Open access
Addressing Existential Distress Through Compassion: Feasibility and Preliminary Effects of Compassion With You (COMwithU), a Compassion‐Based Intervention for Patients With Cancer
Yeon-Ok Choi
J. Kim
H. Ahn
Soowan Han
M. Seo
Jae Hyun Ryou
Da Eun Kim
Y. An
B. Keam
Tae-Yong Kim
E. Yu
Hye Yoon Park
Medicine
Abstract
Cancer‐related distress extends beyond anxiety and depression to existential suffering, including loss of meaning, helplessness, uncertainty, and relational strain. Compassion‐based interventions in psycho‐oncology are promising, but existential outcomes such as demoralization and spiritual well‐being have rarely been examined. Compassion With You (COMwithU) is a brief, five‐session compassion‐based intervention that centers on cultivating self‐compassion, supported by the therapist's compassionate presence and by practices of extending compassion toward others.