The ReSource Training Protocol
Introduction
This chapter describes the training protocol of the ReSource Project that aims at cultivating
compassion over a duration of about nine months. The ReSource Project is a large-scale scientific
study funded by the European Union (Reference No.: ERC-2007-StG; Grant Agreement Number:
205557) and the Max Planck Society and is carried out by the Department of Social Neuroscience
at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Science, under the supervision of Prof.
Dr. Tania Singer.
History and Development of the ReSource Training Program
The development of the training protocol for the ReSource Program was inspired by multiple
sources and extended over several years. The origin of this program is grounded in the work of the
principal investigator, Tania Singer, on the neurological bases of empathy, compassion and
cognitive perspective taking. In the context of this work, she had the chance to meet long-term
compassion practitioners such as the Buddhist monks Matthieu Ricard and Barry Kerzin, and
many others who in countless conversations and collaborations have helped develop the
theoretical backbone of the present program. Other early influences on this program came from
colleagues such as Paul Ekman and Paul Gilbert as well as the continued learning experiences
provided by the Mind and Life institute in the context of many conferences and multiple personal
retreats. Especially noteworthy in this context is the so-called Satori Process, which is based on
contemplative dyads
In an altered form, these contemplative dialogs became one of the
core exercises of the ReSource Project as we felt that intersubjective abilities and social cognition
could be more easily cultivated in real contact with other people than through imaginary
encounters, as common in single meditation practices. Another strong source of inspiration for
some of the exercises was Tania Singer’s experience with the “Non-Violent Communication”
program
(taught by Regula Langemann and Suna Yanamer, see also
on
in this volume).
After this original developmental period, the protocol was further refined together with a protocol
development group that met weekly over the course of a year (composed of Tania Singer, Boris
Bornemann, Willi Zeidler, Christina Bochow and Matthias Bolz) and included selectively the help of
experts during several in-depth workshops. The first part of the training program (Presence) was
strongly influenced by the work of John Kabat-Zinn and his eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction program
The affective part was initially inspired by previous research done in our lab
on the effects of loving-kindness, empathy and compassion on subjective well-being and the
brain
(see also
in this volume) and supported by contemplative scholars such as
Fred von Allmen, Ursula Flückiger, Marie Mannschatz, Sylvia Wetzel and Renate Seifarth. It was
complemented by elements of the self-compassion program by Neff and Germer (see
in this volume). Finally, the perspective part was newly developed on the basis of a) previous
research on cognitive perspective taking, b) self-work rooted in the Internal Family Systems
guided by Tom Holmes
and c) classical contemplative meditation exercises
Important inputs for the adequate use of contemplative dyads were given by Kira Kay and Clare
Soloway. Johannes Latzel supported the development of the new dyadic exercises which are
central to the training.
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