Prof Paul Gilbert – Compassion, Threat and the Dark Side of Human Nature
How does compassion link to non-duality experiences?
Many spiritual traditions have highlighted compassion as one of the most important of all human motives. The reasons for this are partly because humans have the potential to be extremely harmful. The history of the last few thousand years has shown humans at their most vicious and brutal of species in terms of the inventions of tortures, slavery exploitation of the majorities by powerful minority elites, and as predator. In addition, people can also treat themselves harshly and harmfully. Since the essence of compassion is a motive to address and prevent suffering, it is also the motive necessary for us to work with our dark sides. Compassion is not just about values it also has profound impacts on how our brains and bodies work. Compassion motivation creates brain states that facilitate opportunities for ‘enlightened’ nondual experiences.
We will be discussing the linkage between understanding the evolved mechanisms that make compassion motivation possible and the changes that can happen when we experience compassion in a different way through nondual states. The published diagram below gives an overview:
Reading of interest for this workshop
Gilbert, P., & Van Gordon, W. (2023). Compassion as a Skill: A Comparison of Contemplative and Evolution-Based Approaches. Mindfulness, 1-22.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-023-02173-w
Gilbert, P., Huxter, M. & Choden (2023). Exploration of Evolution-Informed Compassion-Focused Therapy and Buddhist Approaches to Insight Meditation: A Three-Way Exploration. Mindfulness, 1-24.https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-023-02141-4
Evolution and compassion focused therapy
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161/full
A video AD4E
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufp2FxoFhYQ&feature=youtu.be
We have many exercises to a practising on the website -go to resource sections at www.compasionatemind.co.uk
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About the speaker:
Paul Gilbert, FBPsS, PhD, OBE is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and visiting Prof at the University of Queensland. He worked for over 40 years in the British National Health Service. He has researched evolutionary approaches to mental health difficulties with a special focus on depressed anxious shame and harshly self-critical states of mind for which Compassion Focused Therapy was developed. He was made a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1993, president of the BABCP 2002-2004, and was a member of the first British Governments’ NICE guidelines for depression. He has written/edited 23 books and over 400 papers and book chapters.
In 2006 he established the Compassionate Mind Foundation as an international charity with the mission statement: To promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion (www.compassionatemind.co.uk). There are now a number of sister foundations in other countries. He was awarded an OBE by the Queen in March 2011 for services to mental health. He established and is the Director of the Centre for Compassion Research and Training at Derby University UK. His latest book edited book with Prof G Simos (2022) Compassion: Clinical practice and Applications (Routledge) offers a detailed overview of compassion focused therapy.
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Speaker
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Paul GilbertProfessor of Clinical PsychologyPaul Gilbert, FBPsS, PhD, OBE is Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby and visiting Prof at the University of Queensland. He worked for over 40 years in the British National Health Service. He has researched evolutionary approaches to mental health difficulties with a special focus on depressed anxious shame and harshly self-critical states of mind for which Compassion Focused Therapy was developed. He was made a Fellow of the British Psychological Society in 1993, president of the BABCP 2002-2004, and was a member of the first British Governments’ NICE guidelines for depression. He has written/edited 23 books and over 400 papers and book chapters.
In 2006 he established the Compassionate Mind Foundation as an international charity with the mission statement: To promote wellbeing through the scientific understanding and application of compassion (www.compassionatemind.co.uk). There are now a number of sister foundations in other countries. He was awarded an OBE by the Queen in March 2011 for services to mental health. He established and is the Director of the Centre for Compassion Research and Training at Derby University UK. His latest book edited book with Prof G Simos (2022) Compassion: Clinical practice and Applications (Routledge) offers a detailed overview of compassion focused therapy.
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