We're currently enrolling ProSocial Spirituality groups at no charge to participants as part of a ProSocial World research initiative.
We begin with a three-part conversation, conducted via Zoom, to determine if there is mutual interest in engaging in the full ten-session P-SAGE program.
ProSocial Spirituality groups engage in real-time exploration of Ostrom’s Cultural Design Principles and Teasdale’s Interspiritual Elements within the context of their own experience.
Together, it’s a great opportunity for groups to deepen their vision, increase flexibility, and cultivate skills and tools that allow them to survive, grow, and thrive.
Prosocial behavior is any action that benefits another person or group of people. It is behavior that promotes the welfare of all.
Prosocial people behave in ways that are beneficial to their group. Prosocial groups behave in ways that are beneficial to local and planetary well-being.
We’re studying prosociality as an evolutionary trait.
“Selfishness beats altruism within groups. Altruistic groups beat selfish groups. Everything else is commentary.”
~ David Sloan Wilson in
Does Altruism Exist?
Spirituality is a flexible term with great reach, scope, and room for interpretation. It’s more a way of life than any one set of dogmatic beliefs.
ProSocial Spirituality explores the global movement known as Interspirituality, which invites people of all religious, spiritual, and secular persuasions to experience the heart of humanity--in all of its diverse expressions--on the path toward greater harmony with one another and all of life. Contemplative practices unearth the mystical roots of the world's religious traditions, revealing a deep unity that stands in stark contrast to rampant trends toward isolation and divisiveness.
“We have been given the gift of life in this perplexing world to become who we ultimately are: creatures of boundless love, caring, compassion, and wisdom.”
~ Interspiritual pioneer Wayne Teasdale
ProSocial Spirituality Active Group Engagement (P-SAGE) is a research initiative funded by the John Templeton Foundation exploring the intersections of science and spirituality.
Recognizing that small groups, larger groups, networks, and networks of networks make up the fabric of human culture, we’re interested in exploring how frameworks based on scientific research and contemplative inquiry foster more harmonious, efficient, sustainable, diverse, inclusive, meaningful, impactful groups.
We’re currently working with cohesive groups (with shared purpose and identity) comprised of anywhere from five to fifteen people who are willing to engage in weekly Zoom meetings, daily contemplative practices, deep listening, reflection, and confidential sharing. Authenticity is essential to this program.
Every organization, team, or group faces challenges. Why is it that some groups are able to turn obstacles into opportunities, while others fall apart (and worse!) P-SAGE offers opportunities for your group to explore questions like this in the context of your own mission and vision.
What role does spirituality play, individually and collectively, in your group’s culture?
How does your group make decisions?
What happens when your group faces conflict, internally and externally?
How does your group’s impact align with your vision?
P-SAGE is designed for groups and individuals who are ready to take a deep dive into becoming more prosocial. Whether you’re seeking to clarify your group’s mission and vision or hoping to foster healthy collaboration internally and externally, this program is an intensive practice tailored to your group’s needs.
We will work together over the course of the P-SAGE program to identify your group’s strengths and weaknesses on both the horizontal plane of local and global engagement and the vertical dimension of spiritual grounding and transcendence.
This 10-session program includes:
Lin Ostrom’s Cultural Design Principles
Wayne Teasdale’s Interspiritual Elements
Developing psychological flexibility
Heart-centered gatherings
Contemplative practices
Online discussion community
Fortnightly consultation sessions where you’ll learn new ideas and practice techniques to enhance your facilitation.
Meetings with others in your cohort where you can share your challenges, broaden your exposure to different group scenarios and expand your professional network
An online discussion forum where you can share resources, ask questions and explore the Prosocial framework in more depth with your facilitator and colleagues on the course, many of whom have deep experience in bringing about change in groups and organizations
Access to videos, readings, exercises and a sequence of practical and engaging assignments to support you in your learning
I am a social psychologist, facilitator, researcher and author. My passion in life is creating more harmonious, cooperative, meaningful relationships. I co-founded ProSocial World with David Sloan Wilson and was lead author of the book articulating the Prosocial method. The last 10 years have been the greatest privilege of my life to get to meet and be influenced by the wonderful Prosocial World community. These days I am noticing I spend more time asking myself 'what does the system need here and how can I help?'. This is profoundly satisfying for me. We, humans, were designed to ask that question much more than our individualistic societies invite us too! I look forward to meeting you properly.
