#60: Self-Directed Neuroplasticity - Rick Hanson, PhD
Dec 8, 2020
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Dr. Rick Hanson discusses self-directed neuroplasticity, negativity bias, neurodharma, and the power of positive experiences. They explore the concept of shaping the mind through deliberate mental activities and introduce the FitMind app. Additionally, they delve into the qualities for awakening and enlightenment, different paths to awakening, and historical figures promoting truth and altruism.
Self-directed neuroplasticity allows us to shape our own brains and minds for the better, offering tremendous potential for personal growth and resilience.
By consciously dealing with the negative, turning to the positive, and taking in the good, we can train our brains to become more receptive to positive experiences, gradually rewiring our minds for greater happiness, gratitude, and compassion.
The HEAL process – having a beneficial experience, enriching it, and absorbing it – can strengthen our learning abilities and cultivate qualities such as steadiness, lovingness, fullness, wholeness, nowness, allness, and timelessness.
Deep dives
Importance of Self-Directed Neuroplasticity
Self-directed neuroplasticity allows us to shape our own brains and minds for the better. By deliberately engaging in simple mental activities, we can influence the change process in our nervous system, leading to lasting positive changes. This power to use our minds and change our brains offers tremendous potential for personal growth and resilience, especially in a world filled with external stressors and challenges.
The Negativity Bias and Shaping Our Minds
Our brains have evolved with a negativity bias, where we tend to focus more on negative experiences than positive ones. This bias was essential for survival in the past, but in the modern world, it can lead to an imbalance in our perception of reality. By consciously dealing with the negative, turning to the positive, and taking in the good, we can train our brains to become more receptive to positive experiences, gradually rewiring our minds for greater happiness, gratitude, and compassion.
The HEAL Process for Mental Training
The HEAL process stands for have, enrich, absorb, and offers a practical way to train our minds and shape our brains. It involves having a beneficial experience, enriching it through factors like duration, intensity, multi-modality, personal relevance, and novelty, and then absorbing it by setting intentions, focusing on what feels good, and allowing the experience to become part of us. By practicing the HEAL process regularly, we can strengthen our learning abilities and cultivate qualities such as steadiness, lovingness, fullness, wholeness, nowness, allness, and timelessness.
The Power of Positive Experiences
The speaker emphasizes the importance of having positive experiences and truly enjoying them. By focusing on positive experiences and allowing oneself to fully absorb and appreciate them, one can replace negative experiences and create a more fulfilling and enriching life.
The Battle Between Love and Hate
The podcast explores the concept of the wolf of love and the wolf of hate within us. The speaker discusses how our ancestors evolved to have both positive and negative tendencies. While it is important to acknowledge and accept our capacity for anger and aggression, it is equally crucial to resist the lure of hatred towards others. Recognizing the importance of truth-telling and fairness in our society, the speaker emphasizes the need to confront those who propagate lies and disinformation, fostering a culture that values honesty and empathy.
Dr. Rick Hanson is a psychologist, Senior Fellow of UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times bestselling author.
He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, Dr. Hanson's work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. He also founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom.
Topics in this episode include neuroplasticity, negativity bias, the HEAL model, our internal good and bad wolves, and so-called "neurodharma."