kristin neff

Kristin Neff is an American psychologist and researcher best known for her pioneering work on self-compassion. Her research defines self-compassion as having three core components: self-kindness rather than self-judgment, a sense of common humanity rather than isolation, and mindfulness rather than over-identification with painful experiences.

Neff's work, including books like "Self-Compassion" and "Fierce Self-Compassion," has helped bring the practice into mainstream therapy and everyday life. For trauma survivors—who often struggle with a harsh inner critic and deep shame—self-compassion offers a research-backed alternative: a way of meeting one's own suffering with the same warmth one would offer a dear friend. Her tools are widely used alongside therapies like CBT, ACT, and trauma-focused treatment.