The Compassionate Kitbag: A creative and integrative approach to compassion-focused therapy.

PURPOSE: This paper outlines the concept of the 'Compassionate Kitbag', a novel multi-sensory-based means of helping draw together the various elements of compassionate mind training and processes within compassion-focused therapy (CFT), to help clients cultivate and facilitate their capacities for compassion. Building on the work of Lucre and Corten (2013, Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 86, 387), this is the first published work exploring this concept and the theoretical underpinnings, with a specific focus on how this can be used to support people with attachment and relational trauma. METHODS: A narrative review of the literature on multi-sensory stimulation in facilitating people's capacities for compassion was conducted, coupled with a review of the literature of the use of non-human and transitional objects as explained by attachment theory and the broader scientific research underpinning the CFT model. RESULTS: Clinical examples of how to use the Compassionate Kitbag to help stimulate compassionate therapeutic processes demonstrate the benefits of and how to begin utilizing this approach in compassion-focused work with clients with complex needs. CONCLUSIONS: The Compassionate Kitbag's potential therapeutic value lies in offering multifarious creative and tangible means of accessing compassion to a wide range of individuals whom are typically fearful of, blocked, and/or resistant to compassion. Further research into the wider application of the concept of the Compassionate Kitbag is needed. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Many patients with ruptured and/or traumatized early attachment relationships can find more traditional talking therapies difficult to access. Compassion-focused therapy (CFT) can offer an evolutionary-based understanding of interpersonal difficulties which can be helpful for such patients. Creatively harnessing and utilizing multi-sensory and non-linguistic social signals in CFT is key to exercising the care-giving and care-receiving social mentalities that facilitate compassionate flow. There is considerable evidence to support the use of a multi-sensory component to the therapeutic work to help patients cultivate and facilitate their capacities for compassion. The Compassionate Kitbag can be a way of supporting patients to create concrete representations of compassion in the context of the compassionate mind training component of the therapeutic work. Some of these objects can become transitional objects which can aid the therapeutic work.

The role of shame in the development and maintenance of psychological distress in adults with intellectual disabilities: A narrative review and synthesis.

BACKGROUND: The role of shame in the development and maintenance of psychological distress in adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities has been relatively under-researched. This study provides a review of diverse current research that has implicitly or explicitly investigated shame processes in this population in some form. METHODS: A narrative review of the literature was undertaken. An electronic search of four databases identified 17 studies that met the eligibility criteria. RESULTS: Findings indicate that individuals with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities may experience difficulties with both external and internal shame, which appear to be related to increased psychological distress. Experiences of being shamed may significantly negatively impact on self-to-self and other self-relating, processes of social comparison, subsequent self-worth and emotional well-being. CONCLUSION: Shame may be a contributory factor in the development and maintenance of psychological distress and subsequent mental health issues in some adults with mild-to-moderate intellectual disabilities.

'Finding the person you really are on the inside': Compassion focused therapy for adults with intellectual disabilities.

This study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine the feasibility and acceptability of group compassion focused therapy for adults with intellectual disabilities (CFT-ID). Six participants with mild ID participated in six sessions of group CFT, specifically adapted for adults with ID. Session-by-session feasibility and acceptability measures suggested that participants understood the group content and process and experienced group sessions and experiential practices as helpful and enjoyable. Thematic analysis of focus groups identified three themes relating to (1) direct experiences of the group, (2) initial difficulties in being self-compassionate and (3) positive emotional changes. Pre- and post-group outcome measures indicated significant reductions in both self-criticism and unfavourable social comparisons. Results suggest that CFT can be adapted for individuals with ID and provide preliminary evidence that people with ID and psychological difficulties may experience a number of benefits from this group intervention.