Professor Paul Gilbert is a Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Derby, a Visiting Professor at the University of Queensland, and the founder of Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT). For more than 40 years, he has combined research into the evolutionary foundations of mental health with clinical work as a Consultant Clinical Psychologist. He also founded the Compassionate Mind Foundation in 2006 to promote the scientific understanding and application of compassion.

Professor Gilbert is regarded as one of the world's leading authorities on compassion, shame, self-criticism and mental wellbeing. In this conversation, we explore the evolutionary origins of the human mind, why we suffer psychologically, the science of compassion, consciousness, intelligence, shame, self-compassion, and what modern psychology still needs to understand about the human condition.

00:00 – What Is the Human Mind Actually For?

10:12 – Why Can Humans End Up Hating Themselves

16:56 – Have We Underestimated How Social the Human Mind Is?

20:26 – Is Modern Life Mismatched to the Human Brain?

25:52 – Why Mental Health Depends on Psychological Flexibility

31:15 – Does Greater Intelligence Mean Greater Suffering?

33:15 – Is Consciousness Inherently Painful?

38:29 – The Evolutionary Origins of Shame

44:10 – What Compassion Really Is (It's Not Just Kindness)

54:06 – Can Compassion Defeat Hatred?

58:43 – Why Self-Compassion Is So Difficult

1:06:18 – What Future Psychologists Must Understand About the Mind

Connect with us:

https://freedompact.co.uk/newsletter​ (Healthy, Wealthy & Wise Newsletter)

https://www.Instagram.com/freedompactpod

https://www.twitter.com/freedompactpod Email: freedompact@gmail.com (business enquiries, guest suggestions, appreciation, feedback, and anything else)

Resources from Professor Paul Gilbert:

The Compassionate Mind Foundation:

The Compassionate Mind Foundation promotes the scientific understanding and practical application of compassion to improve mental health and wellbeing. It offers workshops, training, educational resources and information about Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT).

https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk**

Support the Compassionate Mind Foundation**If you found this conversation valuable, please consider supporting the Foundation's work through a donation:

https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/donationLearn more about Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

Evolution and Compassion Focused Therapy:

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.586161/full

The Evolution of Care and Share versus Control and Holdhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.582090/full

Evolution-Informed Compassion-Focused Therapy and Buddhist Approaches to Insight Meditation

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12671-023-02141-4

Meta-analysis of Compassion Focused Therapy:

Petrocchi et al. (2023): *The Impact of Compassion Focused Therapy on Positive and Negative Mental Health Outcomes.

Professor Paul Gilbert's Talks:

Creating a Compassionate World: https://www.compassionatemind.co.uk/creating-a-compassionate-world

Evolutionary Foundations of Compassion Focused Therapy (Royal College of Psychiatrists)https://youtu.be/swwFEKWoxHg

A Disorder for Everyone (AD4E): https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ufp2FxoFhYQ&feature=youtu.beAdditional Resources:

The Voices Withinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRqI4lxuXAwOpen-access paperhttps://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00152/full