CFT

Compassion Focused Therapy for eating disorders

A gentle, evidence-based approach designed to reduce shame, build emotional resilience, and support long-term recovery.

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CFT EXPLAINED

What Is Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) and how does it work?

Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT) is a psychological approach designed to help people understand and regulate difficult emotions, particularly shame, anxiety and harsh self-criticism.

1.25M

people living with an eating disorder

Many people experiencing eating disorders find that they judge themselves far more critically than they would another person. Compassion focused therapy helps us understand where these patterns come from and develop a different way of responding to distress, with greater warmth, perspective and emotional safety.

46%

of Adults feel unhappy about their appearance

Central to CFT is an understanding of three emotional regulation systems:

  • The threat system helps us identify and respond to danger. When highly activated, it can be associated with anxiety, shame, self-criticism and a strong sense that something is wrong or unsafe.
  • The drive system motivates us to achieve, pursue goals and seek things we need or value. In eating disorders, this system can sometimes become closely connected with achievement, perfectionism or attempts to control eating, weight or appearance.
  • The soothing system is associated with feelings of safety, calm, warmth and connection.

None of these systems is inherently problematic – we need all three. Difficulties can arise, however, when threat and drive become dominant and the soothing system is harder to access.

CFT helps strengthen this capacity for soothing and compassion, enabling the emotional systems to become more balanced. Over time, this can help people respond differently to difficult thoughts and feelings rather than relying on self-criticism or eating disorder behaviours to manage them.

ASPECTS OF IMPORTANCE

How CFT Supports Recovery from Eating Disorders

CFT helps build the emotional foundations necessary for recovery by strengthening a person’s ability to respond compassionately to distress, setbacks, and fears around food, weight, and body image. Many individuals with eating disorders experience intense shame, perfectionism, and self-blame – patterns that can maintain or worsen symptoms.

CFT addresses these experiences directly, helping people understand why these responses developed and how to shift them. By increasing emotional safety, improving coping strategies, and supporting healthier relationships with food, body and self, CFT offers a powerful complement to behaviour- and cognition-focused therapies.

Key Compassionate Skills ou Will Develop in Therapy

Compassion is not simply a feeling or a matter of “being nice” to yourself. In CFT, it involves learning specific ways of noticing distress and responding to it with sensitivity, understanding and a commitment to doing what is helpful.
Different exercises work for different people, but therapy may focus on four key areas:

  • Compassionate attention – Learning to notice where your attention is drawn and intentionally redirect it when helpful. This might involve compassionate imagery, grounding objects, supportive memories or other experiences that help create a greater sense of safet
  • Compassionate thinking and reasoning – Learning to recognise automatic, critical or emotionally driven thoughts and approach them from a more balanced perspective. For example, you might consider how you would understand the same situation if it were happening to somebody you cared about.
  • Compassionate behaviour – Compassionate action is not always the easiest or most comfortable option. It involves considering what will genuinely support your longer-term wellbeing and having the courage to act on it. In eating disorder recovery, compassionate behaviour might therefore mean approaching something difficult rather than avoiding it.
  • Compassionate emotion and feeling – Developing an internal emotional tone characterised by greater warmth, kindness and gentleness rather than judgement or hostility. For some people this can initially feel unfamiliar, so it is developed gradually rather than forced.

Your therapist will help you identify and practise the compassionate skills that are most useful to you, both within sessions and in everyday life.

THE BENEFITS

Benefits of CFT

  • Reduces shame and self-criticism
  • Helps regulate overwhelming emotions
  • Builds confidence, compassion, and emotional resilience
  • Supports healthier relationships with food and body image
  • Encourages long-term psychological wellbeing
  • Strengthens motivation for recovery

How CFT Differs from Other Therapies

While Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) often focuses on changing unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, CFT works with the emotional systems underpinning these patterns – particularly fear, threat responses, and shame. CFT teaches individuals how to soothe the nervous system, cultivate emotional grounding, and develop a kinder, more supportive internal voice. For those whose eating disorder is strongly linked to self-criticism or perfectionism, CFT may feel particularly transformative. It is distinct yet highly complementary to other evidence-based therapies.

Personalised Care

What to Expect in a CFT Session

CFT sessions typically involve a combination of guided exercises, reflective conversations, and practical tools that support emotional regulation and build self-compassion. You might explore compassionate imagery, grounding techniques, mindful breathing, or approaches that help reframe long-held patterns of self-judgement. Sessions move at a gentle pace, always tailored to your comfort and readiness. Your therapist will work collaboratively with you to create a sense of safety, stability, and trust throughout the process.

