Courageous compassion
05 Young Adults Explore Buddhism 2024
Dr. Russell Kolts 
Young Adults Explore Buddhism 2024 
Jun 19, 2024 A talk given to participants of the Young Adults Explore Buddhism program at Sravasti Abbey in the summer of 2024
- Introduction to Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)
- “Does it make sense that I would struggle with this?”
- The connection between emotions and threat regulation systems
- Feeling connected to others increases our sense of safeness
- Questions and answers:
- Is it true you can’t feel gratitude and stress at the same time?
- Does only one threat regulation system activate at a time?
- What are your thoughts on reincarnation?
- What is the difference between equanimity and detachment?
- Do monastics practice being securely attached?
- How can you cope in environments that trigger stress responses?
Dr. Russell Kolts
Russell L. Kolts is a clinical psychologist and professor at Eastern Washington University outside of Spokane, WA. Dr. Kolts completed his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Mississippi in 1999. He is the author of The Compassionate Mind Guide to Managing Your Anger, Living with an Open Heart: How to Cultivate Compassion in Everyday Life (with Thubten Chodron), and, with Dennis Tirch & Laura Silberstein, the forthcoming Buddhist Psychology and CBT: A Practitioners Guide. Dr. Kolts regularly conducts trainings and workshops on Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), as well as on mindfulness and compassion practices. His professional interests lie primarily in the application of CFT and mindfulness approaches to individuals suffering from problematic anger, trauma, mood, and attachment-related difficulties. Kolts has published and presented research in diverse areas such as positive psychology, PTSD, psychopharmacology, mindfulness, and compassion. In his personal life, Dr. Kolts enjoys family time, reading, meditation, outdoor activities, and listening to and playing music.
