Rick Hanson's Blog, page 72
October 18, 2017
Pet the Lizard
Down deep, do you feel at ease?
The Practice:
Pet the lizard.
Why?
I’ve always liked lizards.
Growing up in the outskirts of Los Angeles, I played in the foothills near our home. Sometimes I’d catch a lizard and stroke its belly, so it would relax in my hands, seeming to feel at ease.
In my early 20’s, I found a lizard one chilly morning in the mountains. It was torpid and still in the cold and let me pick it up. Concerned that it might be freezing to death, I placed it on the shoulder of my...
October 13, 2017
Male Peacock Spider Performs Courtship Display
Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Watch this amazing video of this Maratus Mungaich aka male peacock spider perform his courtship display!
https://mobile.twitter.com/MeetAnimal...
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October 11, 2017
Feed the Mouse
Got cheese?
The Practice:
Feed the mouse.
Why?
As the nervous system evolved, your brain developed in three stages:
Reptile – Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm Mammal – Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards Primate – Cortex, focused on attaching to “us”Since the brain is integrated, avoiding, approaching, and attaching are accomplished by its parts working together. Nonetheless, each of these functions is particularly served and shaped by the region of the brain that first evolv...
October 8, 2017
Human Need for Refuge
From Rick Hanson’s 2016 Psychotherapy Networker Symposium keynote address, “How Hard Times Can Open the Heart”
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October 6, 2017
Arbor Day Foundation – Greener World
Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Arbor Day Foundation is making our world cleaner and greener by replanting trees where we need it most!
Read more about the foundation here.
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October 4, 2017
Hug the Monkey
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 earl...
September 22, 2017
Earthworks – Protecting the Earth & It’s Resources
Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Earthworks is a nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting communities and the environment from the adverse impacts of mineral and energy development while promoting sustainable solutions.
Earthworks stands for clean air, water and land, healthy communities, and corporate accountability. They work to find solutions that protect both the Earth’s resources and our communities.
Visit their website here: https://ww...
September 15, 2017
Investing in Children Now, Changes Our Future
Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Save the Children invests in childhood – every day, in times of crisis and for our future. They believe that by transforming children’s lives now, we change the course of their future and ours.
More on this amazing organization and all the changes they are making here.
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September 13, 2017
Relax your Body
Relax your body.
Why?Most people these days feel pretty stressed. Plus often worried or angry about one thing or another, such as finances, their job, the health of a family member, or a relationship on the rocks.
When you get stressed or upset, your body tenses up to fight, flee, or freeze. That’s Mother Nature’s way, and it kept our ancestors alive to pass on their genes.
But today – when people can live 70 or 80 years or more, and when quality o...
September 8, 2017
The Billionaire Who Is Trying To Go Broke
Rick’s Picks is a series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Chuck Feeney is the James Bond of philanthropy. Over the last 30 years he’s crisscrossed the globe conducting a clandestine operation to give away a $7.5 billion fortune derived from hawking cognac, perfume and cigarettes in his empire of duty-free shops. While the business world’s titans obsess over piling up as many riches as possible, Feeney is working double time to die broke.
More here.
The post The Billionaire...