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How It Works

CFT begins with understanding your difficulties, exploring what has contributed to them, and identifying the emotional systems that drive distress. Together, you and your therapist set personalised goals based on the changes that matter most to you. Sessions then focus on developing practical skills, working with the mind and body, and strengthening compassionate ways of relating to yourself.

As treatment progresses, these skills are practised both in sessions and in everyday life. Your therapist will help you apply them to challenges, maintain progress, and build confidence in long-term recovery.

Building Confidence

A Place of Specialist Support

Is CFT Right for Me?

CFT can be especially helpful if you experience strong self-criticism, shame, perfectionism, or overwhelming negative emotions connected to eating, appearance, or self-worth. It may also be supportive if you struggle to feel warmth or acceptance toward yourself, despite logically understanding the need for change. At The London Centre, your clinician will help you explore whether CFT is the best fit and may integrate it with other approaches to suit your needs. Whatever your starting point, you do not need to navigate this alone.

Overcoming Misconceptions  and Fear of Self-Compassion

For some people, the idea of self-compassion feels uncomfortable or even threatening.
You may worry that being less critical of yourself will make you complacent, reduce your motivation or stop you achieving. Other people feel that compassion is something they simply do not deserve.

CFT does not view compassion as avoiding responsibility, lowering standards or telling yourself that everything is fine. Compassion can involve recognising something difficult and having the courage to take action to change it, without attacking yourself in the process.
One way of thinking about this is to imagine two different schools.

In one, a child is criticised, mocked or humiliated whenever they make a mistake. In the other, mistakes are still noticed and addressed, but they are explained with patience and warmth, and the child is encouraged to learn and keep trying.

Which environment is most likely to help that child learn, develop confidence and persist when something is difficult?
CFT applies a similar principle to our relationship with ourselves. Harsh self-criticism can sometimes feel motivating, but creating a more supportive internal environment can help us face difficulties with greater resilience and make changes because they matter –  rather than because we are frightened of our own criticism.

Compassion Focused Therapy for Eating Disorders represented by a flower in hands

Working With a Specialist Compassion Focused Therapist

At The London Centre, our clinicians have specialist expertise in eating disorders and body image difficulties, with a number of our team trained in Compassion Focused Therapy.

CFT can be accessed online across the UK, with in-person appointments also available at our clinic locations where an appropriately trained clinician is available.

Working with a specialist compassion focused therapist means that CFT can be adapted to the particular challenges involved in eating disorder and body image recovery rather than applied as a generic approach.

Therapy progresses collaboratively and at a manageable pace, with treatment tailored to your individual difficulties, circumstances and recovery goals.

Start your journey

Take the First Step
Towards Recovery

Compassion and understanding can transform the recovery process. If you are struggling with an eating disorder, body image concerns, or the weight of self-criticism, support is available. Our team is here to help you take the next step gently and safely.

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FAQs

FAQs About Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT)

CFT directly targets the shame, fear, and self-criticism that often maintain eating disorder symptoms. At The London Centre, we integrate CFT with evidence-based approaches to ensure clients feel emotionally safe while working toward behavioural change. Many people find it helps reduce self-judgement and strengthens motivation for recovery.

Treatment length varies depending on your goals and the complexity of your difficulties. Some people find short-term work transformative, while others benefit from longer-term support. Your therapist will discuss the most appropriate timeframe for your needs.

Yes. CFT was developed specifically for individuals who struggle with harsh self-judgement or feelings of inadequacy. Our clinicians use CFT to help you understand these patterns compassionately and develop new, supportive ways of relating to yourself.

Absolutely. CFT is often used alongside treatment for anxiety, depression, and trauma-related difficulties. At The London Centre, we tailor therapy to the whole person, ensuring emotional safety and integrated support.

Yes. Many clients choose online therapy for flexibility, while others prefer in-person sessions at one of our clinics. You can discuss both options with our team to find what feels most comfortable for you.

Yes. CFT can easily be integrated with CBT-E, MANTRA, DBT-informed approaches, dietetic support, and other evidence-based treatments. Your clinician will recommend the right combination based on your needs and goals.

We aim to offer appointments as soon as possible. Our team will match you with a clinician experienced in CFT and eating disorders, ensuring you receive timely, specialist support. You can enquire today to begin the process.