Forgiveness frees you from the tangles of anger and retribution. Appreciate the value of forgiveness. Ask yourself: what does my grievance, my resentment, cost me? Cost others I care about? What would it be like to lay those burdens down?
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 i 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: Depression and Self-Care, Accepting Love, and Building Stronger Relationships: July Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest open the mailbag and answer questions focused on strengthening our relationships, including supporting friends and loved ones who are experiencing depression while also caring for ourselves.
Meditation + Talk: The Future of Wise Leadership Is Up to Us with Dr. Diana Hill
We all have the capacity to make a profound and lasting impact. Here is a meditation and 7 Practices to Grow Stronger Together.
Tell the Truth and Play Fair
People compete with each other and have conflicts of all kinds, but we expect a level playing field. Do what you can to tell the truth and play fair.
Being Well Podcast: How to Become a Disciplined Person
Forrest and Dr. Rick explore how to become a disciplined person, including how to make even frustrating tasks rewarding and learning to feel good when we do good.
Meditation + Talk: Confidence, Hope, and Fear with Ethan Nichtern
Confidence can be difficult to maintain in the face of challenges. Buddhism offers insight into the forces that shape our self-perception and well-being.
Enjoy The Freedom Not To
If you can’t say “no” – to others, and yourself – then your “yesses” will lose their meaning and power. The “freedom not to” gives you a feeling of ease.
Being Well Podcast: Psychological Defenses: How to Understand (and Change) Your Mind and Behavior
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how our psychological defenses shape our actions, influence our relationships, and affect our overall well-being.
Meditation + Talk: 7 Practices for Dealing with Regrets
We all have regrets. Meditate on Resting in Contentment and Releasing Craving. Then learn 7 Practices for Dealing with Regrets.
Feel Whole
When you open to the whole of your experience you feel more at home in yourself. With moments of practice that add up over time, you feel more like a whole person, less fragmented. As this happens, you feel more fed and fulfilled – and more connected, more entwined with the world as whole.
Being Well Podcast: The Fawn Response: People Pleasing, Self-Abandonment, and Standing Up for Yourself
Dr. Rick and Forrest finish their series on the stress responses with the fawn response, which is an appeasement strategy where we try to manage stressful situations by giving others what they want.
Meditation + Talk: Healing Regrets
Regret can be a heavy burden. As we reflect on our mistakes and regrets, it’s essential to explore our underlying good intentions and embrace openheartedness.