Mindfulness Of Body
Mindfulness Of Body is an exercise taken from the Psychology Tools For Developing Self-Compassion audio collection. Some types of mindfulness practice can use an ‘anchor’ – something specific that we can use – such as the breath – to gently hold our attention and to return to when our minds become distracted. This ‘body scan’, or mindfulness of body exercise, uses mindful awareness to attend to different parts of the body in a slow, deliberate, and systematic way. At each part of the body the listener is invited to allow their attention to linger, and to notice whatever sensations are present in that area.
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Languages this resource is available in
- English (GB)
- English (US)
Techniques associated with this resource
Introduction & Theoretical Background
Core to compassion focused therapy (CFT) is the ability to notice and engage in distress, and then to take wise action to relieve or prevent it. An important first step in doing this is through attention training and mindfulness, which help us to develop skills in noticing, turning towards, and engaging in things that might be painful or distressing.
Mindfulness Of Body is an exercise taken from the Psychology Tools For Developing Self-Compassion audio collection. Some types of mindfulness practice can use an ‘anchor’ – something specific that we can use – such as the breath – to gently hold our attention and to return to when our minds become distracted. One anchor which is always present is the body. This exercise guides the listener through a scan of different parts of their body in a slow, deliberate, and systematic way. At each part of the body the listener is
Therapist Guidance
The Psychology Tools For Developing Self-Compassion audio collection is for anyone who wants to learn more about the ideas and practices of compassion focused therapy. It has been designed to be versatile, so it is suitable to support work with therapists who have been trained in compassion focused therapy, or to be used as a stand-alone collection of exercises. To assist the integration of the exercises into their clinical work, therapists can download the scripts for each exercise and use them in-session.
Individual tracks from the audio collection can be downloaded as .MP3 files, which can be played in most media player apps.
The simplest way to share an audio track with your clients is by using the Psychology Tools ‘Email a client’ function. After obtaining their consent, you can send it directly from this page by clicking ‘Send securely to my client’. Your client will receive a secure email containing
References And Further Reading
- Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53(1), 6-41.
- Gilbert, P. (2020). Compassion: From its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in Psychology, 3123.
- Irons, C., & Beaumont, E. (2017). The compassionate mind workbook: A step-by-step guide to developing your compassionate self. Robinson.
- Irons, C., & Heriot‐Maitland, C. (2021). Compassionate Mind Training: An 8‐week group for the general public. Psychology and psychotherapy: Theory, research and practice, 94(3), 443-463.
- Leboeuf, I., Andreotti, E., Irons, C., Beaumont, E., & Antoine, P. (2022). A randomized controlled study of a French compassionate mind training. Mindfulness, 13(11), 2891-2903.
- Savari, Y., Mohagheghi, H., & Petrocchi, N. (2021). A preliminary investigation on the effectiveness of compassionate mind training for students with major depressive disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Mindfulness, 12(5), 1159-1172.