Rick Hanson's Blog, page 96
June 19, 2015
Rick’s Picks: Never, Ever Give Up. Arthur’s Inspirational Transformation!
Rick’s Picks is a new series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Arthur Boorman was a disabled veteran of the Gulf War for 15 years, and was told by his doctors that he would never be able to walk on his own, ever again. His story is proof, that we cannot place limits on what we are capable of doing, because we often do not know our own potential.
The post Rick’s Picks: Never, Ever Give Up. Arthur’s Inspirational Transformation! appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
June 15, 2015
From Shame to Self-Worth: Introduction
In this three part series, we will look at where shame comes from, in human evolutionary history, and in personal development. There also are three quite powerful exercises in seeing through, releasing, and replacing (with worth) any feelings you may have along the shame spectrum.
The spectrum of feelings in the territory of shame include:
Inadequacy – Sense of being unfit, useless, not up to the task, inferior, mediocre, worthlessness, less than, one down, devalued Humiliation – Embarrassme...June 8, 2015
The Beauty of Life in the Face of Death
This is the fifth and final post in the series on Your Precious Life. In case you missed it, here’s Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. In it we’ll find the beauty of life even in the face of death.
Some may find this post and experiential practice emotionally intense. Please only go as far as you are comfortable with.
No matter what your religious – or existential – orientation may be, it is an undeniable fact that every year contains two special days.
One you know for sure: the a...
June 3, 2015
Speak Truly
What’s in your heart to say?
The Practice:
Speak truly.
Why?
It’s been said that the most powerful tool for physical health is a fork (or spoon), since the choices you make with it determine the good or bad things you put into your body.
In the same way, perhaps the most powerful tool for your mental health – and certainly for the health of your relationships – is your tongue. Thousands of times each day, it (or your fingers on a keyboard: same thing) offers the good word or the bad one out i...
June 1, 2015
Reflections from the Porch
This is the fourth post in the series on Your Precious Life. Here’s Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. In it we’ll look back on our lives from a perspective set many years in the future.
We’ll start by imagining that you are sitting on a porch somewhere, on your rocking chair, very old but with your wits still about you. From that vantage point in the future, you will be reflecting about your life: the good things about it, and how you had stood up for yourself, and been for yourself.
In oth...
May 29, 2015
Rick’s Picks: Powers of Ten
Rick’s Picks is a new series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
Powers of Ten takes us on an adventure in magnitudes. Starting at a picnic by the lakeside in Chicago, this famous film transports us to the outer edges of the universe.
Sometimes it’s a great reminder to see our relative size, and to realize the power of just adding another zero.
The post Rick’s Picks: Powers of Ten appeared first on Dr. Rick Hanson.
May 28, 2015
Meditations for Happiness
Happiness is far more than a positive feeling that comes and goes. Science is now proving that happiness is a skill that you can develop.
My audio program – Meditations for Happiness: Rewire Your Brain for Lasting Contentment and Peace – brings you a series of practices that allow you to literally rewire the neural pathways in your brain to experience deeper and more lasting contentment.
I hope you enjoy this excerpt from the program:
I’d love to hear your feedback about this audio excerpt i...
May 27, 2015
Lighten Up
What’s weighing you down?
The Practice:
Lighten up.
Why?
On the path of life, most of us are hauling way too much weight.
What’s in your own backpack? If you’re like most of us, you’ve got too many items on each day’s To Do list and too much stuff in the closet. Too many entanglements with other people. And too many “shoulds,” worries, guilts, and regrets.
Remember a time when you lightened your load. Maybe a backpacking trip when every needless pound stayed home. Or after you finally left a...
May 25, 2015
Being For Yourself
This is the third post in the series on Your Precious Life. Here’s Part One and Part Two. In it we’ll find the new strength you can uncover through Being For Yourself.
Let’s begin with another practice, similar to the one we did in the last post. But this time we’ll focus inward, and bring that same compassion and support into ourselves.
Settle into your seat. Bring to mind a sense of yourself as a child, especially focused on your neat qualities . . . your vulnerability . . . your lovablenes...
May 22, 2015
Rick’s Picks: 40 Days of Dating
Rick’s Picks is a new series of posts highlighting the very best content online.
What do you do when you’re tired of the prospect of dating? Two good friends with opposite relationship problems found themselves single at the same time. As an experiment, they dated for 40 days.
It’s been said that it takes 40 days to change a bad habit. In an attempt to explore and hopefully overcome their fears and inadequacies, Tim and Jessica went through the motions of a relationship for 40 days: the commi...
