Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners, many of which focused on anxiety experiences. They start by discussing “dreaded experiences,” and how we can respond when our worst fears come true. Rick then shares how we can respond effectively to feedback, before answering a short question about taking in the good. Forrest and Rick then answer three questions related to different kinds of anxiety: social anxiety, managing different levels of concern in a relationship, and anxiety brought on by slowing down. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:00: How do you handle situations where you really fear something, and then it actually happens?

10:45: How can I become more receptive to feedback, and respond with less defensiveness?

19:00: How long do I need to “take in the good” for?

22:55: How can I work with my anxious parts when navigating social anxiety?

29:20: How can I support a partner who experiences a lot of anxiety?

40:40: Why am I struggling so hard with mindfulness meditation?

48:00: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Field of Greens from Brickhouse Nutrition is a superfood powder packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Use the code BEINGWELL at fieldofgreens.com for 20% off your first order.

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how we can become more self-reliant, and learn to trust ourselves. This helps us be resilient in the face of life’s challenges, and it’s a key resource for people who tend to abandon their wants and needs. They start by discussing why some people struggle with self-trust, the difference between inside-out and outside-in safety, and changing the model we have of ourselves. Forrest introduces a framework for developing self-trust based on self-efficacy, flexibility, self-advocacy, and accurate appraisal, and Rick applies this to how we can build self-worth and feel strong and capable. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:10: Why some people have an easier time trusting themselves than others

4:30: An outside-in vs, inside-out sense of safety, and feeling reliable

9:50: Welcoming positive feedback, and psychological flexibility

14:10: Sticking up for yourself

19:55: Stabilizing yourself when feeling helpless

25:00: Evaluating internal stories, and living moment to moment

30:15: Feeling like someone who matters, and feeling seen by others

35:00: Three aspects of self-regulation, and self-appraisal

41:35: Object relations, and focusing attention on your inner world

48:55: Seeing yourself as the creator of your world, and authenticity

55:15: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this special episode, Forrest focuses on the key lessons from 400 episodes of Being Well, giving you a crash course in personal growth and development. If you’re just getting into the show, or are looking for a good episode to share with people who are new to this kind of content, this is a great place to start. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:10: Change is possible, but change is hard

3:00: Focus on what you can control

4:30: The consistency principle

6:05: Punishing ourselves is a losing strategy

7:45: What are you pursuing?

9:30: The negativity bias

11:40: Why you don't have self-worth

13:40: Change the beliefs you have about yourself

17:05: Forming a coherent narrative

19:50: Set reasonable expectations

22:45: The middle path

24:30: Homeostasis and social pressure

26:30: How to get good at anything

27:45: Willpower, and avoiding willpower

28:25: Don’t know mind

31:25: The trap of self-awareness

32:35: Risking disappointment

34:10: The function of our bad habits

36:00: Look for those who support you

37:15: Changing our models of relationship

40:00: Authenticity

41:50: Embrace good conflict

44:40: Contempt

46:20: Start by joining

48:40: Experiencing out

49:55: Joining with the defense

51:15: Moving toward to move away

52:40: Learning to trust yourself

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forrest and Dr. Rick focus on one of life's most challenging but essential skills - letting go. Whether you're trying to break free from repetitive thoughts, move on from a relationship, or change an old pattern of behavior, this episode will help you learn how to release what no longer serves you. 

They start by exploring why letting go is so difficult, the nature of the brain and how it gets in our way, and how to start opening up to a new way of being. They then discuss different practical approaches to letting go, how to work with the feeling of “giving up,” and staying on your own side when facing resistance. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

3:05: Rumination and the comfort of familiarity

7:00: Allowing for shifts in identity

14:25: An example of working with a pattern

29:40: Being on your own side when you feel resistance from others

34:45: Letting go vs. giving up, and orienting toward our own fulfillment

43:35: The destabilization phase, and learning about yourself

51:05: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Attachment wounds are emotional injuries that develop based on painful experiences with those we care about. These experiences create a kind of blueprint we carry around for how relationships work, and when that internal model is based on fear and pain, it's hard for our relationships to thrive. Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira joins the show to help us understand how we can heal old wounds and develop more secure forms of relating.

