A Practical Guide to Mindfulness Based Compassionate Living 1st Edition by Erik van den Brink, Frits Koster, Victoria Norton ISBN 1351976206 9781351976206

1. Wired to Survive Rather Than Thrive: Session One: How We Evolved – Threat, Drive, and Soothing Systems

• Being Human is a Challenge
• Compassion: Not for the Faint-Hearted
• Breathing Space with Kindness
• The Human Brain and Its Flaws
• Like Pandora’s Box
• Insight: The Good Fairy
• Three Emotion Regulation Systems
• The Stress of Threat and Drive
• Rest and Digest
• Contemplating the Three Systems in Your Life
• Getting Out of Balance
• Restoring the Balance
• A Safe Place
• Kindness Meditation: Yourself
• Suiting Your Soothing System
• A Pleasure Walk
• Calendar: Soothing System
• Summary Chapter 1

2. Embracing Inner Demons: Session Two: Threat and Self-Compassion

• Exploring Inner Landscapes
• Compassionately Relating to Resistance
• Outer and Inner Threats
• Three Components of Self-Compassion
• Self-Compassion Mantra
• Breathing Space with Compassion
• Tend and Befriend
• Me-First, You-First, or We-Together
• Survival of the Kindest
• Pathways to Self-Compassion
• A Hand on Your Heart
• When Compassion Itself Seems to Be the Demon
• A Gentle Pace
• Wobbles on the Way
• Using Imagery
• A Compassionate Companion
• Kindness Meditation: A Benefactor
• Calendar: Threat System
• Summary Chapter 2

3. Treating Habits Kindly: Session Three: Untangling Desires and Patterns

• Ulysses’ Courage
• Compassionately Relating to Desire
• Urge-Surfing
• Why We Can’t Get No Satisfaction
• Habits and Patterns
• Three Basic Modes
• Love Thy Inner Critic as Thyself
• Self-Conscious Emotions
• Don’t Kill the Messengers
• Compassionately Relating to Inner Patterns
• Comfort Zones Without Comfort
• Befriending Inner Patterns
• Taking a More Scenic Route
• Kindness Meditation: A Good Friend
• Calendar: Drive System
• Summary Chapter 3

4. Out of the Mud Into the Light: Session Four: Embodying Compassion

• Flow Directions of Compassion
• Pretend Play
• Doing as If
• Embodying Compassion
• The Lotus of Compassion
• Feeding an Inner Helper
• Kindness Meditation: A Neutral Person
• Kindness for the Body
• Mindful Movement
• Examples of Mindful Movement
• Walking with Kindness
• Calendar: Inner Critic
• Summary Chapter 4

5. Receiving and Giving with Every Breath: Session Five: Self and Others – Widening the Circle

• ‘Dear Self’
• A Compassionate Letter
• Who Are You?
• The Problem with Over-Identifying
• ‘Selfing’ on Autopilot or by Choice
• Kindness Meditation: A ‘Difficult’ Person
• Notes on Kindness Meditation
• Challenges in Kindness Meditation
• A Wordless Alternative
• Compassionate Breathing: Yourself
• Building Resilience
• Compassionate Breathing: Others
• Breathing Space with Compassionate Breathing
• Calendar: Inner Helper
• Summary Chapter 5

6. Making Friends for Life: Session Six: Growing Happiness

• Kissing Joy as It Flies
• Revisiting the Good
• Three Doors to Happiness
• Four Friends for Life
• Giving Peace a Chance
• Forgiving Yourself
• Asking Forgiveness
• Forgiving Others
• Gratitude: The Memory of the Heart
• Gratitude
• The Silver Lining
• Your Values
• Kindness Meditation: Groups and All Beings
• Calendar: Receiving Compassion
• Summary Chapter 6
• Silent Session
• An Appreciative Body Scan
• The Horse Whisperer

7. Heartful Mind, Mindful Heart: Session Seven: Weaving Wisdom and Compassion into Daily Life

• A Day in Your Life
• Draining or Sustaining
• Egosystem or Ecosystem
• From Formal to Informal Practice
• Breathing Space for Wise Compassionate Action
• Action in Deed
• Practical Ethics
• Equanimity Meditation
• Sympathetic Joy Meditation
• Caring for the Future
• A Compassionate Prevention Plan
• Calendar: Giving Compassion
• Summary Chapter 7

8. Healing Life: Session Eight: Living with Heart

• A Crack in Everything
• Wounded Healers
• The River of Life
• At Home Wherever You Go
• Tending Your Inner Garden
• Further Support
• Spreading Your Wings
• Summary Chapter 8