Rick Hanson's Blog, page 106
July 21, 2014
Is the Intention a Goal or Already Realized?
Do you express the intention as a goal or as something already realized?
This gets at a recurring question, even a debate, in Buddhism (and also in psychology and in some religions): Is it about progressing toward an enlightened state, or is it about uncovering the enlightened condition that has always been present? I can’t do justice here to the nuances of that consideration, but I can say what many wise people think is at the marrow of the matter: both are true. (Darn that middle way.)
In oth...
July 18, 2014
Guided Meditation – Mindfulness of the Body as a Whole
Take a minute (17 actually) to enjoy this guided meditation practice that will help you bring awareness to all sensations of the breath and breathing.
The post Guided Meditation – Mindfulness of the Body as a Whole appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
July 14, 2014
Be Amazed
Are you paying attention?
The Practice:
Be amazed.
Why?
Last night, stressing about undone tasks, I glanced in a mirror and saw my t-shirt, with its picture of a galaxy and a little sign sticking up out of its outer swirls, saying “you are here.” A joke gift from my wife, I’ve worn this shirt many times – yet for once it stopped me in my tracks. In William Blake’s phrase, the doors of perception popped open and it really hit me: yes we are actually here, off to the edge of a vast floating whirl...
What is Mindfuless?
Q: So today I had a “bad moment” – got stressed and upset about a work situation. My first thought was to let go of the negative thoughts that were running in my brain by actively taking in the good. Then I wondered if that meant I was running away from (ignoring or more importantly trying to change) the negative feelings in my mind/body, which seemed counter to mindfulness.
A: My take, take it with a bucket of salt:
Mindfulness is a means to an end, not an end in itself.
Mindfulness itself is s...
July 11, 2014
Friday Favorite
First Aid Kit perform Patti Smith’s “Dancing Barefoot” live at the Polar Music Prize awards ceremony 2011.
The post Friday Favorite appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
July 7, 2014
Emotion in the Brain
The major brain regions that support emotional processing include the limbic system – particularly the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus – and the prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), nucleus accumbens, and insula. Technical note: there are two hippocampi, one in each hemisphere of the brain; the same for the two amygdalae, ACCs, and insulae. Following common practice, we’ll mainly use the singular form.
By the way, as an interesting evolutionary detail, the limbic system...
July 4, 2014
From Idea to Embodied Experience
This practice – From Idea to Embodied Experience– from page 92 in my book – Hardwiring Happiness – helps thoughts about a good fact become good feelings, sensations, desires and actions related to it:
Be aware of your body as well as the good fact.
Soften and open your mind and body, with a sense of receiving the fact.
Think about aspects of the good fact that naturally encourage positive emotions, sensations, desires and actions.
Be kind toward yourself—like an inner voice saying, “Go ahead, thi...
June 30, 2014
Be Mind Full of Good
What’s in your mind?
The Practice
Be mind full of good.
Why?
It’s kind of amazing: right now, what you think and feel, enjoy and suffer, is changing your brain. The brain is the organ that learns, designed by evolution to be changed by our experiences: what scientists call experience-dependent neuroplasticity.
Neurons that fire together, wire together. This means that each one of us has the power to use the mind to change the brain to change the mind for the better. To benefit oneself and other be...
The Dance of Intimacy and Autonomy
Love tends to join and hate to separate, but joining is not the same as love, and separation is not hatred. Sometimes the most loving thing a person can do is take a step back: that’s distance in the service of attachment. And it’s not loving to join in invasive or smothering ways. Most people want both closeness and independence. Intimacy and autonomy in all their forms: your course in life is shaped by how well you regulate their dance in your mind, and their expression in your relationship...
Intimacy and Autonomy at Odds
Love tends to join and hate to separate, but joining is not the same as love, and separation is not hatred. Sometimes the most loving thing a person can do is take a step back: that’s distance in the service of attachment. And it’s not loving to join in invasive or smothering ways. Most people want both closeness and independence. Intimacy and autonomy in all their forms: your course in life is shaped by how well you regulate their dance in your mind, and their expression in your relationship...