Elizabeth and Forrest explore how early experiences shape our relationships, with a particular focus on a common paradox: deeply wanting connection while simultaneously fearing intimacy. They discuss fearful attachment, how Elizabeth approaches working with attachment wounds in clinical practice, complex PTSD, self-abandonment, facing our dreaded experience, setting healthy boundaries, and navigating relationships where fearful attachment patterns are present.

About our Guest: Elizabeth Ferreira is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working in California. She specializes in somatic approaches to trauma work. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:05: Elizabeth’s personal experience of fearful attachment

7:40: Working with a therapist to heal attachment

11:55: Elizabeth’s experience learning to create boundaries

21:35: Internal Family Systems, and how to dialog with our parts

27:15: Working with our protective part, and self-criticism

31:00: Dialoguing with our inner child without a therapist

38:15: Healthy anger, grief, and patience

42:25: What helped Elizabeth be vulnerable in relating to Forrest

53:10: Disorganized moments, identifying needs, and taking in the good

1:00:20: Intent, impact, and reasonable limits

1:05:20: Becoming your own secure attachment figure, and healing in community

1:09:10: Recap

I am now writing on Subståack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr. Rick and Forrest begin the mailbag by exploring limerence – an obsessive form of romantic attraction – and offer practical recommendations for working with one-sided infatuation. They then discuss what to do when romantic vulnerability feels unsafe, and how we can rebuild trust in others after traumatic experiences. The episode also tackles managing career transitions, dealing with social anxiety around positive interactions, and maintaining boundaries without being consumed by anger. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

0:50: What can I do when I experience limerence, or compulsive romantic attraction?

18:00: How can I learn to trust my partner and embrace the experience of happiness in my relationship?

26:50: How can I best think about the inherent uncertainty in the 2-3 years of preparation for a new career path?

37:55: How can I learn to “take in the good” when good experiences feel uncomfortable for me?

44:55: How can I maintain important boundaries in a way that doesn’t lead to me feeling too much anger?

56:40: Recap

I am now writing on Subståack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Forrest and Dr. Rick explore "situationships" – those poorly defined, boundary-free relationships that exist in a gray area between friendship and committed dating. They unpack why these arrangements have become so common, examine the emotional trade-offs that keep people stuck, and share how to reclaim a sense of agency and build more authentic connections. The episode includes a role-play where Forrest plays someone struggling with situationships, while Dr. Rick draws on his decades of experience as a couples counselor to offer guidance.

Rick’s Yearly Program: Rick’s Foundations of Well-Being 2.0 is a year-long, science-backed journey through developing 12 key inner strengths like mindfulness, motivation, and confidence. It’s currently on sale, and if you like Being Well we think you’ll love it. Follow the link here and use coupon code beingwell20 for an additional 20% off: RickHanson.com/FWB

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

2:35: What is a situationship?

7:25: The benefits of a situationship, and relationship asymmetry

13:05: A roleplay of sharing your feelings

20:55: Uncertainty, wanting to be liked, and the fear of asking for what you want

31:10: Gears of rapport, and knowing your worth

38:05: Honoring yourself when a change is needed 

48:05: How much to care, and the natural arc of change

52:35: Early indicators that someone is ready for a relationship

58:55: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do New Year's resolutions usually fail by February? Forrest and Dr. Rick explore why traditional goal-setting falls short and offer a new approach to creating lasting change. They discuss how we can uncover our authentic wants and needs, move away from a punishment mindset, and use our new knowledge to find fulfillment. This episode will teach you how to get more out of any other New Year’s content you listen to. 

Rick and Forrest walk through a practical example of brain dumping “shoulds,” shifting the focus from means to ends, and working with internal resistance. They end the episode with a role-play focused on working with someone who wants to find a more meaningful relationship.

