“CBCT® is a cognitively-based compassion training that deliberately and systematically works to cultivate compassion. Through progressive exercises (beginning with the development of attentional stability and progressing through various analytical meditations), one gains insight into how one’s attitudes and behaviors support or hinder compassionate response. The practice of CBCT intensifies the desire to help others, allowing compassion to become more natural and spontaneous in one’s everyday life. It also helps increase personal resiliency by grounding one in realistic expectations of self and others” (from the Emory CBCT website where much more information about CBCT is available).

I am very grateful to have had the opportunity, in the Fall of 2015, to participate in the CBCT Foundation Course taught by Professor Lobsang Tenzin Negi. It is one of the CBCT courses that is open to the public as well as to the Emory community. A description of the course, which consists of Modules I through VI, can be found here.

The course has probably evolved somewhat since I participated almost three years ago, but I can say that it was an extremely beneficial and truly transformative experience. For eight weeks during September and October approximately twenty of us met for class with Professor Negi every Wednesday evening from 7:00 to 8:30 pm in a comfortable room in the 1599 Building on Clifton Road.

Many of my classmates were from the fields of healthcare, education, social work, and psychology. We were mostly from Emory but there were also quite a few participants from the wider Atlanta community.

Structure of the course and what we did in class:

We received access to audio recordings of guided meditations for each week of class (to listen to at home), as well as a short reading which summarized the teachings for the Module we were working with that week. The meditations progress from very basic practices, which stabilize the mind (such as meditation focused solely on the sensation of your breath), to increasingly analytical or contemplative practices, which increase compassion toward self and others.

In general, we would begin class with a brief meditation guided by Professor Negi. Then Dr. Negi would talk about the concepts we were working with that week (attentional stability, the nature of mental experience, self-compassion, cultivating impartiality, appreciation for others, and empathy and engaged compassion) and offer instruction and guidance on how to practice with them. He would also explain the science behind these concepts and practices. Next we would have an open discussion and Q&A session, and then end with another brief meditation guided by Professor Negi. I found it helpful to take approximately one page of handwritten notes per class.

One of many things I really enjoyed about this course was that the analytical or contemplative meditation practices taught seemed to generate a lot of insight in a relatively short amount of time, so I always felt like I was making at least some progress toward becoming a more compassionate human being, and that was very encouraging. Having the opportunity to learn from a very skilled, knowledgeable, and compassionate teacher, as well as from an entire class of fellow students, is tremendously valuable.

Why I wanted to do CBCT:

I registered for this training mainly in an effort to guard against burnout by increasing compassion for myself and others. I also wanted to learn additional skills for reducing stress and responding to stress in healthier ways, as well as strategies for increasing resilience after stressful life events or periods of time. On another level, I love to help people and knew from past experience with various mindfulness practices that I’m healthier, happier, and more present when I meditate, which allows me to do more of what I love, and do it more skillfully. So I also wanted to improve self-care and deepen and expand my own long-term but often inconsistent meditation practice.

What I learned in CBCT and how it was helpful:

During the course I developed additional mental tools to help me better handle stressful situations both at work and in my personal life. The same techniques also helped me to more often notice and appreciate small accomplishments. Specifically, as a result of engaging with the meditation practices, I became more aware of some of my habitual mental patterns that were causing me unnecessary stress and began to think about challenging situations in ways that helped me to feel more confident and less anxious. As we progressed through the Modules, I also felt able to more quickly regain a healthy perspective when work and/or other parts of life began to seem overwhelming, and by the end of the course I felt generally more grounded, open, and positive than I had before CBCT.

Perhaps most importantly, the work that we did to deepen and expand empathy reminded me, in a very meaningful way, of how fundamentally alike we all are in our struggles and desires (for example we all want security and happiness), which led to feeling even more of a connection with others including colleagues (both faculty and staff), students, and other people with whom I am fortunate to work and live in society. For me, one challenge was (and still is) to consistently make time to continue my meditation practice after the course ended so that these very beneficial concepts and ways of thinking about and responding to the world continue to become increasingly habitual and integrated into my everyday life.

I do hope to be able to participate in another CBCT course soon.

How to register for CBCT:

The Emory-Tibet Partnership offers a number of CBCT® courses, and Emory employees and students are eligible for reduced tuition rates. For more information and to register for CBCT® courses, please visit their website.

Vanessa King is the Assistant Law Librarian for Special Collections at the MacMillan Law Library. She has been at MacMillan since 2004. She holds a J.D. from the University of Tulsa College of Law, a Master of Library Science from Clark Atlanta University, a master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Tulsa, and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado College. Thanks to Vanessa for contributing this blog post!