Articles
on Well-Being by Dr. Rick Hanson
Right Livelihood
Introduction The Eightfold Path is the fourth of the Buddha’s Noble Truths, and it is the way leading to the uprooting of the causes of suffering, and thus to increasingly stable and profound peacefulness, wisdom, virtue, and happiness.
Your Wonderful Brain
Although your brain isn’t heavy – about three pounds of soft, gooshy tissue-like tapioca pudding – it has about 1.1 trillion cells altogether. It literally is the most complex object known in the universe.
A Caring, Joyful Heart
As you probably know, compassion and loving kindness are central elements of Buddhism. They arise naturally in response to one of those three fundamental characteristics of existence: interdependence/not-self/emptiness.
5 Tips to Wire for Compassion
During this time, we could all use more understanding and relating to one another. Did you know that requires a healthy prefrontal cortex (PFC) otherwise we will biologically default to our fight-or-flight response? It's simply in the way we are wired. Relating to one...
The Caring Quilt Creative Activity
Check out this great creative activity that will deepen and internalize your sense of being cared about - an important inner resource for resilience, happiness, and satisfying relationships, and a key part of the Foundations of Well-Being. This 12-minute video guides...
Intimacy: Me and We Video Clip
In relationships, it's natural to join with others, but it's also fundamentally important to have a strong sense of your own autonomy. In this clip from my Foundations of Well-Being program I explain how you can create a secure base of "me" inside yourself to be more...
From Shame to Self-Worth
For most people, shame is far too prominent in their psychology. Learn where shame comes from and 3 exercises in releasing any feelings of shame.
Rewiring Your Brain: An Article from Jennifer Forsberg Meyer
The Rural Life / By Jennifer Forsberg Meyer Rewiring Your Brain Sometimes things intersect in a way that makes you sit up and take notice. This happened to me recently. It started with some spectacular nature programs—the BBC series available on Netflix....
Dr. Rick Hanson on Bulletproof Radio
I was recently interviewed on the Bulletproof Radio podcast by Bulletproof founder Dave Asprey! Bulletproof Radio is one of the top health podcasts on iTunes, they have over half a million followers. We discussed how to get the best out of meaningful experiences,...
Questions about the Negativity Bias
I receive a lot of questions about the negativity bias and how to over come it. Here are a few: "Is the brain still evolving? Even though we have a brain sculpted by Stone Age experiences, is the brain in any way advancing into a more highly evolved version of...
Using Your Mind to Change Your Brain
Learn how you can use your mind to change your brain, with this quick overview from Rick Hanson, Ph.D.
Peace of Mind: Emotions, the Limbic System, and Equanimity
Daily life is full of emotions, from the pleasures of happiness and love to the pains of worry, frustration, sorrow, and anger. While we may take them for granted, our feelings are actually an extraordinary evolutionary achievement, as remarkable in their own way as language and logic.
From Shame to Self-Worth: Development of Shame Spectrum Feelings in Childhood
Welcome to the third and last part of the series, From Shame to Self-Worth. Last week we discussed the Neurobiology of Shame here and we started with the Introduction here. This week we will learn that shame is a very primal emotion, one that has a lot of traction in...
From Shame to Self-Worth: Evolutionary Neurobiology of Shame
This week we will continue from last week's introduction in the From Shame to Self-Worth series by gaining an understanding of the evolution of shame. [As we go through this somewhat intellectual material, try to make it real for yourself by relating it to your own...
From Shame to Self-Worth: Introduction
In this three part series, we will look at where shame comes from, in human evolutionary history, and in personal development. There also are three quite powerful exercises in seeing through, releasing, and replacing (with worth) any feelings you may have along the...
The Beauty of Life in the Face of Death
This is the fifth and final post in the series on Your Precious Life. In case you missed it, here's Part One, Part Two, Part Three, and Part Four. In it we’ll find the beauty of life even in the face of death. Some may find this post and experiential practice...
Reflections from the Porch
This is the fourth post in the series on Your Precious Life. Here's Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. In it we’ll look back on our lives from a perspective set many years in the future. We’ll start by imagining that you are sitting on a porch somewhere, on your...
Meditations for Happiness
Happiness is far more than a positive feeling that comes and goes. Science is now proving that happiness is a skill that you can develop. My audio program - Meditations for Happiness: Rewire Your Brain for Lasting Contentment and Peace - brings you a series of...
Being For Yourself
This is the third post in the series on Your Precious Life. Here's Part One and Part Two. In it we’ll find the new strength you can uncover through Being For Yourself. Let’s begin with another practice, similar to the one we did in the last post. But this time we’ll...
Meditations to Change Your Brain
In this audio excerpt from Meditations to Change Your Brain: Rewire Your Neural Pathways to Transform Your Life, Richard Mendius and I offer seven guided practices to “rebuild” your brain for lasting joy and fulfillment. I hope you like it. I'd love to hear your...
Being For Something
This is the second post in the series on Your Precious Life. You can find Part One here. In it we’ll look at the power of Being For Something. Let’s do a brief practice together. Think of it as an exercise for your mind. You can keep your eyes open or closed, take...