
- teach simple self-compassion practices to patients, students, or clients
Who Should Attend?
This program is designed for members of the general public, as well as for professionals who wish to integrate self-compassion into their work. Participating in a MSC program satisfies a prerequisite for becoming a MSC program teacher.Meditation experience is not necessary to participate in this 5-day MSC program. All are welcome!
Training
Program activities include meditation, short talks, experiential exercises, group discussion, and home practices. The goal is to provide a safe and supportive environment for exploring how we typically respond when difficult emotions arise and to provide tools for becoming a warm and supportive companion to ourselves. The emphasis of the program is on enhancing emotional resources and personal capacities. Please note while there will be short periods of silence for practice, this is not a silent retreat.
For more information on self-compassion, please see www.Self-Compassion.org and www.MindfulSelfCompassion.org
Participant Guidelines
The MSC program is a journey—an adventure in self-discovery and self-kindness. Compassion has the paradoxical effect of both soothing and comforting as well as opening us to emotional distress that we may have been unconsciously holding inside, often for many years. Therefore, some difficult emotions are likely to surface during the program as we grow in our capacity to embrace and heal them. Participants should consider whether this is the right time in their lives to open to the difficulties they have been holding. The teachers are committed to providing an environment of safety, support, privacy, individual responsibility, and a common commitment to developing compassion for oneself and others.
The following readings are optional and recommended:
- The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook by Kristin Neff and Chris Germer
- Self-Compassion for Dummies by Dr. Steven Hickman
- Compassion for Couples: Building the Skills of Loving Connection by Michelle Becker
Tentative Schedule
Sunday: Registration 2:00 – 5:00 pm, dinner: 6:30 – 7:30 pm, first session 7:30 – 9:30 pm
Monday, Tuesday & Thursday: 9:00 – 12:15 pm, 3:00 – 6:00 pm
Wednesday: 9:00-12:15 (afternoon free for personal practice)
Friday: 9:00 – 11:30 am
Participant Background Information Survey
Upon completion of registration for this program, each participant will receive a link to a Mindful Self-Compassion Background Information survey. The purpose of this survey is to help the teachers assess if Mindful Self-Compassion will be helpful for each participant and to support participants during the program. This survey information will only be read by the course instructors.
Altitude Advisory
Drala Mountain Center is situated just under 8000ft. Though rare, this is the lower threshold where one may begin to experience altitude sickness. This is more likely for visitors coming directly from sea level. If you are susceptible to altitude sickness or want to be cautious, it is best to spend a night before your arrival in Denver or Fort Collins to acclimatize. Symptoms generally subside within a day at elevation. To read more, click here: elevation sickness.
Looking to bring compassion into your relationship?
If you are interested to learn how to incorporate self-compassion into your relationship with your partner, consider joining the Compassion for Couples program which begins right after this 5-Day Intensive. Attendance at this 5-Day Intensive is not a requirement to attend the Compassion for Couples program, but can help to set the foundation of self-compassion before exploring bringing compassion into your relationship.
Retreat Faculty
Michelle Becker, LMFT
Michelle Becker, LMFT, developer of the Compassion for Couples program and cofounder of Wise Compassion, is a licensed marriage and family therapist in private practice in San Diego, utilizing mindfulness and compassion-based approaches to psychotherapy. In addition she is a certified teacher of Mindful Self-Compassion, Compassion Cultivation Training, and The Daring Way™ and Rising Strong™ […]
Dr. Steven Hickman
Dr. Steven Hickman is a longtime teacher of mindfulness and self-compassion and a trainer of teachers as well. He is the former Executive Director of the non-profit Center for Mindful Self-Compassion and co-developer of the Mindful Self-Compassion teacher training. Steve is a Clinical Psychologist and Retired Associate Clinical Professor in the University of California at […]