Being Well with Dr. Rick Hanson

On today’s episode of the Being Well Podcast, Dr. Hanson explains why it’s important to respond to challenges from the “green zone” of the brain rather than reacting instinctively from the “red zone.” He then explores the biology behind these two systems, the role of mindfulness in moving from one to the other, and how to combat the brain’s evolved negativity bias. 0:45: The difference between “responding” and “reacting” 3:05: Responding vs. reacting in practice 6:45: The biology behind responding and reacting 9:10: The negative cycle of reacting 10:20: If reacting is stressful, why do we have that system? 12:40: Mindfulness and our reactions 13:25: What makes people respond rather than react? 16:20: The “quantity” vs. “quality” effect of green and red zone experiences 20:40: The cumulative effect of negative experiences 21:45: How to limit the impact of negative experiences 23:05: The positive spiral of taking in good experiences

In this episode of the Being Well Podcast, Dr. Hanson explains why it’s not so bad to be “needy.” We all have needs for safety, satisfaction, and connection, the question is how can we meet them skillfully? Timestamps: 0:30: Why needs? 1:15: The three needs 2:55: Superficial needs 5:00: The role of mindfulness 6:00: Objections to our needs 7:00: Getting comfortable with neediness 7:50: The evolution of needs 9:00: How to address deep, rather than superficial, needs 11:30: How we can learn to distinguish between deep and superficial needs 13:00: The importance of internalization 14:20: Finding and meeting your key needs 16:20: Meeting needs by growing resources 18:20: Recap

On this episode, Dr. Rick Hanson explains the three ways we can skillfully 'deal with' our complicated minds. This includes practical ways to truly be with our experience, let go of negative thoughts and feelings, and plant new flowers in the garden of the mind. 0:30: What do we mean by ‘dealing with the mind?’ 3:00: The three ways to deal with the mind 4:50: Why the mind is like a garden 7:00: How mindfulness applies to dealing with the mind 9:30: Why intervention can be diagnostic 11:00: How to practically work through negative material 12:45: How is opening to your ‘experience’ different from opening to your ‘trip’? 14:45: Why the mind is like a septic tank 16:20: Sensing beneath the surface of the mind 19:45: Language, planning, and the brain 22:15: Experiencing things ‘out’ 23:10: Being kind to yourself 24:00: How do we get ‘good things’ into the brain? 29:00: Recap

Today Dr. Rick Hanson begins this month's topic of Mindfulness, particularly focusing on how we can use mindfulness in practical ways in the flow of our daily lives. 0:45: What do we mean by "mindfulness"? 2:05: Two ways to apply mindfulness 3:45: Mindfulness as a tool 5:15: What are you using mindfulness to DO? 6:15: How can we use mindfulness to grow strengths? 9:00: The banquet table of life 10:10: Benefits and pitfalls of mindfulness 10:55: Why does mindfulness cause us to develop positive traits? 11:40: How can we become more mindful moment to moment? 13:00: The brain's unreliable narration 14:25: Being mindful of our own tendencies 16:40: How to grow mindfulness

On today’s episode of the Being Well Podcast, Dr. Rick Hanson explains why enjoying life is both easy to dismiss and surprisingly hard to do. Particularly, he explores how we can authentically find enjoyable moments even during very difficult times in our lives. 0:35 – Why is enjoying life a strength to develop? 2:00 – Enjoyment and the brain 3:15 – The importance of key experiences. 4:30 – Our cultural pitfalls around enjoyment. 7:30 – How do we grow strengths? The problem with having a “stiff upper lip.” 8:40 – What needs to be present alongside adversity for it to become an inner strength? 11:00 – Learning from bad experiences. 12:15 – Experiencing vs. Internalizing. 15:15 – Finding enjoyment anywhere.

On this episode of the Being Well Podcast, Dr. Hanson and Forrest focus on the importance of acceptance. Particularly, they talk about how an authentic moment of acceptance can be a catalyst for positive growth. 0:30: The importance of facing what's true. 1:45: Feeling acceptance along with something else. 2:40: Using acceptance as a catalyst for creating change. 4:10: How can I turn "acceptance" into something useful? 5:25: What are we accepting?/Aspects of acceptance. 8:30: Can we accept elements of ourselves? 9:55: How can we get better at acceptance? 10:35: The house of the self. 13:00: Practices to grow self-acceptance. 15:45: The fastest way to defuse an argument. 18:35: Recap and close.

Today Dr. Hanson and Forrest explore how to use self-compassion to reduce rumination, feel safe while taking big risks, and improve our relationships with other people. They also explain what makes self-compassion different from self-pity or being on your own side. Hope you enjoy! Timestamps: 0:15: What are the benefits of self-compassion? 1:30: How is self-compassion different from "being on your own side"? 1:55: What's the difference between self-compassion and self-pity? 2:30: How can we be compassionate to ourselves without coming across like a complainer? 4:20: The fastest way to get people to stop talking AT you. 5:55: Using self-compassion to fight rumination 8:15: The function of rumination: avoiding a dreaded experience. 11:00: How to become more self-compassionate. 16:53: Summary and ending.

In this episode, Dr. Hanson focuses on the importance of self-compassion - and particularly on why it's important to get "on your own side" in order to create lasting, positive change in the brain. Timestamps: 0:35: Why start with compassion? 2:10: Why it's important to be on your own side. 4:30: Why does being for yourself promote well-being? 5:45: The importance of coping. 7:30: How do we get better at being for ourselves? 11:15: How to be consistent AFTER inspiration passes. 17:05: Recap

In the first episode of his new series on Resilience, Dr. Hanson explains the importance of Resilience and HOW we can begin to grow this key strength. Timestamps: 0:30: Why resilience is important 2:05: The HOW of growing key strengths 5:00: Dealing with challenges/What's in your backpack? 6:30: Resources, challenges, and vulnerabilites 7:40: Changing the brain for the better 9:45: How is this different from just "positive thinking"? 11:10: The negativity bias 13:45: The hopefulness of growing strengths

This week Dr. Hanson continues our focus on mindfulness with a presentation on the foundation of the four foundations of mindfulness. This includes an exploration of mindfulness in general, and the application of mindfulness to several key topics.

Today Dr. Hanson returns with a very special interview with Jack Kornfield. Jack discusses how you can develop the willingness, courage, and capacity to become more present and more self-aware, as well as how you can overcome physical and emotional pain to direct your attention to well-being.

Today Dr. Hanson completes the current theme of effective communication with an experiential practice focused on Speaking from the Heart. It’s a nice way to bring together all of the material we’ve covered in this theme.

Today we have a very special episode on the importance of speaking from the heart. A lot of people struggle with expressing their deep desires to the meaningful people in their life – but it’s one of the most important aspects of effective communication.

In this special bonus episode, Dr. Hanson is interviewed by his son Forrest on the nature of relationships, what some big "red flags" are, and how to create a frame of effective communication with the people you care about. It's a fun episode, hope you enjoy it!

In today's special episode, Dr. Hanson looks at interactions in relationships through a slightly different lens - focusing on how understanding the impermanence of our grievances with others can lead to greater happiness in our relationships.