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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 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

The Power of Receiving Others

Rick explains how by giving a child the feeling of being fully received, we give them a demonstration of what mindfulness is.

Being Well Podcast: Who Am I?

Being Well Podcast: Who Am I?

What are the different kinds of tendencies people might have, where do they come from, and what can we do to relate to them as healthily as possible? And how is our answer to the question “Who Am I” shaped by the labels others have put upon us, or we’ve put upon ourselves?

Being Well Podcast: Caring for Yourself

Being Well Podcast: Caring for Yourself

We’re starting off our new year with a very special episode dedicated to Self-Caring. This episode features a wonderful conversation between Dr. Rick Hanson and an internationally recognized clinical psychologist, author, and meditation teacher: Dr. Tara Brach.

Activities for Kids

Kathy Hegberg, M.A., creator of the FocusedKids™ program, has adapted Rick Hanson’s practices of Hug the Monkey and Pet the Lizard for children ages 3-5. You can view and download the practices below. Kathy developed FocusedKids™ in 2013 to teach preschoolers basic...

Twelve Good Things 2018

Each year I use an issue of the Just One Thing newsletter to offer Twelve Good Things. I think they’re really wonderful, and worth your attention.

Being Well Podcast: Forgiving Yourself

Being Well Podcast: Forgiving Yourself

However challenging it may be to forgive other people, we often struggle even more to forgive ourselves. Today we explore how we can give to ourselves as generously as we give it to other people.

Resilient Selected for Greater Good Favorite Books of 2018

We're excited to announce that Resilient has been selected by Greater Good as one of their favorite books of 2018. Rick Hanson, Ph.D. and Forrest Hanson have the honor of joining other great authors such as Brené Brown, Nadine Burke Harris, Soraya Chemaly, Dolly...

Having a Life of Your Own

Having a Life of Your Own

Feeling the stresses of multiple commitments tugging at you can make you feel like you can never take care of any single one as much as you would like. We’ve listed just a few ways that you can help serve yourself in this column.

From Anxiety to Security

From Anxiety to Security

We all experience anxiety. Discover why we are anxious, how are brains handle anxiety, and learn a variety ways for healthy coping.