A whole new world : journey towards self-compassion : how do individuals who struggle with eating difficulties experience self-compassion following an eight-week compassionate mind group?

Objective This research explored the experience of self-compassion in women with eating difficulties who completed an eight-week compassionate mind training group. Background Research that examines self-compassion has mainly focused on the general population and the methods utilised mainly involve quantitative methodologies, such as questionnaires or surveys. Therefore, it appeared important to conduct this research by exploring participants’ lived experiences. Methods To collect data, semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven women between the ages of 25 and 51 years old. All participants were fluent in English and they had participated in the therapy group one to three years prior to taking part in this research. Results During the analysis stage four superordinate themes were developed: “A Whole New World – Journey towards discovering and describing self-compassion”, “It’s a Long Way To The Top – Journey towards finding self compassion”, “Journey For Life – Journey towards integrating self-compassion in life” and “A Trouble Shared Is a Trouble Halved – The experience of being in therapy group”. Each of these themes encompasses three sub-themes. The analysis of the data represents my understanding and interpretation of the participants’ lived experiences. Conclusion These themes were further discussed in relation to the literature and attempts were made to explore how compassionate mind therapy could be introduced in the treatment of eating disorders. The findings of this study provide some insight for Counselling Psychologists and other mental health practitioners that work with individuals suffering with eating disorders.