What is Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)?
Developed in the early 2000s, Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is a form of psychotherapy designed to help people who struggle with shame and self-criticism develop kinder, more supportive relationship with themselves. CFT integrates techniques from Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) with ideas from evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and attachment theories to have a comprehensive outlook on individuals to manage high shame and self-criticism.
The Core Theory of CFT
According to CFT, three major emotion regulation systems operate in our brains.
1. The Threat System
Danger and survival
Fight/flight/freeze response
Triggers anxiety, anger, shame, and self-criticism
2. The Drive System
Achievement and reward
Triggers motivation, pursuit, ambition
3. The Soothing System
Contentment and safety
Triggers calmness, warmth, and connection
Those who seek CFT (with high shame or trauma) have an overactive threat system. The aim of CFT is to increase the capacity of the soothing system and reduce the dominance of the threat system.
What to expect in CFT
Generally, the psychologist Melbourne will help the individual develop skills of compassion, self-compassion, and mindfulness via a technique called Compassionate Mind Training (CMT). CMT uses techniques like mindful breathing, compassionate imagery and visualisation, and self-talk to help the individual recognise what compassion feels like and develop a ‘compassionate self’. Furthermore, individuals will also learn how to recognise self-criticism and develop techniques to reduce their internal critic.
The goal of CFT is to foster a compassionate inner voice that can offer warmth, safety, and kindness for individuals, reducing the impact of harsh internal criticism and conflict.
What helpful CFT looks like
Indeed, CFT may feel emotionally raw and uncomfortable to begin. Individuals who are used to motivating themselves through criticism, understanding and utilising compassion may feel unsafe or underserved. Once the exploration of that resistance begins and the techniques of CFT begin to aid the individual, there is a deep sense of validation and becoming emotionally ‘stable’ that many find empowering. It helps build a relationship with self that is characterised by warmth, courage, and compassion, rather than fear and shame.
Who can benefit from CFT?
Generally, CFT will benefit those who are struggling with high levels of shame, self-criticism, and deep feelings of worthlessness. Benefitting from CFT can look different for every individual, therefore, the following characteristics may highlight how CFT can be beneficial in differing contexts.
Those who are harsh on themselves and feel as though they aren’t good enough can grow their self-esteem through CFT.
Survivors of trauma (e.g., history of abuse or neglect) may find it difficult to break the cycle of self-sabotage created as a result. CFT can be utilised to break this cycle.
Those suffering from other clinical conditions such as anxiety, depression, eating disorders, etc. may benefit from the structure of CFT through reconfiguring maladaptive thought patterns into adaptive ones.
CFT can aid in creating self-soothing skills where individuals feel safe and cared for by themselves, where in the past they may not have.
The key outcomes of CFT are to improve emotion regulation through learning to manage intense emotions without judgment, generate self-compassion by replacing self-criticism with inner kindness, and ultimately build feelings of internal safety through fostering a secure and accepting internal environment.