Rick’s Yearly Program: Rick’s Foundations of Well-Being 2.0 is a year-long, science-backed journey through developing 12 key inner strengths like mindfulness, motivation, and confidence. It’s currently on sale, and if you like Being Well we think you’ll love it. Follow the link here and use coupon code beingwell20 for an additional 20% off: RickHanson.com/FWB

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

2:35: Fulfillment as a target, and other healthy ways of orienting to our goals

14:00: Cataloguing our “shoulds”, and being driven by a sense of enthusiasm

23:20: How Forrest has personally connected with his authentic wants

30:15: The “punishment part”

35:50: Practical techniques for identifying our values

41:45: A roleplay focused on how to find a meaningful relationship

51:25: Reviewing the roleplay

55:05: Knowing your why

59:50: Developing your personal psychology, and surrendering to the best within you

1:03:40: Recap

I am writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why do some people navigate the social world with such ease while others feel like they're swimming upstream? In this special episode of Being Well, Forrest is joined by four leading experts for a masterclass on the science of attachment. Featuring conversations with Dr. Sue Johnson, Dr. Rick Hanson, Julie Mennano, and Elizabeth Ferreira, this carefully curated episode gives you a map to becoming more socially confident, emotionally intelligent, and authentically connected. 

Topics include:

Rick’s Yearly Program: Rick’s Foundations of Well-Being 2.0 is a year-long, science-backed journey through developing 12 key inner strengths like mindfulness, motivation, and confidence. It’s currently on sale, and if you like Being Well we think you’ll love it. Follow the link here and use coupon code beingwell20 for an additional 20% off: RickHanson.com/FWB

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

3:35: Rick Hanson: How to become securely attached

31:20: Working with common attachment wounds

47:35: Sue Johnson: How to have a bonding conversation

1:09:35: Julie Mennano: The attachment mistakes that bring people to therapy, and how secure couples relate differently

1:22:25: Rick Hanson: Self-abandonment, anxious attachment, and how to build up a greater sense of self-worth and self-trust

1:40:30: Elizabeth Ferreira: Creating a secure relationship

1:56:50: Recap and outro

About our Guests: Dr. Sue Johnson is a clinical psychologist, researcher, professor, and the founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a widely used and respected approach to couples therapy. She is considered one of the foremost experts in the field of attachment, and has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of psychotherapy. Dr. Johnson is also the author of seven books, including the best-selling Hold Me Tight.

Elizabeth Ferreira is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working in California. She specializes in somatic approaches to trauma work. 

Julie Menanno a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and Relationship Coach. She is the founder of The Secure Relationship coaching method, and maintains an instagram of the same name with over 1M followers. She is also the author of Secure Love.

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod 

Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira joins the show to discuss complex trauma, dissociation, and working with challenging emotions. Forrest and Elizabeth start by exploring the relationship between Internal Family Systems and somatic therapy, including how we can apply a somatic lens to working with our parts. They then apply that framework to complex PTSD, cognitive bypassing, emotional numbing, hypervigilance, and other difficult experiences. Other topics include issues around comparing trauma, windows of tolerance, appreciating individual needs, and Elizabeth’s own journey of becoming a therapist while managing C-PTSD and ADHD.

About our Guest: Elizabeth is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working in California. She specializes in somatic approaches to trauma work. 

You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:15: What is the crossover between IFS and somatic therapy?

12:25: What helps a psychologically literate person who struggles to have a felt experience?

19:05: How can I track my capacity and needs in social situations before dissociating?

35:05: Why do I feel numb, and how can I move past it and feel my feelings again?

41:05: How can I address hypervigilance and stay present with my feelings without catastrophizing?

48:40: How do I respond to friends (or clients) who minimize their own pain or trauma?

58:55: What has supported Elizabeth in pursuing her vocation amidst challenges with trauma and neurodivergence?

1:10:40: Recap

I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there. 

Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.

Sponsors

Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell. 

Trust your gut with Seed’s DS-01 Daily Synbiotic. Go to Seed.com/BEINGWELL and use code 25BEINGWELL to get 25% off your first month. 

Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.

OneSkin focuses on delivering more than superficial results for your skin. Get started today with 15% off using code BEINGWELL at oneskin.co. 

Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!

Connect with the show:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices