Towards enhanced self-compassion and awareness of common humanity: An empirical study of experiential Gestalt workshops

This study emerged out of this author's profound awareness of a uniquely human paradox: how our extraordinary human longing for love, creativity and connectedness coexists with our equally astonishing human capacity for self-judgment and self-other alienation, all too often perpetuated by powerful cultural conditions of worth, in this broader context, this study identifies the problem of self alienation and self-other disconnection as the root cause of much unnecessary human sufferings, and offers one possible solution based on an integration of the psychological literature on self-compassion, empathy and experiential Gestalt psychotherapy.;All study hypotheses were confirmed, with the exception of the last, descriptive hypothesis which was only partially confirmed. This implies that there is real credibility to linking Gestalt experiential workshops with the literature on the evocation of empathic experiences, and the experience of Self Compassion. Existing and ongoing research has already established strong relationship between the experience of self compassion and psychological wellbeing. This study builds on these findings and is solidly rooted in an established, growing body of literature to further enhance our knowledge of the particular phenomenological processes that can contribute to the enhancement of one's sense of self compassion and collective wellbeing.;Given some of the limitations of the study, including its sample size and uncontrolled nature, further research is needed to support the study hypotheses. This study constitutes a valuable step in that direction, and hopefully one that will inspire further research to develop therapies that promote compassionate attitudes toward self and other.;Specifically, this study contributes to the literature on self compassion by suggesting that a particular, well-known and available therapeutic experience, the intensive Gestalt workshop, constitutes an effective way to empower human beings to relate to themselves and others with greater empathic compassion as well as to connect more closely with each other. This study suggests that there is a close link between the experience of 'self compassion' (as defined by Neff, 2003a), human connectedness or 'awareness of common humanity', and 'empathy'; and that intensive Gestalt therapeutic workshops allow for these links to authentically emerge in the context of a profoundly social therapeutic experience.