SCS

The Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) is a 26-item self-report measure developed by Kristin Neff to assess six components of self-compassion: Self-Kindness (vs. Self-Judgment), Common Humanity (vs. Isolation), and Mindfulness (vs. Over-Identification). Each item is rated 1–5, and the overall score is the mean across all items (after reverse-scoring negative subscales). A short form (SCS-SF, 12 items) is also available. The SCS is increasingly used in psychedelic research to examine whether psychedelic-assisted therapy enhances self-compassion — a psychological construct closely linked to emotional well-being and resilience. Studies with psilocybin and MDMA have shown increases in self-compassion, which may mediate therapeutic improvements in depression, PTSD, and addiction. The SCS has good reliability (α = 0.92) and has been validated across cultures.