laura l banks
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries.
Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
The Dalai Lama
How we respond to what happens is as much a part of our shared reality as what we cannot control.
“We who lived in concentration camps can remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”
Discover and train your courage to claim and live into this freedom.
Cultivate compassion.
A growing body of research in neuroscience reveals that compassion is both an innate capacity biologically rooted in our care system and a skill we can deliberately strengthen. It connects us to our deepest values and each other, revealing our shared common humanity and giving us needed clarity to navigate the challenges of life with wisdom, kindness, and humility.
If there has ever been a moment in human history when our interdependence and need for compassion are self-evident truths, it is now.
Wherever this finds you, whatever challenges you face, take good care.
May we all be well.
upcoming courses
Please note that no person who is committed to attending and being engaged in Laura Banks’ classes will be turned away due to cost. Please contact Laura if you would like to participate but the fee is prohibitive. Laura is willing and able to reduce or waive the fee as needed. Additionally, a generous donor has offered to fund scholarships for those affected by the recent executive orders and directives in the United States. Please contact Laura for more information.
spring 2025 ONLINE COMPASSION CULTIVATION TRAINING© - thursdays
Compassion Cultivation Training© (CCT™) is an 8-week personal and professional development course designed at Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) and now housed at the Compassion Institute. The program includes practical tools and exercises designed to enhance your awareness, compassion, social connection, and resilience.
thursdays, march 27 - may 15, 2025 · 1PM - 3PM ET
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Click below to learn more and/or register
spring 2025 ONLINE COMPASSION CULTIVATION TRAINING© - sundays
sundays, march 30 - may 18, 2025 · 3PM - 5PM ET
Confirm your local time here.
Click below to learn more and/or register
paid research opportunity
As part of either of these online CCT class, participants who live in the United States or Canada have the option to participate in an independent research study. The study is being conducted by Dr. Clifford Saron and his colleagues at the Center for Mind and Brain at the University of California, Davis. They are investigating the effects of compassion-based training on reactions to social and emotional scenes and situations, and on interpersonal experiences in daily life.
Participation in this research is entirely optional and is not part of the online CCT class.
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete 3 assessments and would be compensated up to $260 USD for your time. The 3 assessments would be completed from your own home and would take place the week before your course begins, the week after your course ends, and 8 weeks after your course ends. If you are interested in learning more about the study, please follow this link to see if you are eligible to participate.
IMPORTANT: To participate in this research study, you must fully enroll in your class at least 4 days before the official class start date.
Here is the link again: https://ucdavis.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9oybhZlVu6ZIpym
Questions? Please contact Laura Banks.
