Building Self-Compassion
Building Self-Compassion

Building Self-Compassion
Module 4
Compassionate Imagery
Introduction

2

Why Use Imagery?

2

Imagine Giving Compassion

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Creating the Ultimate Compassionate Image

4

My Compassionate Image

6

Compassionate Communication

7

Module Summary

8

About the Modules

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Introduction

Building Self-Compassion

We are now ready for some compassion! So far we have been setting the scene for self-compassion.
Through your attention retraining exercises you should now be more aware when you are going through adifficult experience and are in need of some compassion, and ideally you can now mentally step backenough to be in a position to provide this for yourself. You can also slow yourself down, by using yourbreathing to create a calming physical state that is conducive to being compassionate towards yourself. But
how do you actually send some compassion your way?
This module will teach you some novel strategies for being able to further the work that your slow
breathing will have started. That is, to further activate your soothe system, by stimulating compassionate
feelings within you. Triggering compassionate feelings within you will rely on developing your very own
compassionate image. The goal of these modules will be to find a compassionate image that works for you
in unlocking compassionate feelings. These feelings can then be directed towards yourself when you mostneed them.

Why Use Imagery?
You may be wondering what we mean by an image, and why imagery would be used to stimulatecompassionate feelings? We think in images all the time, often without even realising it. Below is a list ofwords. As you read each one pause before moving to the next and notice what is triggered off in yourmind by each word:
Beach
Flower
BicycleHolidaysApple
What did you notice? Chances are that certain pictures flashed throughyour mind, in other words images popped into your head. For the word
‘beach’, it may have been a memory of childhood holidays at a particularbeach, or an imagined tropical beach paradise that you haven’t as yet visited,or your local beach that you go to regularly, or a less pleasant beach image
may have come to mind, like something treacherous and dangerous. It may
have been a sustained picture almost like a movie playing in your head, orjust brief flashes and glimpses that passed through your mind. It may nothave just been a picture image either. For some of us the image might bemultisensory where you can almost hear what the wave’s sound like, orsmell the salt air, or feel the cool water or warmth of the sun on your skin.
Hopefully you get a sense that images are not that unusual, they are just a form of thinking that is very richin terms of sensory information (i.e., visual pictures, sounds, touch sensations, tastes, smells). But, why use
imagery?
Research shows that imagery can be very powerful in triggering emotions.
Our brain is not very good at distinguishing an image from reality, so it willoften process and respond to an image, as if it is something occurring for real.
As an example, think of a food that you really love…in my case it would be
chocolate cake!
Now close your eyes and imagine that you have that food in front of you.
Imagine getting up close and having a smell of it…what do you notice…how
do you feel…do you notice any physical sensations…how does your mouth
feel?
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Building Self-Compassion
Many people notice they have a physical reaction when they imagine their desired food, often noticing that
their mouth even starts to salivate! That is because our brain is processing the image and responding to it
as if the food were really in front of us.
But what do images of chocolate cake have to do with self-compassion? To build self-compassion we needto first stimulate compassionate feelings, and then direct those feelings towards ourselves when we arestruggling. If we know that images are a really effective way to activate feelings, then let’s be strategic anduse this knowledge to our advantage. With this in mind, if we can find an image that elicits compassionate
feelings within us, we can use this as a tool to help direct compassion towards ourselves.
Our aim is to develop an image that triggers a compassionate attitude or mindset within us – prompting us
to feel, think and act in compassionate ways. We will now look at two types of compassionate images that
may work for you. We would recommend having a go at each imagery exercise, trying each image ‘on forsize’, and seeing which is most effective for triggering feelings of compassion within you. The following
exercises are adapted from Paul Gilbert’s Compassion Focused Therapy approach.

Imagine Giving Compassion

See if you can bring to mind someone you care about, someone that you feel great warmth towards,
someone that you always want to be there for unconditionally, to be on their side supporting them throughthe trials of life. This could be a family member, or a friend, or even a pet.
Write down the name of the person that springs to mind ____________________________________
Close your eyes and go through a few rounds of your slow breathing to get yourself
prepared. Now imagine that this special person is in front of you and that they need
your help. Don’t get caught up in the details of what is happening for the otherperson, instead just focus on giving them the unwavering compassion that they need.
Allow yourself to feel a deep sense of caring and concern for them. Allow yourdesire for them to be happy and free from struggle to come to the forefront.
Now notice what emotions are you feeling? Notice what physical sensations accompany those feelings?
What is your facial expression like towards this other person? What is your body posture like towards theother person? What things are you saying to them? What is your tone of voice like as you say those
things? What are you doing to comfort and help this person?
Spend a few minutes just appreciating this image of giving compassion to another. Pay particular attention
to the compassionate feelings this image generates. See if you can allow these feelings to take over, togrow inside you, almost feeling your whole body fill with compassion. When you open your eyes, fill in thefollowing details regarding what you experienced.

Emotions: _______________________________________________________________
Physical Sensations: _______________________________________________________
Facial Expression: _________________________________________________________
Body Posture: ____________________________________________________________
Advice: _________________________________________________________________
Voice Tone: ______________________________________________________________
Actions: _________________________________________________________________
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Building Self-Compassion
If you found this exercise useful in triggering feelings of compassion within you, then practice bringing thisimage to mind regularly, so that the image becomes easily accessible and can be used as your compassion‘on’ button. You could even carry a photo of this person with you, in your phone or printed in your wallet,
as a visual reminder. You could even frame a photo of them and place it somewhere in your daily life
where you notice you tend to be your most self-critical (e.g., next to your bathroom mirror if you notice
you tend to criticise your appearance a lot).
If you found that the compassionate feelings weren’t very strong, or that it was difficult to come up with animage that works for you, it may mean that you need more practice to strengthen this image. If feelings
unrelated to compassion popped up (e.g., sadness, guilt, longing, regret, anger, loss, loneliness, etc.), theneither you may need to pick a different person to direct your compassion to, or maybe this isn’t the mosthelpful method for you for generating compassionate feelings. Don’t worry, the next option might be more
useful for you.

Creating the Ultimate Compassionate Image
Relationships are complicated, and some of us may not have people in our life
who we feel pure compassion towards, hence it is hard for us to really benefit
from the imagery exercise we have just covered. If this is the case, then theprevious image may not be effective in triggering pure untainted compassion,
which is really what we are looking for.
Because of this, we often find that this imagery exercise is more useful, as it
involves creating your very own ultimate compassionate image from yourimagination. This fantasy compassionate image can be whatever you want.
There is no right or wrong when it comes to creating your own personalised
image that represents pure compassion. In fact, the actual image you develop is
irrelevant. It doesn’t matter how fanciful or realistic the image is. Remember,
we are just using this image to activate feelings of pure compassion within us, sowhatever image achieves this aim is okay.
Start by closing your eyes and slowing your breath as you are now very familiar
with…
Now, when you think of compassion notice what images, thoughts or feelings arise in you? Don’t try too
hard, just allow whatever is there to be there, or allow things to come and go as they please…
Now allow an image to arise that represents compassion for you. Take your time to develop an image thatsymbolises all the things that go with compassion. If nothing comes immediately, that’s ok, just take yourtime and see what emerges no matter how strange it may seem. It doesn’t have to be a vivid picture, just afelt sense of the image is ok too. If numerous images come up (a bit like a slide show), that’s ok too, we
can see which one you settle on as time goes on.
See if you can start to develop an image that holds warm feelings towards you…
Allow an image that conveys a sense of understanding for you, for your struggles and your feelings…
Allow an image that shows kindness, care and concern for your well-being…
Allow an image that is strong and wise as it supports you…
Allow an image that is completely accepting of you just as you are…
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Now, notice if the image is of a person or not, something real or imagined, an animal, some other being or
an aspect of nature. Is it young or old? Male or female? What colours or light are associated with it?
How does this image make you feel? What physical sensations in your body go with these feelings? Whatfacial expression does the image display towards you? What body posture or stature does it convey
towards you? How does it sound or communicate with you? What things does it say to you? What tone
does it use? What does it do to help or comfort you?
When you feel ready you can let go of the image and open your eyes.
Now have a go at describing your ultimate compassionate image below in words and/or pictures.
My Ultimate Compassionate Image is…(describe in words and/or draw a picture)

Also below note the various experiences that went with this image. How did the image make you feelemotionally and what physical sensations did the image generate within you? What facial expression andbody posture/stature did the image convey? What sorts of advice was the image giving? What voice tone
did the image use? What comforting actions did the image offer?

Emotions: _______________________________________________________________
Physical Sensations: _______________________________________________________
Facial Expression: _________________________________________________________
Body Posture/Stature: _____________________________________________________
Advice: _________________________________________________________________
Voice Tone: ______________________________________________________________
Actions: _________________________________________________________________
When people do this exercise, some automatically bring to mind religious figures or a wise grandparent
who is no longer with them. Keep in mind that for the compassionate image to be truly compassionate,
you need to feel that you could tell it your deepest darkest secrets, thoughts, desires and feelings, and thatthey would not judge you, they would not turn away from you, but instead would accept you
unconditionally. If your image has a judgemental bone in its body or it conjures up feelings other thancompassion, then try the imagery exercise again and shop around for a different image.
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Building Self-Compassion
Creating your ultimate compassionate image will typically take a few attempts. Try to treat this as acreative and fun process. Some people will easily stumble on an image that works for them straight away,
but then when they repeatedly bring the image to mind, it might evolve and change as more detail is added
to enrich the image. Others may struggle to settle on a specific image at the start, and they might try a few
different images on for size before settling on one that works for them. It is ok for this to be a work inprogress that takes some time to fully develop.
My compassionate image is of a large rock, almost a minimountain emerging from a beautiful pool of calm ocean water. My
rock is indented at the top with mossy soft grass, the perfect size
to curl up in and be supported and comforted, and at the sametime standing on the rock looking out gives a sense of strengthand security. I know other people who have developed images ofa wise tree that has been standing for hundreds of years, withsprawling warm green foliage that provides shelter and protection.
Others have created a very wise old woman or man, notsomeone from real life but a fantasy person, who has experienced
all of life and provides unconditional care and support. Others
have an animal as their compassionate image, for example a
steadfast beautiful stallion that is always on their side. Hopefully
from these examples you can see there is no right or wrong, justyour imagination and what works for you in triggering feelings ofcompassion.

My Compassionate Image
By now you have tried two different compassionate images on for size. It is now time to pick the one thatfits best for you and be clear about how you are going to strengthen this image, so that it can be used as aneffective and efficient compassion ‘on’ button when you need it. So first write down which of the two
images you want to use as your compassionate image. Is it your fantasy ultimate compassionate image or isit imagining that special person in your life that you have unconditional compassion for. The choice is yours.
My Compassionate Image is______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Now note how you will practice this image. When will you bring it to mind? How often will you do this?
For how long will you do this?
For now, try to bring this image to mind regularly, daily, and at times when you aren’t struggling. That is,when you aren’t in threat mode, but instead when you are relatively calm. Once you have strengthened
this image and it is effective in sparking compassionate feelings within you, you will then be in a better
position to use it to do the same thing during tough times when we are experiencing emotional pain. Also,
regardless of which image you have chosen, always remember to start your imagery practice with a few
rounds of slow breathing to get you in the mood for compassion.
I will practice my Compassionate Image (when/how often/how long) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Finding other ways to elaborate this image can also be very useful in strengthening the image. By elaborate
we mean doing more than just closing your eyes and bringing it to mind, but finding other ways to make it apart of your life and be regularly reminded of it. This can involve drawing or painting the image, or finding
pictures that represent the image. These can then be carried with you or placed in strategic places so you
see them regularly and when you most need it. Some people find a song that reminds them of their image,and they play the song regularly as a ring tone on their phone or an alarm wake-up call. Some people findobjects that represent the image, like an ornament or piece of jewellery (e.g., pendants, a ring, etc.), to bevery useful reminders that can be on hand at any time.
I will elaborate my Compassionate Image by _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Compassionate Communication
In addition to developing an image that is effective in stimulating compassionate feelings within you, whatelse did you learn from the two imagery exercises you took part in? Each exercise asked you to reflect on
the emotions, physical sensations, facial expression, body posture, advice, voice tone and actions that
tended to accompany compassion. What did you notice across these two exercises about each of theseelements? Did there tend to be some similarities?
Particularly what was the common facial expression, body posture and voice tone when someone wasbeing compassionate?

Facial Expression: _________________________________________________________
Body Posture: ____________________________________________________________
Voice Tone: ______________________________________________________________
People will often note that compassion is accompanied by a soft attentive half-smile; a calm, shoulders-back,head-up stance whilst offering a caring touch; and a warm gentle tone of voice.
When we genuinely feel compassion we will naturally display these things. However, the reverse can also
be true. Research shows that purposely adopting certain facial expressions, body postures and voice tones
can have a big impact on how we feel. So these things can be signs that we are naturally in compassionmode, or can be purposely adopted to switch us into compassion mode when we need it.
Deliberately making the point to adopt a compassionate facial expression, body posture and voice tone
more often in everyday life is another way we can build and enhance the compassionate side of ourselves.
So the next time you are just walking down the street, walking about your house, or looking at yourself inthe mirror, purposely adopt a compassionate facial, body and voice style, choosing to operate like acompassionate person to everyone (and that includes yourself), and projecting this stance to the world
around you.
In essence, sometimes you may need to start by pretending to be compassionate in your outward
appearance, and with enough practice, true feelings of compassion may then grow within you.

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Building Self-Compassion
Module Summary
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Your soothe system has already been activated via your slow breathing practice. However,developing a compassionate image that is capable of stimulating compassionate feelings within you
can take this a step further.
Images are not that unusual, they are just a form of thinking that is very rich in terms of sensory
information (i.e., visual pictures, sounds, touch sensations, tastes, smells).
Research shows that imagery can be very powerful in triggering emotions. Here we want to use
imagery to trigger feelings of compassion.
Two options for developing an image that triggers compassionate feelings are: 1) imagining giving
compassion to another person you care deeply about, or 2) creating your own ultimate
compassionate image. Give both a try to see which works for you.
Once you have a compassionate image, it is important to practice it regularly and elaborate it tomake it a part of your daily life. This way it will become a very effective tool for switchingcompassionate feelings on when you most need them.
Don’t forget to always start your compassionate image with a few rounds of slow breathing first, to
set the scene for some compassion.
Also remember that pretending to be compassionate on the outside via your facial expression,body language and tone of voice, can sometimes trigger feelings of compassion inside.

Coming up next …

In Module 5, we will look at how to
let these compassionate feelings
influence how you think…

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Building Self-Compassion
About The Modules
CONTRIBUTORSDr Lisa Saulsman (MPsych1; PhD2)Centre for Clinical Interventions

Bruce Campbell (MPsych1)
Centre for Clinical Interventions

Dr Adelln Sng (MPsych1; PhD2)Centre for Clinical Interventions
1

Masters of Psychology (Clinical Psychology)2

Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology)

BACKGROUND
The concepts and strategies in these modules have been developed from evidence based psychologicalpractice, primarily Compassion Focused Therapy, which is an extension of and adjunct to CognitiveBehaviour Therapy. These modules particularly draw on the work of Paul Gilbert and Kristen Neff.

REFERENCES
These are some of the professional references that informed the development of modules in thisinformation package.
Gilbert, P. (2009). The Compassionate Mind. Constable: London, UK.
Gilbert. P. (2010). Compassion Focused Therapy: Distinctive Features. Routledge: East Sussex, UK
Gilbert, P. & Choden. (2015). Mindful Compassion: Using the Power of Mindfulness and Compassion to Transform
Our Lives. Robinson: London.
Hackmann, A., Bennett-Levy, J., & Holmes, E. A. (2011). Oxford Guide to Imagery in Cognitive Therapy. New
York: Oxford University Press.
Leaviss, J. & Uttley, L. (2015). Psychotherapeutic benefits of compassion-focused therapy: An earlysystematic review. Psychological Medicine, 45, 927-945
Linehan, M. M. (1993). Skills Training Manual For Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. New York: Guilford
Press.
MacBeth, A. & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between selfcompassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32, 545-552.
Neff, K. (2011). Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself. William Morrow: NY.

“BUILDING SELF-COMPASSION”
This module forms part of:Saulsman, L., Campbell, B., & Sng, A. (2017). Building Self-Compassion: From Self-Criticism to Self-Kindness.
Perth, Western Australia: Centre for Clinical Interventions.
ISBN: 9780987547903

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Created: March 2017

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