Compassionate Emotional Intelligence

How do you relate to your emotions?

Emotions are vital indicators of our states of mind

They can both hinder and facilitate the awakening of our consciousness

We can relate to our emotions in different ways.
For the Compassionate Warrior, emotions are first and foremost like road signs, or like the indicators on the dashboard of our car.
When travelling in the inner world, we navigate by relying on emotions as signposts.
If we know the traffic rules of our inner world, we are far more likely to reach our destination safely.
If we don’t know them or misinterpret the signals of our emotions, we can easily get lost or experience crashes along the way.
Instead of experiencing the joy of the journey of life, we may find ourselves in seemingly inexplicable states of suffering.

We use the term awareness as defined by Rasmus Hougaard:
"Awareness is the capacity of the mind to observe internal and external experiences. In other words, awareness is when you directly experience what is happening to you right now and you are present with your moment-to-moment experience."

When awareness is low, we perceive only a narrow slice of reality. Whatever doesn’t receive our attention remains outside our perception. This is especially true for our inner world—in a state of low awareness, we may even forget it exists entirely, even if we have previously spent significant time exploring it (see the phenomenon of Momentary Lapse of Reason).

Low, "constricted" awareness engages minimally with the outside world. Experience is confined to a dark, narrow room, where external stimuli trigger habitual, automatic reactions rather than conscious choices.

In a state of high, expansive awareness, experience is rooted in the Here and Now, fully attuned to both the external and internal worlds. Consciousness gains perspective on itself recognises its habitual patterns, and—crucially—develops the ability to reshape them. Without this awareness, these patterns simply reinforce themselves through unconscious thoughts, speech, and actions.

This marks a turning point, where the creative force of the present is harnessed to actively shape our future. By doing so, we can break free from old habits, gradually rewriting them step by step. This process fosters greater openness, liberation, and an ever-expanding unfolding of consciousness.

We can define a scale to characterize our states of mind with these two extrems:

Reactive (toxic) mindstates—driven by automatic, fear-based reactions.
Responsive (hygienic) mindstates —engaging with situations consciously, openly, and flexibly.

A reactive state fosters narrow-mindedness, defensiveness, attack or judgment, while a responsive state cultivates acceptance, learning, and joyful growth.

Our emotions clearly indicate where we are on the toxic–hygienic spectrum. As Trained Compassionate Warriors, we stay in touch with our emotions, using them to recognize our current state of consciousness in the Here and Now.

We treat emotions as "road signs", guiding us on our path. By understanding the "inner traffic rules", we not only maintain order and peace within our inner world but gradually expand it, fostering greater harmony and balance.

Building on what we have learned in CCT

At the CCT we experienced the transformative power of the combination of compassion and loving-kindness, and a mindset that supports them. CEI picks up exactly where CCT left off, making it a natural next step in your compassion cultivation journey. You can think of it as a CCT follow-up module designed to deepen and expand your understanding and practice.
We welcome CCT graduates to the CEI.
However, if you have already encountered the Compassionate Warrior approach elsewhere and are developing and deepening your own Compassionate journey, you are welcome, too.
If you have not yet completed CCT, we encourage you to apply for it first. Once you have completed it, you will be ready for the next CEI course.
Alternatively, you may choose to reach out to me directly to explore and experience the transformative power of compassion through a personal process.

What Happens During the 12 Weeks? The stages of the CEI journey

Throughout the program, we explore and experience transformative emotional intelligence from the perspective of Buddhist psychology.

Week-by-Week Breakdown:

Week 1: Navigating Inner Reality by Emotions – The elemental awareness model, toxic and hygienic states of mind, emotions as signposts, and the layers of awareness.
Week 2: Transforming Toxic States of Mind – Introduction to EPS (Emotional Positioning System) and EPS2.
Week 3: Transforming Attachment into Generosity
Week 4: Transforming Anxiety into Ethical Discipline
Week 5: Transforming Competition and Jealousy into Patience
Week 6: Transforming Anger into Joyful Effort
Week 7: Transforming Ignorance into Vigilance
Week 8: Transforming Self-Centeredness and Pride into Humility
Week 9: Fear as the Universal Aspects Projection of different Toxic Mind States
Week 10: Practicing the Application of EPS/EPS2
Week 11: Expanding the View – Introduction to EPS3
Week 12: Integrating CEI into Everyday Life

The Wheel of Life "Compassion is always a response to the sense of suffering"

During CCT, we practised how to respond to the experience of suffering with compassion—not from the personal self but from the Deeper Source—to cultivate peace, love, balance, and harmony within ourselves and our circle of impact. We also explored how this circle of impact is potentially unlimited, as long as it is not constrained by our emotions and thoughts.
What we did not examine in depth during CCT were the states of mind rooted in suffering, which, in turn, generate further suffering.
In other words, we did not explore the nature of suffering-based mental states in detail.
One of the fundamental teachings of Buddhism, the Wheel of Life (Bhavachakra in Sanskrit), visually illustrates the system of suffering-based states of consciousness—essentially functioning as an "infographic" (see image on the right).
The word "chakra" means wheel, while "bhavana" refers to expansion, unfolding, or growth.
In this sense, the Bhavachakra represents the cyclical unfolding of life, where one suffering-based existence leads to another.
The Bhavachakra can be interpreted on three levels:

As a spiritual teaching that illustrates the cyclical nature of existence beyond human experience.
As a reflection of suffering in earthly life, representing different social and life circumstances.
As a tool for personal self-awareness, helping us recognize emotional experiences and their role in our inner journey.

The purpose of this third understanding is to enable us to respond to our own suffering-based emotional experiences with compassion—in a way that elevates consciousness and fosters constructive personal transformation.

CEI: A Secular Transformative Self-Discovery Course

CEI is not a spiritual teaching but a secular, transformative self-awareness course.
Rooted in the six-realm system of the Bhavachakra, the core of CEI is the EPS (Emotional Positioning System)—a foundational framework for Compassionate Emotional Intelligence.

Throughout the course, we will apply two variations of EPS:

EPS1 facilitates the awareness of destructive root mental states in terms of both time and intensity.
EPS2 guides us in transforming EPS1's destructive mindstates into constructive, clear states of mind by inviting compassion into the transformation process.

The key message of EPS2 is that suffering-based mental states can truly be transformed into peaceful, constructive states of mind.
We will explore this statement experientially, allowing us to develop a deep, firsthand understanding that empowers us to continue on our self-discovery journey with greater confidence and insight.

Compassionate Emotional Intelligence (CEI)

Unveil the consciousness hidden within your emotions

How do you relate to your emotions?

Emotions are vital indicators of our states of mind

They can both hinder and facilitate the awakening of our consciousness

Cultivate an ever-deepening awareness of how to harness your emotions—especially the difficult ones—to elevate your consciousness through the active power of compassion.

The Framework of CEI

What does the group practice we invite you to participate in look like?

Building on what we have learned in CCT

Continuing With the Framework of CCT:

What Happens During the 12 Weeks? The stages of the CEI journey

Throughout the program, we explore and experience transformative emotional intelligence from the perspective of Buddhist psychology.

The Root of the CEI

The Buddhist perspective on emotions for personal transformation

The Wheel of Life "Compassion is always a response to the sense of suffering"

CEI: A Secular Transformative Self-Discovery Course

The Timing of CEI

A three-month shared journey

The Course Fee

The proposed amount to be offered

The reduced amount to be offered

Compassion Dynamics sustainer

Inquiry