Heartfelt Pathways: Your Guide to Compassion

Let’s dive into the exciting world of CBCT's sequential training modules! Each module is carefully designed to build upon the last, creating a cohesive learning journey. As you progress through the training, you’ll find yourself gaining new skills and knowledge step-by-step, making the learning experience both engaging and effective. Whether you’re just starting out or looking to enhance your expertise, each module offers unique insights and practical applications that will keep you motivated and eager to learn more. Get ready to embark on this transformative educational adventure!

Module 1: Connecting to a Moment of Nurturance encourages us to reflect on a time when we felt secure, safe, or cared for. Reimmersing ourselves in that experience evokes feelings of safety, enhances our appreciation for compassion, and strengthens our motivation to extend it to others. 

Module 2: Developing Stable and Clear Attention improves focus, mental clarity, and resilience. This is done by placing and retaining our attention on a chosen set of physical sensations (such as feelings associated with the breath), noticing when the mind wanders, and gently bringing it back to the point of focus.  

Module 3: Enhancing Self-Awareness strengthens the skill of nonjudgmental awareness so that we can gain greater insight into our mental experiences and greater choice in how we respond to what arises within and around us. This training involves turning our attention inward and witnessing unfolding sensations, thoughts, and emotions without becoming entangled in them.  

Module 4: Cultivating Self-Compassion—Part 1: Accepting Our Vulnerabilities with Kindness deepens our understanding and acceptance of the shared human condition. By broadening our awareness to see that we are not alone in experiencing setbacks or limitations, that none of us is in complete control, and that we all have strengths, we soften harmful responses of excessive self-criticism, self-blame, and shame.  

Module 5: Cultivating Self-Compassion—Part 2: Finding Meaning in Our Vulnerabilities strengthens our ability to find meaning in our challenges and vulnerabilities. We reflect on the reality that our setbacks can provide opportunities for growth, help us connect to our values, and inspire us to help others. This helps us relieve feelings of helplessness and despair and tap into empowerment and self-agency.    

Module 6: Expanding our Circle of Concern helps us identify with others as we broaden our awareness to see our shared aspirations to be well and avoid harm and our shared human condition. This promotes a sense of connection with a widening group of people and softens the hard line between ingroup and outgroup. 

Module 7: Deepening Gratitude and Tenderness encourages us to attune to and appreciate the benefits we receive from others. By making visible today's world's extraordinary interconnectedness and interdependence, we foster gratitude and warmth for a widening group of people. This moves us away from a narrow self-focus and deepens our connection with a tenderness for others. 

Module 8: Harnessing the Power of Compassion improves our ability to respond to others' suffering with compassion and wisdom. Combining the awareness of what others are up against with our feelings of tenderness for them naturally unleashes our compassionate motivation to help. We engage with more effective action by applying discernment to this compassionate urge.