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beyond beginners

Compassion: Mindfulness based Compassionate Living: International Online course with co-founder Erik van den Brink

October 1, 2025 @ 5:30 pm - November 19, 2025 @ 8:00 pm BST

£449

What is Compassion?

Compassion is the capacity to be sensitive to the suffering of ourselves and others and the willingness to relieve and prevent it (Paul Gilbert, 2014). It is a capacity inherent in all of us but for many reasons does not always come to flourish. Fortunately, it can be trained, developed and deepened through practice. Compassion is characterised by kindness and receptivity as well as courage and responsibility. Many believe compassion should be directed towards others rather than ourselves but self-compassion is not selfish. Research increasingly shows that self-compassion is – like mindfulness – key to mental health and goes hand in hand with greater openness and empathy towards others.

What is Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL)?

MBCL is a mindfulness-based programme that supports the development and training of compassion (including self-compassion) to enhance physical, emotional and relational health and well-being. It is grounded in science and integrates the work of Paul Gilbert (Compassion Focused Therapy) and Kristin Neff and Christopher Germer (Mindful Self-Compassion) as well as elements of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Positive Psychology. The MBCL programme is suitable as an advanced course after having followed a mindfulness training (MBSR, MBCT or equivalent). It is similarly structured and consists of eight weekly sessions of 2.5 hours, offering explicit exercises to nurture compassion for oneself and others. The training can be particularly supportive for people struggling with shame and self-criticism, social isolation, depression, anxiety, trauma, chronic pain or illness. It was originally developed in a mental health setting but the scope of its application extends much further. It can be helpful to anyone – care-seeker or care-giver – wishing to deepen mindfulness with ‘heartfulness’.

What does the online MBCL programme offer?

In this online course, participants will experience key features of the eight sessions of the MBCL curriculum, including the main themes and major exercises.

Themes include: the evolutionary perspective and multi-layered brain; the three basic emotion regulation systems and the value of training our soothing system; expanding the stress theory with the psychological equivalents of fight, flight, freeze and their antidotes self-kindness, common humanity and mindfulness of suffering; tend and befriend; cultivating a compassionate mind and an inner helper rather than an inner bully; overidentifying and disidentifying; Four Friends for Life: loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity.

Practices include: soothing breathing rhythm, compassionate imagery (safe place, compassionate companion, embodying compassion); dealing compassionately with resistance, desire and unhelpful patterns; loving kindness towards ourselves and others; compassionate breathing; a compassionate bodyscan; walking and moving with kindness; compassionate letter writing; practicing sympathetic joy, gratitude, forgiveness and equanimity; informal practices in daily life.

During the online course, relevant scientific insights underpinning compassion training will be interwoven in the teaching.

Who is it for?

Participants will need to be familiar with basic mindfulness practices, preferably by having followed an eight-week mindfulness training (MBSR, MBCT or equivalent). The online programme is not suitable for participants without mindfulness meditation experience.
Participants may be mindfulness teachers, psychologists, psychotherapists, doctors, social workers, counselors, coaches or similar and are expected to have a professional interest in the applications of (self-) compassion.
Participants are encouraged to practice self care and will be supported to deepen their self-inquiry by engaging in experiential exercises, sharing experiences and engaging in mindful dialogue with the teacher and each other, in an unforced way.
The programme will be delivered in English.

Details

Start:
October 1, 2025 @ 5:30 pm BST
End:
November 19, 2025 @ 8:00 pm BST
Cost:
£449
Event Category:
Website:
https://booking.mindfulness-network.org/course-information/?id=1111

Other

Event Mindfulness Approach
Mindfulness-Based Compassionate Living (MBCL)
Mode of attendance
Online