[CMSC News] ??January 2025: Finding Strength Through Kindness and Shared Humanity in the New Year?

Hello Friends of Self-Compassion,

As we reflect on 2024, we are deeply grateful for everyone who contributed to the work of CMSC, whether through financial support or by volunteering their time and energy. Your generosity has helped us bring the power of self-compassion to so many around the world.

There are many ways to foster compassion in the world, and we are honored you are here with us. Self-compassion is a transformative tool—practices to nurture healing and resilience within ourselves that ripples outward to create meaningful change in our communities and beyond. Your support allows us to deepen this work, building a more compassionate and connected world, one step at a time.

Looking ahead to 2025, we embrace the theme Finding Strength Through Kindness and Shared Humanity. Here’s what this looks like in action here at CMSC with our community in mind:

• Practices that nurture self-compassion and create spaces for meaningful connections within our community.
• Everyday acts of kindness and sharing stories that remind us of our shared humanity.
• Courageous conversations and supportive networks that reinforce a sense of belonging and mutual care in all that we do.
• Growth for a broader, more inclusive community of those practicing MSC.
• Celebrating the threads that connect us all, leaning into kindness and resilience as we navigate challenges together.

We invite you to join us, just as you are, in whatever way feels right for you. Whether you’re new to self-compassion or have been practicing for years, there’s space here for you to connect, grow, and share in this journey. We’ll navigate the messiness and beauty of living together, finding strength in our shared humanity and courage in our collective kindness. Your presence matters, and we’re grateful to walk this path alongside you.

With Care and Gratitude,

Elijah Zimmerman (He.They) CMSC Executive Director

Compassionate News

Neural correlates of reduction in self-judgment after mindful self-compassion training: A pilot study with resting state fMRI

The study, "Neural Correlates of Reduction in Self-Judgment After Mindful Self-Compassion Training: A Pilot Study with Resting State fMRI," explores how mindful self-compassion training affects brain activity associated with self-judgment. Using resting-state fMRI, researchers examined neural changes following training, highlighting potential mechanisms behind reduced self-critical thoughts. This pioneering research offers insights into how self-compassion practices may positively influence mental health by altering brain function.

Full Research Article

Meditation: Remembering the Wish to be Loved

Remembering the Wish to be Loved with Natalie Bell. This guided practice invites you to reconnect with the universal longing to feel loved and accepted. Through gentle reflection, Natalie will help you tap into this universal motivation we all have to not only survive, but to thrive in our lives. When we acknowledge this deep wish within each of us we can understand why we feel shame and normalize it, making room for ourselves to be who we are and be compassionate with ourselves when shame arises. Let this practice nurture a sense of connection to yourself and others, especially when you may be experiencing difficult emotions like shame. May you be reminded of the love that resides within and around you, fostering warmth, kindness, and belonging.

Join Natalie Bell with Chris Germer and Laila Narsi on February 26 as they lead the Self-Compassion for Shame 8-Week Course.

Watch on Youtube

Featured Events and Courses

Navigating Grief and Loss with Self-Compassion: Finding Strength Through Kindness and Shared Humanity

January 28th, Tuesday 4:00pm - 7:00pm PT with Sydney Spears

Cost: $95 In a time of personal loss, societal division, and global challenges, managing grief can feel overwhelming. This interactive 3-hour workshop is designed to guide you through your grief using self-compassion as a powerful tool. Loss can take many forms, from the passing of a loved one to the daily challenges in relationships and navigating uncertain times. Drawing on evidence-based practices, you will learn how to approach grief with kindness, connect to shared humanity, and cultivate strength in the face of personal and collective struggles.

This workshop offers practical tools for healing, connection, and hope. It includes guided exercises, journaling, and opportunities for reflection and group connection. You’ll leave with actionable skills to manage grief and cultivate compassion for yourself and others. Who Should Attend: Anyone navigating grief, loss, or emotional challenges due to personal experiences, societal divisions, or global conflicts. No prior experience with self-compassion practices is necessary.

Learn More & Register

Live Online Mindful Self-Compassion

Learn the full practices and theories of self-compassion in our 10-week, live online programs or our new specialized MSC for Therapists 8-Week Course! These courses are taught by certified MSC teachers around the world and helps you establish a consistent self-compassion practice founded in research and science. You'll learn how self-compassion can lessen anxiety, depression and stress and improve your relationships, health, and resilience. Join a course today. Courses available monthly. Explore all upcoming LOMSC dates.

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5-Day In Person MSC Intensive: March 23-28, 2025

Join us March 23-28, 2025 for this in person offering that is an intensive version of the 8-week*, empirically-supported MSC program in beautiful Sedona, Arizona.

MSC activities include short talks, experiential exercises, meditation, group discussion, and home practices. Past intensives have been held in wellness and retreat centers around the United States with varied natural landscapes.

The emphasis of the program is on building the resources of self-compassion and mindfulness through a process of self-discovery. We begin with mindfulness, through which we turn with loving awareness toward difficult experiences (thoughts, emotions, and sensations). Next, we learn to turn that loving awareness toward ourselves. Together, mindfulness and self-compassion comprise a state of warm, connected, presence during difficult moments in our lives. MSC activities include short talks, experiential exercises, meditation, group discussion, and home practices. Upon completing MSC, participants should be able to:

• Demonstrate motivating yourself with encouragement rather than self-criticism
• Encounter difficult emotions with greater moment-to-moment acceptance
• Develop a response to feelings of failure or inadequacy with self-kindness
• Explain how to transform difficult relationships, old and new, through self-validation
• Use the art of savoring and self-appreciation
• Identify core mindfulness and self-compassion exercises to implement in daily life
• Discuss simple self-compassion practices to patients, students, or clients
• Describe the theory and research supporting mindful self-compassion
• Identify fierce and tender aspects of self-compassion and their role in overall well-being

To create an optimal learning experience, Intensives are only taught by Certified MSC Teachers (the highest level of teacher training available). All participants are encouraged to engage in the Intensive to the extent that they feel comfortable, and not more.

Retreat Mentors include: Trymaine Gaither, Noriko Morita Harth, and Carolina Bautista-Velez.

Register Here

MSC Teacher Training

Become an MSC Teacher in 2025!

Are you passionate about teaching Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC)? Start your journey with our Teacher Training program! After completing prerequisites, you’ll gain the skills to teach the standard MSC course and work toward becoming a Certified MSC Teacher eligible to teach adaptations. This is your opportunity to bring the power of self-compassion to others while deepening your own practice. Applications are now open—don’t miss out on this transformative experience!

Upcoming 2025 Live Online Teacher Trainings:

LOTT-26: February 5 – April 23, 2025 8:00 – 11:00am PT

LOTT-27: May 1 – July 17, 2025 4:00 – 7:00pm PT

Learn More

For Our Community

Circles of Practice - Free Online Daily Meditations

Our MSC Circles of Practice program is a donation-based offering to our community and the public. CMSC offers 100 monthly free online daily practice sessions, all led by volunteer MSC teachers and supported by donations.These self-compassion meditation sessions are available on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. Click on the links below to learn more and register for a session.

Join a session today: