Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Kindness Begins with Yourself: Strategies to Engage Medical Trainees in Self-Compassion

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Humanism and Resilience in Residency Training

  • 769 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter aims to expand upon the foundation of knowledge around self-compassion gained from Chap. 2, by helping the resident physician assess and reflect upon how they may offer kindness to themselves, and guide them in building upon this integral value. Practices that promote and foster self-compassion, kindness, and acceptance are reviewed. The reader is encouraged to explore these, discovering how this may help in coping with the stressors inherent to medicine and learning how such tools can be integrated into their lives and busy schedules. With ongoing practice and by adapting the tools to suit their own needs and preferences, residents may gradually feel more comfortable in becoming their own compassion leader.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 79.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Coulter A. Patients’ views of the good doctor: doctors have to earn patients’ trust. BMJ. 2002;325(7366):668–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  2. Sadati AK, Iman MT, Lankarani KB, Ebrahimzadeh N. From good to great physician: acritical ethnography based on patients’ views. J Med Ethics Hist Med. 2016;9:18.

    Google Scholar 

  3. O’Donnabhain R, Friedman ND. What makes a good doctor? Intern Med J. 2018;48:879–82.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Billings ME, Lazarus ME, Wenrich M, Randall Curtis J, Engelberg RA. The effect of the hidden curriculum on resident burnout and cynicism. J Grad Med Educ. 2011;3(4):503–10.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Neff K. Self-compassion and psychological well-being. Construct Hum Sci. 2004;9(2):27–37.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Sinclair S, Kondejewski J, Raffin-Bouchal S, King-Shier KM, Singh P. Can self-compassion promote healthcare provider well-being and compassionate care to others? Results of a systematic review. Appl Psychol Health Well-Being. 2017;9(2):168–208.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Neff K, Germer C. The mindful self-compassion workbook. New York: The Guilford Press; 2018.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Germer C, Neff K. Mindful self-compassion course handout booklet. Center for Mindful Self-Compassion: San Diego, CA; 2017.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Neff K. The self-compassion scale is a valid and theoretically coherent measure of self-compassion. Mindfulness. 2015; https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-015-0479-3.

  10. Singh NN, Wahler RG, Adkins AD, Myers RE, Mindfulness Research Group. Soles of the feet: a mindfulness-based self-control intervention for aggression in an individual with mild mental retardation and mental illness. Res Dev Disabil. 2003;24(3):158–69.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Uvnas-Moberg K, Handlin L, Petersson M. Self-soothing behaviours with particular reference to oxytocin release induced by non-noxious sensory stimulation. Front Psychol. 2014;5:1529. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2014.01529. eCollection 2014.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Tierney R. The power of touch. The Telegraph [Internet]. 2016, March 18 [cited 2019 Nov 6]; Life and Style:[about 3p.]. Available from: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/beauty/skin/youthful-vitality/the-power-of-touch/.

  13. Neff K, Germer C. Self-compassion and psychological wellbeing. In: Seppälä EM, Simon-Thomas E, Brown SL, Worline MC, Daryl Cameron C, Doty J, editors. Oxford handbook of compassion science. New York: Oxford University Press; 2017. p. 371–86.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Riley GJ. Understanding the stresses and strains of being a doctor. Med J Aust. 2004;187(3):350–3.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Ross S, Liu EL, Rose C, Chou A, Battaglioli N. Strategies to enhance wellness in emergency medicine residency training programs. Ann Emerg Med. 2017;70(6):891–7.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Dyrbye L, Shanafelt T. A narrative review on burnout experienced by medical students and residents. Med Educ. 2016;50(1):132–49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Tonarelli A, Cosentino C, Artioli D, et al. Expressive writing. A tool to help health workers. Research project on the benefits of expressive writing. Acta Biomed. 2017;88(5S):13–21.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  18. Villwock JA, Sobin LB, Koester LA, Harris TM. Impostor syndrome and burnout among American medical students: a pilot study. Int J Med Educ. 2016;7:364–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  19. Riess H. The science of empathy. J Patient Exp. 2017;4(2):74–7.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  20. Singer T, Lamm C. The social neuroscience of empathy. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2009;1156:81–96.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Klimecki O, Singer T. Empathic distress fatigue rather than compassion fatigue? Integrating findings from empathy research in psychology and social neuroscience. In: Oakley B, Knafo A, Madhavan G, Sloan Wilson D, editors. Pathological altruism. New York: Oxford University Press; 2012. p. 368–83.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Sinclair S, Beamer K, Hack TF, McClement S, Raffin Bouchal S, Chochinov HM, Hagen NA. Sympathy, empathy, and compassion: a grounded theory study of palliative care patients’ understandings, experiences, and preferences. Palliat Med. 2017;31(5):437–47.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Way D, Tracy SJ. Conceptualizing compassion as recognizing, relating and (re)acting: a qualitative study of compassionate communication at hospice. Commun Monogr. 2012;79:292–315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Gilbert P. Choden. Mindful compassion: using the power of mindfulness and compassion to transform our lives. Constable &Robinson: London; 2013.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Singer T, Klimecki OM. Empathy and compassion. Curr Biol. 2014;24(18):R875–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Thompson A. [@medicineinmichigan]. Last day of my peds acute care clinic month = one step closer to wearing my long coat for real! ∗truth bomb∗ behind the confidence that my @medelita_gramcoat gives me is a slew of ‘failures.’ We don’t talk about failure often in a concrete way, because many of us are embarrassed. Today I’m here to share my failures [Instagram photo]. 2018 [cited 2019 Nov 1]. Available from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Ben0WuOFHfK/.

  27. Robinson KJ, Mayer S, Batts Allen A, Terry M, Chilton A, Leary MR. Resisting self-compassion: why are some people opposed to being kind to themselves? Self Identity. 2016;15(5):505–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Lambert K. (2014). Backdraft: Fire science and firefighting, a literature review [master’s dissertation on the internet]. EU: Erasmus Mundus Programme; 2013. [cited 2019 Nov 6]. Available from: http://www.cfbt-be.com/images/artikelen/LAMBERT_backdraft.pdf.

  29. Germer CK, Neff K. Self-compassion in clinical practice. J Clin Psychol. 2013;69(8):856–67.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Tara Riddell

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Joanna Jarecki

Authors
  1. Tara Riddell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Joanna Jarecki
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tara Riddell .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, Division of Geriatric Psychiatry, Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Ana Hategan

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Karen Saperson

  3. McMaster Children’s Hospital, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Sheila Harms

  4. Faculty of Health Sciences, McMaster University, Department of Family Medicine, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Heather Waters

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Riddell, T., Jarecki, J. (2020). Kindness Begins with Yourself: Strategies to Engage Medical Trainees in Self-Compassion. In: Hategan, A., Saperson, K., Harms, S., Waters, H. (eds) Humanism and Resilience in Residency Training. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45627-6_15

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-45627-6_15

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-45626-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-45627-6

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation