Compassion - Bangor University

Compassion
Philippe Goldin
University of California Davis
Just See Others
Compassion
"I feel the capacity to care is the thing which gives
life its deepest significance." – Pablo Casals
Context
• Latin root com- + pati (to bear, suffer)
• One of the "four immeasurables"
(brahmavihāras)
– Equanimity
– Love
– Compassion (free from suffering and its causes)
– Sympathetic joy
• Mental state or emotion?
(Jazaieri et al., under review, Goldin & Jazaieri, under
review; Goetz, Keltner, & Simon-Thomas, 2010)
Definitions
• “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress
together with a desire to alleviate it”
(Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2015)
• "mental state - endowed with a sense of
concern - that focuses on another being and
wishes for that being to be relieved of
suffering" (Jinpa, 2010)
• 3 interdependent experiential modes“
– attentional and affective
– cognitive (intention and insight)
– physical (embodied and engaged) (Halifax, 2012)
Multidimensional perspective
Cognitive: an awareness of suffering
(cognitive/attentional component)
Affective: sympathetic concern related to being
emotionally moved by suffering
Intention: a wish to see the relief of that
suffering
Motivation: a readiness to help relieve that
suffering
(Jinpa, 2010)
Neural Bases of
Understanding Others’ Pain
• Cognitive
perspective taking
- mental representation
of other; social cognition
• Empathy
- in responses to pain,
disgust, taste, and touch
- emotion, sensation
Hein, Singer, Current Opinion in Neurobiology. 2008
Imitation in Infants
Meltzoff, AN, Moore MK. Imitation of facial and manual gestures by human
neonates. Science, 1977;198.
Frontoparietal “Mirror” Neuron
System for Imitation



Observation of an action automatically triggers simulation of
that action
Premotor cortical neurons fire during goal-directed actions
as well as during observation of similar actions
Neural bases of imitation and empathy (inner imitation)
Iacoboni, Dapretto, 2006, Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 7, 942-951.
Gallese V, The manifold nature of interpersonal relations; the quest for a common mechanisms. In Frith C,
ed, The Neuroscience of Social Interaction, Oxford Univ. Press, 2003
Just Like Me
Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT)
• Stabilizing the mind
• Compassion
• Shared Humanity
Manual written by
Geshe Thupten Jinpa, PhD
With contributions from:
Erika Rosenberg, Ph.D.
• Active compassion
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.
– giving and taking (tong-len)
Margaret Cullen, M.F.T.
• Integrated Practice
Philippe Goldin, Ph.D.
Wiveka Ramel, Ph.D.
Class structure: practice,
pedagogy, experiential exercise,
moistening the heart
RCT of Compassion Training
• 100 community adults randomized to CCT
(n=60) and WL (n=40)
• Completers CCT (n=50) and WL (n=30)
• Age:
CCT: 42 ± 11 WL: 45 ± 13
• Females:
CCT: 65%
WL: 83%
• Instructors:
– 16.5 ± 7.8 years personal meditation
experience
– 9.0 ± 2.8 years meditation teaching
– PhD in psychology
Offer to other,
receive from other,
give to self
Three orientations of compassion
relative to Person A (Self)
For Other
From Other
to Self
For Self
Improvement Pre-to-Post-CCT:
Fear of Compassion Scale (FCS) & Self-Compassion Scale (SCS)
Paul Gilbert
Kristin Neff
*
*
*
*
* p<.001
(minutes)
Daily Experience Sampling
• Two assessments per day
– 1x morning, 1x evening
– 11 weeks
• 1 week baseline
• 9-weeks Compassion Training
• 1 week post
• Up to 144 measurements
in total per person
• Multilevel modeling (MLM)
approach to examine change
over time
Emotional Experience
5.5
p<.01
5.0
4.5
4.0
Anxious
Calm
Fatigued
3.5
Alert
3.0
p<.01
2.5
Caring Behaviors Towards Self
Caring for Self
0.775
Probability
0.77
0.765
0.76
0.755
0.75
0.745
0.74
0.735
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Week
> Overall, no sig. change from week-to-week (p>.05)
> But sig. slope variance: People vary in their week-to-week caring for self (p<.01)
Caring Behaviors
Towards Others
Caring for Others
0.76
Probability
0.75
0.74
0.73
0.72
0.71
0.7
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Week
> Slightly more likely to care for others over time (1.03 times as likely).
Odds increase by 3% each week. (p=.058)
> Sig. slope variance: People vary in their week-to-week caring for others (p<.01)
Probability of Caring Behaviors as a Function of
Meditation Practice Frequency
1
p(Care for Others)
p(Care for Self)
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Frequency of Practice
Self-care behavior is 6.5
times more likely with greater
meditation practice frequency
(p<.01)
1
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
Frequency of Practice
Other-care behavior is 3.5
times more likely with greater
meditation practice frequency
(p<.01)
1
Daily anxiety mediated effect of
meditation on caring behaviors
Feel anxious
yes / no
Meditation
practice
yes / no
Caring
behavior for
self / other
Yes / no
Compassion Meditation
Modifies Mind Wandering
0.4
p(Post-Training
Mind Wandering)
0.35
Pleasant
0.3
0.25
Unpleasant
0.2
Neutral
0.15
0.1
0.05
0
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Hours of Compassion Meditation Practice
Self-caring behavior is 6.5 times more
likely if a person meditated (p<.01)
p(Care for Self)
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
p(Meditation Practice)
0.8
0.9
1
Other-caring behavior is 3.5 times more
likely if a person meditated (p<.01)
p(Care for Others)
1
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
p(Meditation Practice)
0.8
0.9
1
Weekly Experiencing Sampling
Ba
se
lin
e
Se
ss
io
n
1
Se
ss
io
n
2
Se
ss
io
n
3
Se
ss
io
n
4
Se
ss
io
n
5
Se
ss
io
n
6
Se
ss
io
n
7
Se
ss
io
n
8
Se
ss
io
n9
Po
st
Cl
as
s
3
Mo
FU
Anticipatory Anxiety
RCT of CCT, n=92
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
Anxiety During Social Interactions
RCT of CCT, n=92
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
Baseline Session Session Session Session Session Session Session Session Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Post 3 Mo FU
Class
Stress Disrupts Functioning
RCT of CCT 9-sessions, n=92
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
Baseline Session Session Session Session Session Session Session Session Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Post
Class
3 Mo FU
Suppress Showing Emotions
RCT of CCT, n=92
50
45
40
35
30
25
20
Baseline Session Session Session Session Session Session Session Session Session
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Post
Class
3 Mo FU
Summary of CCT Effects
• Compassion
– ↑ self, other, receiving from others
– ↑ practice --> ↑ self & other caring
behaviors
• Clinical
– ↓ anxiety & stress
• Emotion Regulation
– ↓ maladaptive emotion expression
suppression
– ↑ care, help, giving time to others
Thank you for your attention
Contact:
pgoldin@ucdavis.edu
YouTube talks:
Neuroscience of Mindfulness Meditation
Neuroscience of Emotion
Wisdom 2.0
Science Café SF
NerdNite SF