Build resilience of mind, heart and body.
This comprehensive 8-week course combines skills taught separately in other trainings — mindfulness meditation, compassion meditation, imagery and breath-work — giving you the tools needed to reduce stress and enjoy a more connected, resilient and purposeful life.
Benefits
- Develop a more present, balanced, open and discerning mind through mindfulness practices
- Nurture self-care and acceptance, unlearn social biases, and deepen positive emotional connection with others through compassion meditation
- Build physical resilience, positive energy and the capacity for flow through embodiment practices like imagery and breath-work.
- Shape a life of personal resilience, social engagement and greater purpose through cultivating mindfulness, compassion, and embodiment over time.
Who Is This Program For?
Compassion-Based Resilience Training is for anyone wishing a comprehensive training method to transform stress, build resilience, cultivate well-being.
Our research has shown that the training is highly effective in reducing stress reactivity and increasing resilience and compassion for self and others in people coping with major illness and trauma, including those with higher levels of life stress at home or at work. It is the most complete and cost-effective training for people new to the science and practice of stress-reduction and self-healing, such as front line health providers, humanitarian aid workers, caregivers, teachers as well as those in marginalized communities facing the systemic stress of discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, religion, age, ability or body size.
Testimonials
“In combination with learning about the science of meditation, I learned to meditate in a way that alleviates anxiety….The benefits are great—beyond estimation.”
“I loved the feeling I had during and after each meditation session. I also felt a great sense of community with the other [participants] present.”
“I feel much happier and able to cope with life’s changes. I feel so grateful to have been able to participate in the [training].”
“Although I have done some form of mindfulness practice for years, the study jump-started me into beginning a more serious meditation practice.”
Research
Research studies conducted at Weill Cornell Medicine and Albert Einstein College of Medicine with women recovering from breast cancer found that CBRT reduces biomarkers of stress, improves quality of life, lowers social-emotional and cultural role stress, enhances resilience and overall functioning, and markedly decreases post-traumatic symptoms including intrusive thinking and traumatic avoidance. Ongoing studies of the training are underway.
Curriculum at a Glance
Mindfulness
The training begins with four mindfulness-based personal healing modules that break the cycle of stress and lead to a more balanced and rejuvenated state of well-being.
Module I – Embracing Suffering with Body Mindfulness
Practice Body Mindfulness to reconnect with our inner lives and begin releasing the survival habits of stress, trauma and reactivity.
Module II – Stopping Reactive Habits with Mindful Sensitivity
Practice Mindful Sensitivity to deepen the capacity for conscious self-regulation and cultivate balanced awareness.
Module III – Breaking Free of Stress with Mindful Awareness
Practice Mindful Awareness to cut through the mesh of reactive habits and stress instincts that normally block the full openness and clarity of our mind.
Module IV – Mindful Insight: The Lifelong Path of Self-Healing
Practice Mindful Insight to cut the roots of reactivity and grow proactive new ways of being in the world.
The training continues with four compassion-based relational healing modules that build resilience, prevent burnout and increase our capacity to care for ourselves and others.
Compassion
The training continues with four compassion-based relational healing modules that build resilience, prevent burnout and increase our capacity to care for ourselves and others.
Module V – Disarming Social Stress and Bias with Equal Empathy
Practice Equal Empathy to unlearn implicit social survival biases while deepening and expanding our sense of connection to others.
Module VI – Healing Reactive Emotions and Beliefs with Self-Compassion
Practice Self-Compassion to develop a wise, caring mind that orients to our common humanity.
Module VII – Cultivating Prosocial Emotions with Wise Give and Take
Practice Wise Give and Take to explore our boundless human potential for care and strengthen our social muscles of love, joy and equanimity.
Module VIII – Embodying a Resilient Self and Life with Caring Imagery
Practice role model visualizations to stretch our sense of self into a fully empowered, resilient and compassionate self.
What You Will Receive
Live & Online Trainings
- Weekly 1.5 hour classes taught over Zoom
- 2 guided meditations per class
- In-depth material review
- Lively group discussions and smaller breakout groups
- Access to free monthly meet ups for ongoing practice and support
Certified Teachers
- Completed a 9-month teacher training course at the Nalanda Institute
- Mentored by Nalanda Institute leadership
- A diverse, international, and multilingual group of experienced teachers
In-Depth Course Materials
- 17 pre-recorded lectures
- 22 downloadable guided meditations
- 130+ page student manual
- Dedicated student website with additional supplementary scientific articles
About the Director
Fiona Brandon, MPS, MA, MFT, is the Director of the Nalanda Institute’s Compassion Based Resilience Training (CBRT) and Embodied Psychotherapy programs. As a licensed psychotherapist, she integrates Buddhist psychology, depth psychology, expressive arts therapy, dream imagery, and sensorimotor psychotherapy in her work with adults and couples. Fiona is also a co-editor and contributor of the anthology Advances in Contemplative Psychotherapy: Accelerating Healing and Transformation (2nd ed.). As a graduate of the Masters program in Counseling Psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute, Fiona’s research focused on the meditative practice of Authentic Movement and the use of symbols and dream imagery in psychotherapy.
Schedule
Nalanda Institute offers CBRT at various times throughout the year. Sign up here to be notified of the next class:
Our Certified CBRT teachers also offer the program throughout the year.
For any questions, please contact Fiona at: fiona@nalandainstitute.org