A journey with self-compassion : exploring self-compassion within the context of the Christian faith

Despite the spiritual roots of self-compassion, the impact of spirituality on the development of self-compassion has not been widely explored. The listening guide method and autoethnography were combined to explore the lived experience of self-compassion from a Christian faith perspective. The participant co-researchers’ narratives revealed three categories of voices. The voices of shame and criticism included oppression, internalized oppression, and judgment. These voices appeared as the participants discussed what makes self-compassion difficult. The voices of love and acceptance included connection, unity, openness, and warmth. Together, these voices were used as participants discussed their experiences of self-compassion. Finally, the voices of resistance included the voices of struggle and advocacy. These voices appeared to facilitate the development of self-compassion. This study offers a deeper understanding of the natural development of self-compassion and of how the Christian faith may facilitate or hinder self-compassion. Implications for counsellors, pastors, and future research are discussed.