Thesis of Katrin Ahlberg
Gestalt Institute of Scandinavia
2018

My interest in self-compassion comes from my own childhood. My domestic background is dysfunctional (violence and alcohol abuse). In my childhood, I mostly missed the possibility to feel safe, seen and heard. Growing up in such environment taught me to be really hard on myself; this means doing a lot and not taking time to enjoy and withdraw. For a long time, I truly believed, and sometimes it still hits me, that the only way to get something good in life is through suffering and pain. My tendency is to do a lot and feel the inner critic being there all the time, saying mainly: ”You are not enough!” Being part of the gestalt therapy field has little by little opened possibilities for me to see other options and give credit to myself for the way I am…