From the Blog
Writings on Well-Being Dr. Rick Hanson
Be Benevolent
Liking feels good, it encourages us to approach and engage the world. Know what benevolence feels like in your body, heart, and mind, and realize that it is natural and normal. Appreciate some of the benevolence that buoys you along. Most people are fair-minded, empathic, cooperative, compassionate, and kind: in a word, benevolent.
Get these articles delivered directly to your inbox every week.
"*" indicates required fields
Three Reasons to Be For Yourself
Imagine treating yourself like you do a friend. You’d be encouraging, warm, and sympathetic. You wouldn’t pour salt in your wounds, and you’d help yourself heal and grow. Think about what a typical day would be like if you were on your own side. Would you appreciate your good intentions and good heart? Would you be less self-critical?
Being Well Podcast: Being On Your Own Side
In this episode of Season 2 of the Being Well Podcast, Dr. Rick Hanson focuses on the importance of self-compassion - and particularly on why it's important to get "on your own side" in order to be more resilient and create lasting, positive change in the brain....
Wise Brain Bulletin: Volume 11.6
In this volume of the Wise Brain Bulletin from December 9, 2017, Dr. Jeff Tarrant explores 4 meditation styles, Poet Jeanie Greensfelder invites us to embrace duality in A Love Story, Rick Hanson offer some tips for a stress-free holiday, plus a customizable gratitude meditation, and Stephanie Noble invites us on a rather insightful scavenger hunt.
Twelve Good Things
Each year I dedicate one issue of the Just One Thing newsletter to Twelve Good Things that I feel are really worth your attention.
The American Mindfulness Research Association
The American Mindfulness Research Association’s mission to support efforts to establish an evidence base for the process, practice, and construct of mindfulness; promote best evidence-based standards for the use of mindfulness research and its applications; and facilitate mindfulness-related dialogue and discovery.
The Neurology of Awakening: Using the New Brain Research to Deepen Your Practice – Selected Readings
A selection of books about the brain and buddhism referenced throughout The Wise Brain blog postings.
The Neurology of Awakening
Learn the methods of the Neurology of Awakening, as well as a list of nutritional supports for inner peace presented at the follow-up workshop on Awakening Your Brain.
Giving Is Good: Generosity from Everyday, Buddhist, and Evolutionary Perspectives
Giving is the first of the ten “paramis” or perfections of a Bodhisattva, a highly Awakened person who postpones his or her ultimate enlightenment to bring all beings to liberation. You can read this article within a Buddhist framework or simply for its reflections on the deeply human, widespread, and everyday matter of giving.
The Brain in Lust and Love
The marvelous human capabilities for understanding each other, and feeling understood, developed in the brain over millions of years. Learning about these can help you understand and work better with your own empathic capabilities.
Two Wolves in the Heart: The Evolution of Empathy and Aggression, Of “Us” and “Them”
Learn about the origin of the best and the worst characteristics of human beings . . . and how to nurture the good that lies inside every heart.
Empathy
This article is adapted from a talk given at James Baraz’s Awakening Joy class, 9/26/07, and it considers four questions about empathy.
Coping with Loss: Implications of Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, Part Two
Learn methods from psychology and contemplative practice – both informed by neuroscience – that you can use to bear and cope with and heal and grow from your difficult experiences, and those of others you care about.
Notice You’re All Right Right Now
The brain’s default setting of apprehensiveness wears down well-being, and feeds anxiety and depression. And it’s based on a lie. Learn how to access a fundamental sense of alrightness, even when getting things done.
Just One Thing – Be Curious
This is an excerpt of pages 134-137 from the book Just One Thing.
Find Strength
To make your way in life, you need strength, determination, and grit. Fortunately, inner strength is not all or nothing. You can build it, just like a muscle.
Take Pleasure
When you find pleasure in life, you are not pushing away things that are hard or painful. You are simply opening up to the sweet stuff that’s already around you—and basking, luxuriating, and delighting in it.
Just One Thing – Take in the Good
This is an excerpt of pages 17-21 of the book Just One Thing
Just One Thing – Table of Contents
This is the table of contents for the book Just One Thing.
Introduction – Using Your Brain to Change Your Mind
This is an excerpt of pages 1-10 from the book Just One Thing.
What Do You Mean, “Self?”
Psychology, neuroscience, and spiritual practice all have an interest in what in the world the self is – if it’s anything at all – and so it’s helpful to know what we mean when we use that word, since it actually can mean quite a few different things.
Foundations of Mindfulness
When your attention is steady, so is your mind: not rattled or hijacked by whatever pops into awareness, but stably present, grounded, and unshakable. You can train and strengthen your attention just like any other mental ability.