Compassion and Attachment Theory with Professor Paul Gilbert

All living things have three basic life tasks:-

1. to defend themselves against threats in their domain of existence
2. 2 to acquire resources necessary to sustain life and reproduction
3. 3 to be able to rest and digest and recuperate and regenerate.

For many species these are pursued individually, for example turtles have to be mobile, self-protective and self-sustaining from the day they hatch. However, with the evolution of attachment infants were able to secure protection and resources from the parent. This was associated with the major evolution physiological processes.  Caring relationships became threat, resource seeking and affect regulators. As an emergent quality of caring motivation, compassion recruits these psychophysiological mechanisms for threat regulation, resource acquisition and rest and digest. This webinar will outline how the psychophysiological systems of compassion are recruited and cultivated as a focus for therapy and used to address problems such as trauma self-criticism and shame.

Some readings

Gilbert, P. (1989).  Human Nature and Suffering.  London:  Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. (p 406)

Gilbert, P. (1993). Defence and safety: Their function in social behaviour and psychopathology.  British Journal of Clinical Psychology.  32, 131-153

Gilbert, P. (2014). The origins and nature of compassion focused therapy. British Journal of Clinical Psychology, 53, 6-41. DOI:10.1111/bjc.12043

Gilbert, P. (2020). Compassion: From its evolution to a psychotherapy. Frontiers in psychology 11, doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2020.58616

Gilbert, P. (2022). The evolved functions of caring connections as a basis for compassion.  In, P. Gilbert & G. Simos. (eds). Compassion Focused Therapy: Clinical practice and applications (chap 3, p. 90-121). London. Routledge.

Gilbert, P (2024). Threat, safety, safeness and social safeness 30 years on: Fundamental dimensions and distinctions for mental health and well-being. British Journal of Clinical Psychology (advanced on line)