Inner Strengths
The following excerpt is from chapter one of my book - Hardwiring Happiness. You’ll find helpful guidance to deepen your understanding and practice with the material in the book with the reading guide - //rickhanson.net/books/reading-guides#Hardwiring-Happiness. A...
Mind Changing Brain Changing Mind
There’s been a lot of research and clarification over the last several decades about how the brain makes the mind, and how the mind makes the brain, in a codependent, circular kind of way.
The Machinery of Upset
(Emotional) life is great when we feel enthusiastic, contented, peaceful, happy, interested, loving, etc. But when we’re upset, or aroused to go looking for trouble, life ain’t so great. To address this problem, let’s turn to a strategy used widely in science (and...
Intimacy and Autonomy Working Together
Intimacy and autonomy are channels for expressing your natural goodness. For example, being kind toward someone naturally involves both an affinity with that person and a certain autonomy for the kindness to be genuine. Besides its obvious rewards in everyday life,...
Embrace Fragility
Be mindful of both actual and potential fragility in yourself and others. Do what’s in your heart about what’s fragile in our world. Be at peace with the inevitable: things fall apart. Yet there is something beautiful about this part of the truth.
Is the Intention a Goal or Already Realized?
Do you express the intention as a goal or as something already realized? This gets at a recurring question, even a debate, in Buddhism (and also in psychology and in some religions): Is it about progressing toward an enlightened state, or is it about uncovering the...
What is Mindfuless?
Q: So today I had a “bad moment” – got stressed and upset about a work situation. My first thought was to let go of the negative thoughts that were running in my brain by actively taking in the good. Then I wondered if that meant I was running away from (ignoring or...