When Ella-Jane, 28, sought help for her anxiety, she stumbled across Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), a relatively new form of therapy that stems from the established form of CBT.
‘Initially, I was sceptical that any form of psychotherapy could help me, let alone one that has such a gentle approach, but I’ve been amazed by the difference it’s made to my life: I’m far calmer and much less anxious, and I’m also much happier.’ This doesn’t surprise Dr Chris Irons (balancedminds.com) who says: ‘Compassion Focused Therapy is guided by growing international research on the science of compassion, which has found that cultivating compassion is associated with changes in brain functioning; improvements in the immune system; reduction of negative emotions and increase in positive emotions; and motivation to engage in things that people find difficult.’
The science of compassion
This story is from the November 2015 edition of Women's Fitness.
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This story is from the November 2015 edition of Women's Fitness.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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