Rick Hanson's Blog, page 9

Being Well Podcast: How to Create Massive Change with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

Forrest Hanson welcomes Dr. Benjamin Hardy to explore how we can create massive change by applying “10x thinking.” This mindset involves embracing a radically different version of ourselves and our lives, and they share how we can apply it to our daily lives, learn to act from our future selves, and move past defensiveness and fear. You’ll learn how our past and future selves are with us in the present, how fixating on authenticity can hinder our growth, and how to br...

Meditation + Talk: Tranquility – The Fifth Factor of Awakening

This Wednesday Night Meditation included a 33-minute meditation, a 47-minute talk, and a discussion with Rick Hanson about Tranquility: The Fifth Factor of Awakening.

I hope you find it helpful, and you are welcome to join my free Wednesday Meditations – which are open to everyone!

Meditation: Tranquility – The Fifth Factor of Awakening

Download the Audio of this Meditation

Talk: Tranquility – The Fifth F...

Being Well Podcast: Learning from Nature with Mark Coleman

Buddhist teacher Mark Coleman joins Forrest and Dr. Rick to share how we can learn from nature and incorporate it into our practice. Mark shares his insights and experiences from years of leading wilderness retreats, and explains how reconnecting with the natural world can deepen mindfulness and enhance our well-being. You’ll learn specific meditative practices, how to bring the outside inside, the power of our “wild” aspects, and how we can move from being in nature ...

Meditation + Talk: Bliss, Rapture, Joy – The Fourth Factor of Awakening

This Wednesday Night Meditation included a 35-minute meditation, a 64-minute talk, and a discussion with Rick Hanson about Bliss, Rapture, Joy: The Fourth Factor of Awakening.

I hope you find it helpful, and you are welcome to join my free Wednesday Meditations – which are open to everyone!

Meditation: Bliss, Rapture, Joy – The Fourth Factor of Awakening

Download the Audio of this Meditation

Talk: Bliss, ...

Being Well Podcast: Releasing Obsessive Thoughts: Rumination, OCD, and Dealing with Fear

Forrest and I delve into one of the questions we’re asked most frequently: how we can let go of obsessive and intrusive thoughts. We explore why we tend to get trapped in certain thoughts, the negative effects of rumination, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). We then discuss facing our fears and how we can balance getting close enough to a problem that we can do something about it…without getting so close that we become overwhelmed by it. 

Rumina...

Meditation + Talk: Making Efforts – The Third Factor of Awakening

This Wednesday Night Meditation included a 35-minute meditation, a 61-minute talk, and a discussion with Rick Hanson about Making Efforts: The Third Factor of Awakening.

I hope you find it helpful, and you are welcome to join my free Wednesday Meditations – which are open to everyone!

Meditation: Making Efforts – The Third Factor of Awakening

Download the Audio of this Meditation

Talk: Making Efforts – Th...

Being Well Podcast: Cognitive Bypassing: How to Get Out of Your Head

Cognitive bypassing occurs when we overthink to avoid feeling uncomfortable emotions like sadness, fear, or anger. In this episode, Forrest and Dr. Rick share their personal experiences with cognitive bypassing, and explore how we can step out of our heads, get in touch with our emotions, and live a more fulfilling life.

You’ll learn why people can’t just “feel their feelings,” the function of cognitive bypassing, how we can use cognition to create spa...

Meditation + Talk: The Brahma Viharas and Moral Beauty: Portals to Awe and Inter-Connectedness

This Wednesday Night Meditation included a 34-minute meditation and a 47-minute talk about The Brahma Viharas and Moral Beauty: Portals to Awe and Inter-Connectedness with guest teacher Linda Graham, MFT.

Linda Graham, MFT — an experienced psychotherapist, mindfulness practitioner, and mindful self-compassion teacher in the San Francisco Bay area. Linda has been a guest teacher for the Wednesday Meditation group many times over the years and integrates modern neuroscience, mindfulness, ...

Speak Wisely

What are you saying?

The Practice:
Speak wisely.

Why?

“Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”

Ah, not really.

Often it’s words – and the tone that comes with them – that actually do the most damage. Just think back on some of the things that have been said to you over the years – especially those said with criticism, derision, shaming, anger, rejection, or scorn – and the impacts they’ve had on your feelings, hopes, ambitions, and sense of yourself.

Words ...

Being Well Podcast: ADHD 2.0 with Dr. John Ratey

ADHD is often misunderstood as a simple “lack of attention.” But in this episode of Being Well, Forrest and Dr. Rick are joined by ADHD pioneer Dr. John Ratey to explore the true nature of this complex condition.

Forrest Hansont, Rick Hanson, and Dr. John Ratey debunk common misconceptions about ADHD, explore how ADHD works in the brain, and discuss the surprising strengths and vulnerabilities of ADHD. You’ll learn how to thrive with ADHD by applying e...