About this Research Topic
Over the last two decades, there has been a remarkable increase in compassion-based research and interventions encompassing compassion for others and self-compassion, aiming to improve psychological well-being and general health. Though related constructs, they are able to exert distinct effects on psychological health. Evidence suggests that increased self-compassion and reduced fear of self-compassion are associated with less PTSD symptomatology; in addition, increased self-compassion is associated with higher vagally mediated heart rate variability, reduced self-coldness and with a mitigation of stress and symptoms of burnout in healthcare professionals. Despite these positive findings, the precise mechanism of these protective effects is unknown. Additional efforts and multidisciplinary studies are needed to elucidate these mechanisms.
With this Research Topic, we aim at overcoming these limitations by inviting theoretical and empirical contributions targeting neuroscientific and psychophysiological advances as well as clinical applications of self-compassion protocols to clinical populations (e.g., psychopathology) and to healthcare professionals. We encourage an integrative approach aimed at combining neuroscientific knowledge (stemmed from investigation of the neurophysiological and neurobiological effects of self-compassion protocols) with clinical knowledge (stemmed from the acknowledgment of effective self-compassion protocols) in order to identify effective trainings for clinical or professional populations. An integrative approach will be able to gain new insights in the phenomena under study, and to open new avenues for interdisciplinary self-compassion research.
We welcome contributions focusing on the different neuroscientific levels of self-compassion (e.g. genetic/epigenetic, neural, behavioral, psychophysiological) or specific protocols whose efficacy is evaluated in specific clinical or healthcare professional populations. Potential contributions may:
• Discuss approaches combining parasympathetic and sympathetic measures of autonomic nervous system, as well as cardiorespiratory coupling (e.g., respiratory sinus arrhythmia), at investigating self-compassion;
• Submit investigations of neural networks recruited by self-compassion protocols and discuss them in light of vagally-mediated mechanisms;
• Theoretically or empirically discuss the potential activation of self-compassion mechanisms by psychotherapeutic approach (e.g., Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing);
• Empirical evaluations of self-compassion protocols in specific clinical (e.g., PTSD, OCD) or healthcare professional populations.
Articles in the form of Original Research, Reviews and Perspectives related to the above topics will be considered in this Research Topic.
With this Research Topic, we aim at overcoming these limitations by inviting theoretical and empirical contributions targeting neuroscientific and psychophysiological advances as well as clinical applications of self-compassion protocols to clinical populations (e.g., psychopathology) and to healthcare professionals. We encourage an integrative approach aimed at combining neuroscientific knowledge (stemmed from investigation of the neurophysiological and neurobiological effects of self-compassion protocols) with clinical knowledge (stemmed from the acknowledgment of effective self-compassion protocols) in order to identify effective trainings for clinical or professional populations. An integrative approach will be able to gain new insights in the phenomena under study, and to open new avenues for interdisciplinary self-compassion research.
We welcome contributions focusing on the different neuroscientific levels of self-compassion (e.g. genetic/epigenetic, neural, behavioral, psychophysiological) or specific protocols whose efficacy is evaluated in specific clinical or healthcare professional populations. Potential contributions may:
• Discuss approaches combining parasympathetic and sympathetic measures of autonomic nervous system, as well as cardiorespiratory coupling (e.g., respiratory sinus arrhythmia), at investigating self-compassion;
• Submit investigations of neural networks recruited by self-compassion protocols and discuss them in light of vagally-mediated mechanisms;
• Theoretically or empirically discuss the potential activation of self-compassion mechanisms by psychotherapeutic approach (e.g., Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing);
• Empirical evaluations of self-compassion protocols in specific clinical (e.g., PTSD, OCD) or healthcare professional populations.
Articles in the form of Original Research, Reviews and Perspectives related to the above topics will be considered in this Research Topic.
Keywords: self-compassion, neuroscience, vagus nerve, EMDR, psychopathology, healthcare professionals, protocol
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
