Growing Courage, Healing Shame, and Overcoming Fears of Compassion with Dr. Marcela Matos

Shame is a universal experience, but according to Dr. Marcela Matos’s research, it can be mitigated with compassion. In this episode, Dr. Marcela Matos shares her research on shame, common fears of self-compassion, and how to grow your compassionate mind to navigate life’s inevitable stressors better. Dr. Matos also guides us through a compassionate mind training and shares how she is applying her research to school settings. Listen in to cultivate a version of you that is wise, strong, and capable of responding to adversity.

Listen and Learn:

• What is compassion

• What is shame

• The importance of embodying compassion

• The evolutionary function of compassion

• Shame as a second-order emotion

• Defenses to shame

• The two primary buffers to shame

• The flow of giving compassion, receiving compassion, and self-compassion

• Fears of self-compassion

• Marcela’s 21 country research study on compassion and COVID

• A compassion practice you can do right now

• Compassion in schools

About Marcela Matos

Dr Marcela Matos is a Clinical Psychologist and Auxiliary Researcher at the Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive and Behavioral Intervention (CINEICC), University of Coimbra, Portugal. For over 15 years, Dr. Matos' research and clinical interests relate to evolutionary clinical psychology, compassion focused therapy, contextual behavioral therapies and contemplative approaches. She has extensively researched compassion, shame experiences and memories, their traumatic qualities and centrality to personal identity, and their association to mental health difficulties. Currently, her main research focus is on applying and testing the efficacy of compassion-focused group interventions in promoting mental and physical well-being in several populations, and investigating their impact on epigenetic mechanisms and physiological stress responses, and has been the lead on a global research project exploring the protective role of compassion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Matos has published over 80 international peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on the topics of compassion, shame, self-criticism, emotional regulation, psychopathology and well-being, covering a diverse host of clinical and non-clinical populations. She has authored over 180 scientific communications presented at international scientific conferences. She is an affiliate member of the Compassionate Mind Foundation, founding and executive board member of the Global Compassion Coalition and member of the Portuguese Association for Mindfulness.

Related Resources

• Become a MORE Life in Process member to support the show.

• Find out what kind of Striver you are and get your free Skillful Striving Toolkit

• Want to learn more about ACT? Take Diana's on-demand course Foundations of ACT

• Read Diana’s Psychology Today Blog On What is Compassion and Why Should We Care?

• Research articles mentioned in this podcast:

  • How One Experiences and Embodies Compassionate Mind Training Influences Its Effectiveness

  • Fears of compassion magnify the harmful effects of threat of COVID-19 on mental health and social safeness across 21 countries

  • Nurturing compassion in schools: A randomized controlled trial of the effectiveness of a Compassionate Mind Training program for teachers

  • Watch Diana’s interview with Paul Gilbert, Compassionate Mind Foundation Founder

  • Your Life in Process: How To Use Polyvagal Theory To Retune Your Nervous System and Feel Safe Enough To Be Yourself With Stephen Porges

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Remember when you become psychologically flexible, you become free.