Learning Compassion and Meditation: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of the Experience of Novice Meditators.
Frontiers in Psychology January 1, 2022 Jennifer S Mascaro, Marianne P Florian, Marcia J Ash et al.
Christian healthcare chaplains who completed an intensive course in Cognitively-Based Compassion Training (CBCT) reported increased belief that compassion can be developed. The mixed-method study of 40 chaplains in a 1-year Clinical Pastoral Education residency found high variability in how individuals practiced compassion meditation and perceived its impact. Interviews revealed diverse subjective experiences of learning and practicing compassion meditation. The findings suggest that individual differences in practice and beliefs play a role in how compassion meditation is learned and enacted, offering insights into contemplative learning processes.