Articles
on Well-Being by Dr. Rick Hanson
Feel Safer
Feeling safer is a tricky subject, with complications that can be both personal and political. (This topic and others are explored in depth in my interview with New Dimensions.) Yes, there are real threats out there, but evolution and other factors have left a lot of...
Your Precious Life
This series of blog posts is about Your Precious Life: what an incredible opportunity it is to have a life. At all.Part 1: Your Precious LifePart 2: Being For SomethingPart 3: Being For YourselfPart 4: Reflections from the PorchPart 5: The Beauty of Life in the Face...
Open Space Mindfulness
This is the fourth and final post in the series on developing mindful presence. Here's Part One, Part Two, and Part Three. In Part Three we did a little mindfulness meditation to "tune-up" our mindfulness and concentration skills. Now we are going to distill that...
The Neurodharma of Love
Most of our greatest joys and sorrows happen in our relationships with others. Imagine then: what if you could guide your mind to forgive, heal, and find greater happiness in your connections with others? The remarkable truth is that you can. Check out this sample...
Mindfulness Tune Up
This is the third post in the series on developing mindful presence. Here's Part One and Part Two. Steady mindfulness requires overcoming the natural – and evolutionarily adaptive – tendency of mind to scan endlessly and think of new things. So the basic capacity to...
Self-Directed Brain Change
I think you might like this sample from my audio program - Self-Directed Brain Change: Rewire Your Neural Pathways for Happiness and Resilience - a step-by-step program for retraining our neural structure out of "sheer survival" mode and into one of greater...
Why Develop Mindful Presence?
This is the second post in the series on mindful presence. You can view Part One here. So why should we go out of our way to develop mindfulness? Mindful presence feels good in its own right: relaxed, alert, and peaceful. Not contending with anything. No struggle. In...
The Enlightened Brain
I thought you might like to listen to a sample from my audio program - The Enlightened Brain: The Neuroscience of Awakening - in which I offer practical tools to reshape your brain for awakening. Enjoy! I'd love to hear your feedback about this audio excerpt in the...
Fear
I had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Ask Dr. Nandi Show on the topic of Fear. I hope you enjoy it! When viewing, please enter password: nandi SHOW Ask Dr Nandi 363 Fear from Ask Dr. Nandi on Vimeo.
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...
Evolutionary Neurobiology of Shame
Have you ever scolded a dog and seen him or her look guilty? Obviously, animals do not have the elaborated textures of thoughts and feelings that humans do. But our emotions, even the most subtle ones, have their roots in our ancient evolutionary history. By...
Key Points of Letting Go
"Let go a little, you'll have a little happiness. Let go completely, you'll be completely happy." Letting Go of Body Sensations Ordinary breathing, focusing on exhalation, intending to let go. Diaphragm breathing. Breath of fire. Heartmath: Breathing evenly through...
When Good Is Stronger Than Bad
How do you practice taking in the good and what effects does your practice have on your life?
Handling Blocks to Any Inner Practice – Meditation, Yoga, Gratitude, Mindfulness
When you try to change your life for better, sometimes you bump into a block, such as distracting thoughts. Blocks are common. They’re not bad or wrong – but they do get in the way. What works is to explore them with self-acceptance, and see what you can learn about...