MSC-Courses in Berlin & online
Learning Self-Compassion
As a “Certified Teacher” I teach meditation, mindfulness and self-compassion in English and German. The core offering is the MSC course “Mindful Self-Compassion” (MSC), which is available as a long 8-week course format (MSC) as well as a 6-week short program (SC-MSC-). Together with other teachers, I also offer various workshops on the topic of self-compassion.
Due to the Corona pandemic, some of these courses currently take place ONLINE on the video platform ZOOM. Please check out the course pages to learn which MSC courses and meditation retreats are offered online and in presence personally on site in Berlin and surrounding areas.
Courses ❋ MSC & The 3 Doors
How to learn self-compassion
The Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) course was developed by Kristin Neff, a researcher and pioneer in the field of self-compassion, and Christopher Germer, PhD, a clinical psychologist in private practice. The MSC course, in a 6- or 8-week format, allows participants to learn self-compassion in a supportive small-group setting.
Participants benefit from sharing with others in the group and applying the practices in daily life. Effective, practical, easy-to-use exercises for everyday life are taught that help to:
- alleviate stress,
- overcome self-criticism,
- motivate ourselves with kindness
- host difficult emotions such as anger, fear and sadness with mindful awareness and compassion
- and gain emotional resilience.
MSC is a mindfulness-based compassion training. It can be therapeutic, but is not psychotherapy. The focus of the course is to strengthen the resources within us that we need to cope well with old and new emotional challenges.
To feel true compassion for others, we first need a foundation ourselves on which to cultivate compassion. This foundation consists of the ability to connect with one’s own feelings and care for one’s own well-being. Compassion for others requires compassion for oneself.
His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso
What is self-compassion?
For most of us, it is easier to give compassion to others than to ourselves. Self-compassion means approaching yourself with as much kindness and respect as you would show a loved one or loved being. It is an ability that is inherent in all of us by nature. Sometimes it is not fully developed because of difficult childhood experiences, our own or society’s perfectionistic demands, or deep shame that masks other feelings. Everyone can rediscover and learn self-compassion, even when the habit of treating oneself unkindly is deeply ingrained and it feels unfamiliar at first to treat oneself in a loving way.
In research, MSC has been shown to lead to significant increases in self-compassion, compassion for others, mindfulness and life satisfaction, as well as a significant decrease in depression, anxiety and stress. It may even help maintain healthy lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise. The improvements depended on how much and how often individuals had practiced in their daily lives. Each of us can learn to be kinder and more compassionate with ourselves.
Certified Teacher
Convinced of the healing power of meditation, I completed a teacher training in mindfulness and self-compassion (MSC – Mindful Self-Compassion) in 2015 and have been fully certified by UC San Diego – School of Medicine, Center for Mindfulness in 2022. In courses and workshops I regularly teach meditation, mindfulness and self-compassion as a “MSC Certified Teacher” in German and in English..
