Self-Compassion in PTSD

Self-compassion refers to healthy ways of relating to oneself in times of suffering, whether suffering is caused by failure, perceived inadequacy, or general life difficulties. Self-compassion allows individuals to accept themselves as they are, including the limitations and imperfections that make them human. Informally, it is defined as treating yourself with the same care with which you would treat a good friend who is struggling. Self-compassion helps people to better tolerate painful emotions such as grief, despair, anxiety, anger, and shame. The inherent challenge, however, is to extend a loving embrace to ourselves when we like ourselves the least, such as when we feel unworthy and isolated. In this chapter, we highlight the potential of self-compassion to alleviate some of the suffering caused by shame in PTSD. We explain how high shame and low self-compassion maintain and exacerbate PTSD and how existing psychological treatments for PTSD may be enhanced by integrating self-compassion. We focus on the adverse reactions to compassion in trauma survivors and give examples of how to safely work with such resistances