Feeling overwhelmed or stuck in certainty? Explore the surprising peace of not-knowing and how beginner’s mind can free you from stress and suffering.
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
Be Home
When the body is not disturbed by hunger, thirst, pain, or illness, and when the mind is not disturbed by threat, frustration, or rejection, then most people settle into their resting state, which is our “home base” – our fundamental nature as human beings.
Your body and mind want to come home: that’s where energy is conserved for the marathon of life. Try this practice to help yourself come home more naturally.
Being Well Podcast: Why Modern Life Doesn’t Make Us Happy with Dr. Bill von Hippel
Forrest Hanson talks with evolutionary psychologist Dr. Bill von Hippel about a central paradox of modern life: life today is safer and more comfortable than ever before, so why do so many people feel unhappy, lonely, and anxious?
Talk + Meditation: Respecting and Relieving Suffering
Minimizing pain—yours or others’—only deepens suffering. By respecting and relieving suffering with strength and compassion we can grow the strengths you need to heal.
Gift Yourself
When you give more to yourself, you have more to offer others.
Being Well Podcast: Rethinking Masculinity: Strength and Connection w/ Terry and Justin Real
Forrest is joined by renowned therapist Terry Real and his son Justin for a frank exploration of modern masculinity.
Talk + Meditation: The Power of Appreciation – and How to Get More of It from Others
Feeling unseen or unappreciated? Learn how generosity and appreciation support lasting inner strength, and what to do when others don’t value your efforts.
Speak Truly
Perhaps the most powerful tool for your mental health – and certainly for the health of your relationships – is to speak truly.
Being Well Podcast: Self-Sabotage: Why You Do What You Shouldn’t, and How to Stop
We all self-sabotage – procrastinate, pick fights, or pull back – and Dr. Rick & Forrest explore why and how to stop it in this episode.
Talk + Meditation: The Seductions of Healthy Desires
Feeling overwhelmed, always striving, or burnt out—even from good intentions? Learn how to stay centered and content through your core practice.
What to Do When the Bottom Falls Out?
It’s normal to feel shocked, frozen, frightened, or outraged. But here are four fundamental strengths to help us feel and function better in difficult times.
Being Well Podcast: Terry Real: Great Relationships, True Intimacy, and Inner Child Work
Forrest is joined by renowned couples therapist Terry Real to explore how we can get past our conditioning and build deeper, more meaningful connections.