During times like this, it’s natural to feel afraid, stressed, threatened, or anxious – but being consumed by fear causes wear and tear on the body, which actually undermines your safety. That’s why it’s very important to be able to find a place inside that feels calm and strong. And one of the best ways to do this is to notice that you’re alright, right now – which we’ll explore in this 5-minute meditation.
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 25 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: Healing Trauma with Peter Levine
Dr. Peter Levine, a legendary expert on the subject of healing trauma, joins Forrest and I to discuss the power trauma holds over the body, how we can truly connect with others, and simple practices for calming fear and unwinding from trauma.
The Impacts of Childhood Trauma
Stress or microtraumas can disrupt the construction of the brain in infancy and childhood… and those effects can live on in us today.
Being Well Podcast: Childhood Trauma with Dr. Bruce Perry
Dr. Bruce Perry joins Forrest and me to discuss the incredible impact of childhood experiences, the fuzzy distinction between trauma and stress, and what we can do to heal from those experiences.
Being Well Podcast: Facing Challenging Experiences
Today Forrest and I explore how we can better resource ourselves to face the challenging, and even traumatic, experiences that lie in our past.
Living with Depression
Rick discusses being aware, stepping back and looking at the body sensations and cognitive elements of depression, so one can begin to disengage from it.
Being Well Podcast: How to Build Habits with Charles Duhigg
We all want to build good habits, and hopefully avoid problematic ones, but doing so is often easier said than done. Today Forrest and I had the pleasure of being joined by the bestselling author of The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg, who helped us explore how we can do just that.
Creating Healthy Boundaries
In this video, Rick shares some tips on creating healthy boundaries with others.
How to Stop Bad Experiences from Having a Lasting Impact
Do your experiences invade your mind? Learn how to stop bad experiences from having a lasting impact.
Ways to Manage a Depressed Mood
Practical tips for managing a depressed mood from a recent Being Well Podcast episode.
Being Well Podcast: Working with Grief with Dr. Joanne Cacciatore
There are some emotions that are so deeply tied to the human experience that it’s impossible to avoid them. One of these is grief, which we have yet to discuss in detail on the podcast. On this episode we’re changing that, and have the pleasure of welcoming Dr. Joanne Cacciatore to the podcast.
Velcro for the Bad, Teflon for the Good
Rick explains why bad experiences stick, but good experiences wash through us like water through a sieve.