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Compassion‐focused therapy (CFT; Gilbert, 2005, 2009) is a transdiagnostic treatment approach focused on building self‐compassion and reducing shame. It is based on the theory that feelings of shame contribute to the maintenance of psychopathology, whereas self‐compassion contributes to the alleviation of shame and psychopathology. We sought to test this theory in a transdiagnostic sample of eating disorder patients by examining whether larger improvements in shame and self‐compassion early in treatment would facilitate faster eating disorder symptom remission over 12 weeks. Participants were 97 patients with an eating disorder admitted to specialized day hospital or inpatient treatment. They completed the Eating Disorder Examination‐Questionnaire, Experiences of Shame Scale, and Self‐Compassion Scale at intake, and again after weeks 3, 6, 9, and 12. Multilevel modeling revealed that patients …