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Dr. Rick Hanson

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

See Good Intentions

See Good Intentions

By recognizing positive intentions we feel safer, supported, and happier. You have to actively look for good intentions. The practice of looking for good intentions may make you happier, and give you a stronger sense of our common humanity.

Being Well Podcast: The Dark Side of Self-Help: Forced Positivity

Being Well Podcast: The Dark Side of Self-Help: Forced Positivity

Do self-help environments force us into inauthentic happiness? And how can we move away from the false front, and into more authentic expression? Today is the first of a series of conversations with Forrest dedicated to some of the self-help community’s pitfalls.

Practicing Gratitude

When we’re faced with negative challenges, it’s natural for our brains to focus heavily on them. When we find ourselves consumed with the negative we’re experiencing, it’s helpful to remind yourself of the positive aspects in your life. Gratitude makes us resilient.

Find What’s Sacred

Find What’s Sacred

Sacred, has two meanings. One means spirituality, the other something precious. Try to identify what is sacred to you. Maybe you already know.

Being Well Podcast: Start Now: Mid-Year Resolutions

Being Well Podcast: Start Now: Mid-Year Resolutions

We’re halfway through a very strange year, and it’s a good time to take stock, check in with ourselves, and establish some new commitments – even if they’re as simple as being kind to ourselves. When things happen *to* us, as they have in many ways this year, it’s easy to feel helpless. One way we can reclaim our experience of agency is by finding where we *do* still have influence over our outcomes. And that’s what Forrest and I explore in this episode: how to start anew under the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Talk: The Refuge of Calm

Talk: The Refuge of Calm

In this talk from his weekly Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson speaks about the Refuge of Calm.

Empty the Cup

Empty the Cup

What’s the “wallpaper” in your own mind? Enjoy emptiness in the forms, the space between thoughts as your mind calms and becomes still, when you have no plans at all.

Being Well Podcast: Can We Do No Harm?

Being Well Podcast: Can We Do No Harm?

Is it possible to “do no harm,” and should we even try? In today’s episode, Forrest and I explore what it means to do no harm, and the resources that can allow us to do as little as possible.