Controlling your attention – being able to place it where you want it and keep it there, being able to pull it away from what’s bothersome or pointless.

Rick Hanson
Author / Psychologist
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Biography
Rick Hanson, Ph.D. is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven books have been published in 33 languages, and include Making Great Relationships, Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha’s Brain, and Mother Nurture – with over a million copies in English alone. He's the founder of the Global Compassion Coalition and the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, as well as the co-host of the Being Well Podcast – which has been downloaded over 15 million times. His free newsletters have over 260,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those in need. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and has taught in meditation centers worldwide. He and his wife live in Northern California and have two adult children. He loves the wilderness and taking a break from emails.
Articles
Being Well Podcast: Everything I Wish I’d Known: A Guide to Personal Growth
In this episode, Forrest focuses on the key lessons from 400 episodes of Being Well, giving you a tailored guide to personal growth.
Meditation + Talk: What Should You Do About Your . . . Shoulds?
The weight of constant “shoulds” can be exhausting and include a lot of self-criticism, regret, and frustration. Learn a different way to motivate yourself that is sustainable and freeing.
Keep Your Eyes on the Prize
The most important things often get pushed to the sidelines. But if you don’t make a sanctuary for what is important, it will get overrun B and C priorities.
Being Well Podcast: Letting Go: Rumination, Breakups, and How to Stop Feeling Attached
In this episode of the Being Well Podcast, Forrest and Dr. Rick focus on one of life’s most challenging but essential skills – letting go.
Meditation + Talk: Remembering Our True Nature
Feeling disconnected? Maria Paula Jimenez helps you reclaim your true nature with mindfulness and compassion with an inspiring talk and guided meditation.
Lighten Up
You can open to a sense of freedom and autonomy where you get to decide what you could stop doing and lighten up.
Being Well Podcast: Healing Attachment Wounds with Elizabeth Ferreira
Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira joins the show to help us understand ways of healing attachment wounds and developing more secure forms of relating.
Meditation + Talk: Responding Effectively to the Crises and Craziness of Our Time
Join guest teacher Dr. Roger Walsh for practical tips to transform overwhelm into clarity, compassion, and purposeful action.
Kindness to You is Kindness to Me; Kindness to Me is Kindness to You
True kindness is a two-way street: caring for others eases your mind; caring for yourself strengthens your heart. From this balance, joy and connection grow.
Being Well Podcast: Limerence, Love, and Life Transitions: January Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest begin the mailbag by exploring limerence – an obsessive form of romantic attraction – and offer practical recommendations for working with one-sided infatuation.
Meditation + Talk: The Power of Patience
Discover how patience can help you navigate life’s frustrations and paradoxes, and cultivate calm, resilience, and wisdom in the face of everyday challenges.