R.A.I.N. is an acronym developed by Michelle McDonald but adapted a bit by me, to summarize a powerful way to expand self-awareness.
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 eight books have been published in 33 languages and include Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha’s Brain, Resilient, Neurodharma, Just One Thing, Making Great Relationships, A Happy, Healthy Mom, 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 30 million times. He offers free newsletters, and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial needs. 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: Trauma in Relationships: What Actually Helps with Elizabeth Ferreira
Forrest is joined by associate therapist and his fiancée Elizabeth Ferreira for an honest, personal conversation about what it’s actually like to be in a relationship when one partner is living with trauma, complex PTSD, or another ongoing mental health challenge.
Talk + Meditation: The Personal Benefits of Empathy for “Them”
Discover how empathy for others can reduce stress, soften reactivity, and help you feel calmer, wiser, and more at peace.
Stay Well
To stay well, make sure you’re getting enough sleep, eating correctly, doing exercise regularly, avoiding health hazards, and having regular checkups.
Being Well Podcast: Family Systems Theory: The Invisible Force That Runs Your Relationships
Dr. Rick and Forrest explain why through one of the most influential frameworks in psychology: Family Systems Theory (FST).
Talk + Meditation: Exploring Radical Helplessness, Radical Trust, and Radical Acceptance
What happens when we stop fighting the vulnerability of being human? What if we practiced living with radical helplessness, radical trust, and radical acceptance?
Welcome Joy
What’s the spark and what’s the fuel? Welcome joy. Positive emotions – such as feelings of gratitude, love, and confidence – strengthen the immune system, protect the heart against loss and trauma, build relationships, increase resilience
Being Well Podcast: Embracing Productive Discomfort with Michael Easter
Forrest is joined by journalist and author Michael Easter to discuss how we can make our lives better by making them (the right kind of) harder.
Talk + Meditation: Mettā as a Somatic Response to Trauma, Oppression, and Hatred
How loving-kindness becomes a bodily state that interrupts fear, softens reactivity, and helps kindness become your baseline.
Leave the Red Zone
In a busy life, each day gives you dozens of opportunities to leave the Red zone and move toward Green. Each time you do this, you gradually strengthen the neural substrates of Green, one synapse at a time.
Being Well Podcast: The Freeze-Shame Loop, Therapy Speak, and “Everyone Has ADHD”: February Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest answer listener questions about the freeze state, ADHD, and power imbalances in relationships.
Talk + Meditation: A Novel Way to Explore the Eightfold Path
How impermanence, mindfulness, and the Eightfold Path help transform suffering into wisdom and compassionate action.