My "niche" finally clarified itself, and it is (drumroll, please): fearless world —and game— changers. Not world savers, btw (!).
And it changes the inner world as much as, if not more than, the outer one.
I am a Consultant Clinical Psychologist and have been working in the National Health Service in the UK for over 25 years.
About 12 years ago, we started using Contextual Behavioural Science approaches, such as ACT, DNA-V & CFT in our Medical Paediatric Psychology Service.
We started experimenting with prosocial to see if it could help us support a couple of children and it was a transformative experience for us. We have now been applying and adapting prosocial to many health and social care services across the country, all the while enjoying the journey and being a part of the Prosocial World community.
I am a contextual behavior analyst, educator, and researcher with PhD., BCBA-D certification.
I am passionate about promoting and disseminating relational frame theory (RFT), contextual behavior science (CBS), prosocial work, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and cultural diversity and sensitivity through the lens of CBS, evolutionary science. and behavior analysis.
I believe psychological and behavioral flexibility at the levels of the individual, group, culture, and society can be nurtured through these theories, models, and sciences.
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I am a senior consultant with a wealth of commercial acumen and expertise in diverse industries, sectors and cultures.
I navigate within diverse ecosystems of multiple actors, co-experimenting social innovations and transformational experiential initiatives.
Essentially to co-experiment together on remembering ‘We as Nature’ and our original instructions as Guardians of Life.
I initially trained in music then, in a later chapter of my life went on to become an academic doing applied research in the field of Contextual Behavioral Science through the Australian National University.
Over the last couple of decades, this stream of activity allowed me to work with communities, organizations, and governments across Australia, the Pacific, Africa, Europe and the Americas.
I have learned to apply a change method based on behavioral and evolutionary science that has demonstrably enhanced cooperation and collaborations for groups of all types and sizes, in some instances at a global scale. This has meant co-designing behavioral and evolutionary approaches to realizing environmental and socio-cultural resilience, and well-being for those I have worked with. Lessons I look forward to sharing with you.
I have worked as a Manager of a large not for profit and as an executive coach in for profit organizations.
I am currently using prosocial approaches with cooperatives and not-for-profits. I have facilitated prosocial training courses for the last 3 years and am always learning.
Introduce yourself and set in motion a conversation about your group's participation:
For any other information, please contact ProSocial Spirituality at spirituality@prosocial.world
The course is currently offered in English only. We are currently working toward developing courses in additional multiple languages orwith translation services. If you know of a group of people who want to participate in another language, please email our Learning & Engagement Administrator, courses@prosocial.world
We recommend setting an average of two hours per week to prepare, review and practice, in addition to attending one seminar every fortnight and being available to attend ALL full day workshops. These are essential and will not be recorded.
Course materials will be available for at least a year.
Seminars are run virtually over Zoom. You can access Zoom via computer or phone, but we recommend that you use a computer with a large screen wherever possible. We will also make use of Google drive folders and our online social engagement platform, Hylo. We will give you all the instructions for accessing the community group on Hylo prior to the start of the course.
We partner closely with the Terran Collective, the developers of Hylo. Hylo is a free, open-source, regenerative social platform where we can discuss all things related to Prosocial World. Hylo can be used to access training materials and assignments, socialize with your fellow participants, and receive updates about other programs of interest and much more!
We are currently convening programs with pre-existing coherent groups; please connect with the ProSocial Spirituality community to connect as an individual and we will let you know when we are convening a program designed for individual participation.
We recommend setting an average of two hours per week to prepare, review and practice, in addition to attending one seminar every fortnight and being available to attend ALL full day workshops. These are essential and will not be recorded.
We know that life gets busy sometimes, which is why we record our seminars and make them available to you through our community platform, Hylo. That said, please do try to make it to as many meetings as possible as a lot of the work will be done in collaboration with your peers on the course and breakout rooms will not be recorded.