From the Blog
Writings on Well-Being Dr. Rick Hanson
What to Do When the Bottom Falls Out
It’s normal to feel shocked, frozen, frightened, or outraged. But here are four fundamental strengths to help us feel and function better in difficult times.
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Being Well Podcast: PTSD and Politics with Jason Kander
Jason Kander joins Forrest to talk about his personal journey recovering from PTSD, the impact of his time serving in Afghanistan, and what we can do to better support veterans.
Meditation + Talk: The Power of Realistic Optimism in Your Relationships
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on The Power of Realistic Optimism in Your Relationships.
Feel the Support
The more you feel supported by the people that care about you, by the natural world, and by your own capabilities, the better you’ll feel. Plus your load won’t seem so heavy, and you’ll be more able to carry it. By focusing on the support that truly does exist for you, you can have a sense of ease, relief, calming, or happiness.
Being Well Podcast: How to Effectively Communicate What You Want
We explore best practices to effectively communicate so we can claim and express our needs. This includes navigating shame and inhibition, making effective agreements, being considerate of the person on the receiving end of our wants, and becoming more skillful at negotiation and repair.
Meditation + Talk: Not-Knowing in Your Relationships
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on Not-Knowing in Your Relationships.
Be Home
When the body is not disturbed by hunger, thirst, pain, or illness, and when the mind is not disturbed by threat, frustration, or rejection, then most people settle into their resting state, which is our “home base” – our fundamental nature as human beings.
Your body and mind want to come home: that’s where energy is conserved for the marathon of life. Try this practice to help yourself come home more naturally.
Being Well Podcast: Discovering Your Wants and Needs
In this week’s episode of the Being Well Podcast, we talk about the wants and needs we all have — and especially those that we find difficult to identify. Listen and reflect to discover your own wants and needs, and take practical steps to achieve meeting those needs.
Meditation + Talk: Trusting Yourself
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on Trusting Yourself.
Gift Yourself
When you give more to yourself, you have more to offer others.
Being Well Podcast: Healing Trauma in a Toxic Culture with Dr. Gabor Maté
Renowned physician Dr. Gabor Maté joins Rick and Forrest on this episode of Being Well to explore the many problems for our body and mind that arise out of our modern culture, and what we can do to meet our needs, heal ourselves, and become more whole.
Meditation + Talk: Trust, Mistrust, and Deep Trust
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on Trust, Mistrust, and Deep Trust.
Speak Truly
Perhaps the most powerful tool for your mental health – and certainly for the health of your relationships – is to speak truly.
Being Well Podcast: Understanding Narcissism and Narcissistic Traits with Dr. Craig Malkin
On today’s episode, we’re joined by Dr. Craig Malkin to explore narcissism and narcissistic traits. We talk about the different forms narcissism takes, the difference between narcissistic traits and narcissistic personality disorder, red flags, dealing with narcissists, treatment options, and finding the “right amount” of feeling special.
Meditation + Talk: Love and Power
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on Love and Power.
Find Your Own Way
In the body or the mind, there is no life without goals. Trying to “transcend” goals is itself a goal. The only question is: Are your goals good ones?
Being Well Podcast: Dealing with Challenging Emotions with Mollie West Duffy
On today’s episode, we’re joined by the wonderful author, coach, and content creator Mollie West Duffy to explore how we can accept those big feelings, learn to live alongside them, and develop tools that help us deal with them more effectively.
Meditation + Talk: Joining and Separating in Your Relationships
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on Joining and Separating in Your Relationships.
Feel Already Full
Craving is pointless; the truth is there’s always an underlying fullness already. While the truth of futility is that it is hopeless to crave, the truth of fullness is that craving is unnecessary.
Meditation + Talk: The Cradle of Relationships
In this Wednesday Night Meditation, Dr. Rick Hanson offered a meditation and talk on The Cradle of Relationships.
Being Well Podcast: How to Use Your Diagnosis (Without It Using You)
On this episode Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson explore what a diagnosis is, how the diagnostic process works, the limitations of diagnosing someone, dealing with the emotions that come up, and how we can better think about and relate to receiving a diagnosis.
Don’t Quarrel
It’s one thing to stick up for yourself & others. It’s a different matter to get caught up in wrangles, contentiousness – in a word: quarrels.