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Many people struggle with self-compassion, especially if they have a trauma history.

Self-compassion is a skill that can be learned with effortful practice.

Self-compassion can help with psychological problems like chronic anxiety, depression, or low self-esteem.

When you're having a rough time, how do you react? Are you kind, patient, and accepting, recognising that you're human and struggle sometimes, like every other person on this planet? Or do you get frustrated, berating yourself for failing—yet again!—and not measuring up? Sadly, many of us respond in the second way, treating ourselves with harshness and annoyance, rather than kindness and warmth.

This is especially true for those of us with a trauma history, because one of the heartbreaking legacies of childhood trauma is often a loud, harsh, and aggressive inner critic—the part that's laser-focused on everything you say or do, constantly seeking fault. Having this powerful, denigratory voice in your head makes it very hard to respond with perhaps the most important skill we can learn for our mental health: self-compassion.

Research-backed superpower

I devote a whole chapter of my new book, Heal Your Trauma: How to Overcome a Painful Childhood to Become Happy and Whole Again, to self-compassion, because as a trauma therapist, I see so many of my........

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