Compassion-Focused Therapy Practices Cheat Sheet

Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an integrative psychotherapy developed by Paul Gilbert in the early 2000s that addresses shame and self-criticism through evolutionary psychology, neuroscience, and Buddhist principles. Unlike therapies that focus solely on cognition or behavior, CFT targets the emotional tone underlying mental distress by cultivating compassion as a motivational system that organizes the mind toward healing. Central to CFT is the understanding that humans have an evolved "tricky brain" where ancient threat systems can dominate modern cortical capacities, creating loops of self-attack and suffering. The therapy employs imagery, body-based practices, mindfulness, and chairwork to develop a compassionate mind that can soothe distress, tolerate difficult emotions, and engage with suffering with wisdom, strength, and warmth rather than avoidance or aggression.