Rick Hanson's Blog, page 128
August 24, 2011
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize – Just One Thing
What's the most important thing?
The Practice
Keep your eyes on the prize.
Why?
Have you heard this saying?
The most important thing is to remember the most important thing.
What are the most important things to you? In your life as a whole? During a particular interaction with someone? Right this minute?
The most important things often get pushed to the sidelines. Urgent crowds out important. Modern life is full of distracting clamor, from text messages and emails to window displays in the...
August 20, 2011
Love the World
Are we really so separate?
The Practice:
Love the world.
Why?
Your brain evolved in three stages (to simplify a complex process):
Reptile – Brainstem, focused on AVOIDING harm
Mammal – Limbic system, focused on APPROACHING rewards
Primate – Cortex, focused on ATTACHING to "us"
With a fun use (to me, at least) of animal themes, the first JOT in this series – pet the lizard – was about how to soothe the most ancient structures of the brain, the ones that manage the first emotion of all...
Love the World – Just One Thing
Are we really so separate?
The Practice
Love the world.
Why?
Your brain evolved in three stages (to simplify a complex process):
Reptile – Brainstem, focused on AVOIDING harm
Mammal – Limbic system, focused on APPROACHING rewards
Primate – Cortex, focused on ATTACHING to "us"
With a fun use (to me, at least) of animal themes, the first JOT in this series – pet the lizard – was about how to soothe the most ancient structures of the brain, the ones that manage the first emotion of all...
August 18, 2011
August 14, 2011
Stay Right When You're Wronged – Just One Thing
What happens after you're mistreated?
The Practice
Stay right when you're wronged.
Why?
It's easy to treat people well when they treat you well. The real test is when they treat you badly.
Think of times you've been truly wronged, in small ways or big ones. Maybe someone stole something , turned others against you, broke an agreement, cheated on you, or spoke unfairly or abusively.
When things like these happen, I feel mad, hurt, startled, wounded, sad. Naturally it arises to want to strike ...
August 11, 2011
Give No One Cause to Fear You – Just One Thing
What puts people at ease?
The Practice
Give no one cause to fear you.
Why?
We evolved to be afraid.
The ancient ancestors that were casual and blithely hopeful, underestimating the risks around them – predators, loss of food, aggression from others of their kind – did not pass on their genes. But the ones that were nervous were very successful – and we are their great-grandchildren, sitting atop the food chain.
Consequently, multiple hair-trigger systems in your brain continually scan for...
July 29, 2011
Hug the Monkey – Just One Thing
Longing for love?
The Practice
Hug the monkey.
Why?
Your brain evolved in three stages (to simplify a complex process):
Reptile – Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm
Mammal – Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards
Primate – Cortex, focused on attaching to "us"
The first JOT in this series – pet the lizard – was about how to soothe the most ancient structures of the brain, the ones that manage the first emotion of all: fear. The next one – feed the mouse – addressed how to help early m...
