KindfulWay

 I came to MSC after many years of meditation and practice in the Rinzai Zen Japanese Buddhist tradition and the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. I had become interested in compassion in healthcare as a part of my job with NHS England. When I found out about MSC in 2013 I had a strong sense that I needed to experience it. When I eventually did – in 2015 at an intensive 5-day course led by Judith Soulsby and Vanessa Hope – it was like something that was disconnected in me became connected. My best analogy is from when I was a kid on Christmas Eve, helping my dad connect the Christmas lights, which never worked first time. My first experience of MSC on that intensive course was very much like the delightful, joyful surprise when those Christmas lights finally came on: fully connected! I’m so glad to have have found this practice and so grateful to Kristin and Chris for creating this course, and to Steve, Vanessa, Judith and the community of MSC practitioners and teachers who continue to enrich and grow the practice.
I’m a psychotherapist (Cognitive Analytic Therapy) and have recently trained with the Center for MSC in Self Compassion in Psychotherapy (SCIP). I am a resilience skills trainer, as well as a meditation teacher and MSC teacher. During my career I’ve worked as a practitioner and team/service manager in criminal justice, substance misuse, serious mental illness, psychological therapies, cancer and palliative care. I’ve also worked as a strategic leader in rolling out national programmes in mental health, psychological therapies and patient experience. I’m a long term practitioner (35 years) and teacher (15 years) of compassion and mindfulness meditation. I’m currently the Buddhist Chaplain at the University of Sussex and the Martlets Hospice in Hove, East Sussex.