“What I enjoyed most about the course on forgiveness were the conversations I had with my partner. We were both willing to be open, transparent and honest about where we were, what got us there, and our hopes for finding a healthier path forward. A path that would enable us to be the hero of our story instead of its perpetual victim. I had a reliable accountability partner who was committed, not just to the process, but to me personally. It created a space safe enough for me to lower practiced defenses so I could engage honestly with myself and another person. Self-awareness is a critical first step toward the kind of emotional intelligence that makes life a kaperpetual adventure instead of a heartbreaking burden. This was an important first step towards entering into that larger world.

One of the main benefits I gained from my participation is that it gave me a way to structure and remain mindful of the changes I was making. Weeks of regular meetings gave me time to reflect upon opportunities I took to use the concepts in the modules to facilitate forgiveness in my day to day living. And since we usually play like we practice, this structure afforded me the opportunity to engage in the kind of deliberate practice that leads to lasting mastery. I took consistent steps towards making real and restorative changes over the course of the course. And now, I have the right tools to maintain the gains.

These courses would be great anywhere you have knowledge workers pursuing common goals and objectives. I think it could facilitate deep learning for people in academia, business, government, and other sectors. I also think it would be great for people working with therapists, coaches and other change agents with goals of personal development and/or greater emotional health.

I give it my highest and most sincere recommendation.”

My favorite thing about working with Brightsity was designating a time to reflect with a colleague, which benefited us through the shared activities as my colleague and I were able to help each other think differently. While that may seem small, it was very valuable. I would like to see this program in our prisons and juvenile detention facilities. It could be transformative if part of CDCR programming and county offices of education for K-12 students as well as for our re entry student program.

CSUEB’s Student Life and Leadership program consists of 6 hard working, creative and ambitious folks who work with a primarily commuter based population of first generation students who may not have time and resources to fully take advantage of Leadership and community development opportunities.

While we had thought about developing a leadership certificate program, our capacity to reach students was instantly doubled by using Brightsity’s Compassionate Leadership program to connect students to each other, not only measurably increasing their leadership and service orientation capacity, but also addressing their psychological well-being while developing community.

Students loved the program, which leverages the best of psychology and peer based learning to create supportive, trusted relationships and enables the students to meet at their convenience, once a week for an hour.

Our first semester of offering a certificate program, we had 12 participants, the second with Brightsity’s Compassionate Leadership course we had 74, and this last semester, we had 60. This was accomplished with a minimum of effort, high touch implementation and close to no project management in a much more affordable way than any on the ground training, and with higher levels of engagement.

“The Brightsity method is very effective. Through the course of the program I found myself integrating more compassionate habits and tools into my daily life. I also like how tactics are based on science. Not to mention, through the dyadic exercises with my paired partner, I also gained a new friend!”

“Brightsity was a good experience for me since it allowed me to digest the information with a partner who in turn ended up turning into a good friend. Not only did I feel connected to this person but, I think this connection was possible because of Brightsity, I usually forget most of my classmates after a group or partner activity. The material was made easy to understand and the structured dyadic sessions were a new way for me to learn that was very engaging”

“Brightsity was a unique experience for me as I don’t usually enjoy group work or classwork in general. At first it sounded like a bit of a drag since I would have to register and be paired up but to my surprise it was a better experience than what I imagined. The reading was easy enough to not be a strain, but the questions provided were insightful and made the experience richer and more complex. As a transfer student this allowed me to meet somebody new which is something I usually wouldn’t do on my own. Being put in a situation where the work requires two people in order to see new perspectives was something, I found challenging but worthwhile.”

I highly recommend the modules. I gained great knowledge and the peer process enhanced the incredible insight acquired. The grounding in scientific evidence was important to me. I use the tools multiple times a week which helps my emotional wellbeing and incorporate it in my conversations with friends when supporting them. I learned how to comprehend well-being more broadly for myself and those around me.  This allowed me to feel comfortable being vulnerable and therefore feel connected to those around me. I feel more grounded as a human being which supports appreciating joy in little and big moments.

Thank you for creating and making this knowledge available to a wider audience!