Kolts
Students have different ways of handling stress and frustration, but what if someone said that instead of opting to give up and stay in bed until summer comes, to try a little compassion to get through the day?

That is exactly what EWU psychology professor Russell Kolts, Ph.D., recommended in his new book, “Living with an Open Heart,” which announced its U.S. release on March 11 as part of the JFK Winter Faculty Book Release Series.

Kolts said compassion focused therapy (CFT) is at the heart of his psychiatric practice and writings.

“Compassion is being willing to stare at the pain and suffering,” he said.

He said compassion is surrounded by misconceptions of being sweet and vulnerable but rather it is a way in which we engage in what terrifies us and causes us to struggle.

Kolts said he was inspired to write “Living with an Open Heart” several years ago when he was approached by a student dealing with an abusive mother dying of cancer. In search for advice for his student, Kolts picked up a book about the Dalai Lama’s journey of forgiveness. This sparked his interest in Buddhist meditation and compassion practices for seeking emotional strength, kindness and courage.

Kolts said he solved the problem of people not having the time for meditation and compassion by designing his book to be read daily in small segments.

“It’s a collection of brief entries, designed to be read one at a time,” said Kolts. “Each entry ends in a practice.”

Although Kolts incorporated Buddhist philosophy and practices in his psychiatric advice, he does not practice Buddhism himself. To give his book an interpretation of Buddhist-practices credibility, Kolts sought the help of Venerable Thubten Chodron, a Buddhist nun who teaches at Sravasti Abbey, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery outside of Newport, Oregon. Having authored numerous works of her own, Kolts invited her to be the coauthor of “Living with an Open Heart.”

Currently, Kolts has several works in progress, including a book titled “CFT Made Simple,” which he anticipates finishing in July. He was also selected to be the lead author on a work called, “Experiencing CFT from the Inside Out” which is a personal guide for therapists looking to practice CFT themselves.