Monday, April 13, 2020, 11:30 AM – 1 PM EDT

Bobbi Patterson, Professor of Pedagogy, Department of Religion

“Building Resilience through Contemplative Practice”

Bobbi Patterson’s book, Building Resilience Through Contemplative Practice: A Field Manual for Helping Professionals and Volunteers, recasts burnout as a crucial phase of service and life itself. Using real-world case studies, including aspects of our current situation, she will offer a presentation on and relevant exercises for cultivating resilience through tough times. Yes, as she’ll argue, to choose change in the midst of difficulty, even collapse, we need guiding values as well as concrete tools and skills. But drawing on contemplative principles and practices, in secular as well as Christian and Buddhist forms, can enable us to find the resources we need to move forward. The very burnout that may force us to ease our grasp on long-held assumptions may free us to reach out for new means to new ends and a more productive future. As you’ll see, it’s no wonder that reviewers have celebrated this book as “a hopeful and compassionate refuge [for those feeling challenged] at the crossroad where service and contemplative practice meet."