Practical Wisdom with Dr. Rick Hanson

It’s easy to get caught up in the endless cycle of doing, striving, worrying, and reacting to whatever life throws our way. We can spend so much time trying to fix things or get somewhere else that we lose touch with the simple experience of being here, right now. 

In this talk, I explore the practice of heartfelt presence—bringing together mindful awareness with kindness, compassion, and an open heart. We’ll look at how this way of being can help us navigate grief and loss, find greater contentment, feel more secure, and deepen our connections with others. I also share practical ways to cultivate heartfelt presence so it becomes less something you have to do and more a natural way of being.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-the-practical-brain-science-of-heartfelt-presence/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

Sometimes a single moment of insight can change how we see ourselves or the world. But how do we turn that insight into something lasting? In this talk, I explore two essential elements of transformation: sudden awakening and gradual cultivation. Sometimes change begins with a moment of insight, when we suddenly see something clearly. But lasting transformation comes from what we do with that insight, day after day. Learn practical ways to develop new habits, strengthen inner resources, and gradually become more of who you truly are.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-the-two-keys-to-any-kind-of-change-for-the-better/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

What keeps us holding on to the thoughts, feelings, and experiences that cause us suffering? In this week’s talk, I explore four ways of letting go — in the body, of craving, in the mind, and of the mind itself. Learn how we can release old patterns of fear, anger, and grasping while still standing up for ourselves and pursuing what matters, opening to greater peace, freedom, and ease.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-four-ways-to-let-go/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

What happens when important emotional needs go unmet, especially when we’re young? Even with loving parents and a relatively good childhood, we can carry a lingering sense that something is missing — leaving us feeling anxious, disconnected, or constantly seeking reassurance. In this week’s talk, I explore how these early experiences shape the brain, fuel craving, and influence our relationships today. Learn how we can begin to fill those empty places inside with the psychological nutrients we need.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-heal-whats-been-missing-in-your-life/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

We all carry emotional baggage from the past. These old hurts, fears, insecurities, and patterns can continue to affect us long after the original experiences have passed. While mindfulness can help us relate differently to these painful experiences, what does it take to actually heal them? 

In this talk, I explored how to release the burdens of the past, identify the inner strengths and positive experiences that are best matched to our particular struggles, and how we can use these resources to gradually change the brain, heal old wounds, and move forward with greater freedom and peace.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-heal-the-emotional-baggage-youve-been-carrying/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

Life brings unavoidable pain, uncertainty, and loss, but it also offers countless opportunities to develop the inner resources that help us meet those challenges without becoming overwhelmed by them. In this talk, I explore how understanding our needs for safety, satisfaction, and connection can help us loosen the grip of craving and the suffering it creates.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-rest-in-peacefulness-contentment-and-love/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

[Note: This talk was recorded at the end of 2021.]

Life inevitably includes both change and loss, as well as sources of steadiness, meaning, and connection that endure. In this talk, I explore how we can meet the tangles of everyday life—difficult interactions, stubborn conflicts, painful patterns, and situations we cannot control—without either withdrawing from what matters or becoming consumed by it.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/meditation-talk-how-to-disentangle-yourself-in-challenging-relationships/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

Sometimes our anxiety is trying to tell us something important about a real threat, something we need to take care of, or someone we love. The trouble comes when anxiety keeps going long after it’s useful, turning into rumination, clinging, and worry about things we can’t control. 

This week I focused in on how to find a middle way with anxiety: listening to the useful signals without letting them take over. Listen in to learn ways to work with your anxiety: making room for unavoidable fear, finding realistic reassurance, creating a plan and taking action where you can, loosening the grip of unnecessary worry, and surrendering what is ultimately beyond your control.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-use-anxiety-and-not-be-used-by-it/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

Life is going to bump into us. People will disappoint us, criticize us, misunderstand us, drop the ball, or sometimes genuinely treat us badly. The question is how to deal with all of that without adding a whole extra layer of suffering by taking it so personally. 

So this week, I explored how feeling more secure in your own worth, having healthy boundaries, bringing compassion to yourself, loosening your sense of identity, and even finding your way toward love can help you stay grounded when the winds of life start blowing. You can still stand up for yourself, name what’s true, and protect yourself when you need to — while being less reactive, resentful, and knocked around by what other people do.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-5-ways-to-take-things-less-personally/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

Most of us know, at least in principle, that it’s good to have healthy boundaries. The hard part is actually setting them — and then holding onto them when other people push back, get upset, or simply keep doing what they’ve always done. 

In this talk, I explored some of what makes boundaries so difficult, including feeling overly responsible for other people, doubting our own perceptions, and getting pulled into trying to change things that really aren’t in our control. 

Check it out for some wonderful stories that all point to a basic kind of freedom: knowing what’s yours to deal with, what belongs to someone else, and when it’s time to stop trying to grow roses in a parking lot.

You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-why-its-so-hard-to-set-and-keep-healthy-boundaries/

And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.