Compassion's COMPASS: Strategies for Developing Insight, Kindness, and Empathy

by Wilson C. Hurley

Compassion's COMPASS: Strategies for Developing Kindness and Insight offers a systematic approach to developing compassionate insight that has been adapted from Tibetan mind training strategies, secularized for modern audiences, and supplemented with relevant research, anecdotes, and exercises in accessible language. This book contains easy exercises for regaining composure, boosting compassionate insight, preventing compassion fatigue, and maintaining compassion resilience. "COMPASS" is an acronym for "Compassion and Analytical Selective-Focus Skills". Selective-focus skills suggest contemplations that can help to generate and enhance compassionate insight. These exercises follow an "emotional logic" in which one step produces a basis for cultivating the next. These skill steps are broken down in detail within each section of the book containing a discussion of the purpose of the skill being presented, supporting research for it, examples of its use, and short exercises for the reader to try in order to cultivate and enhance it. These techniques have been piloted with social workers and therapists-in-training. Details of these pilot studies are included along with a handbook for helping professionals in the prevention and healing of compassion fatigue. The exercises that are presented in each chapter are also compiled in order for easy use in the handbook in back of the book.

266 pages, Paperback

Published September 29, 2021

Reviews

[Mary Keehan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot say enough good things about this book. Over the past few years I have been working on shifting my focus from myself to the people around me and the world as a whole. I have been hobbling along on my own and this book feels like being given a map to my destination. Each practice is broken down so simply and the book is organized in a way that allows you to build on your practice until you are comfortable doing them all together. The author addresses potential difficulties and suggests how to work through them. On the whole this is a practical, non-judgemental, and accessible introduction to developing compassion and applying compassionate thought and action in your everyday life. I have a lot of work to do to fully implement all the concepts in the book but it definitely feels possible now to have compassion for myself and others be more present in my daily life. I would highly recommend this book.