Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Letting Go: Rumination, Breakups, and How to Stop Feeling Attached

Jan 27, 2025

Discover the essential skill of letting go, from breaking free of rumination to releasing unproductive relationships. The discussion uncovers the brain's resistance to change and how embracing new identities can lead to personal growth. Practical techniques for managing obsessive thoughts and navigating external negativity are highlighted. The conversation emphasizes self-kindness and the RIC protocol in fostering transformation, and encourages viewers to view letting go not as giving up, but as a path toward fulfillment.

01:00:52

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Letting go is fundamentally challenging due to our brain's evolutionary bias towards safety and familiarity, which hinders personal growth.

The RIC protocol provides a structured approach for letting go by helping individuals understand the benefits and costs of their patterns.

Overcoming external judgments is essential for self-improvement, emphasizing the importance of self-affirmation and trust in one's personal growth journey.

Deep dives

The Challenge of Letting Go

Letting go is a vital yet often overlooked aspect of personal growth that many individuals struggle with. It involves recognizing that to embrace new habits or ways of living, one must first release old, unproductive patterns. The difficulty in this process stems largely from our evolutionary background, where the brain's inclination is to prioritize safety and familiarity over change and exploration. This innate resistance makes it challenging to relinquish thoughts, behaviors, or relationships that no longer serve us.

Intro

2min

Embracing Change: The Art of Letting Go

11min

Identity Expansion and Letting Go Protocol

3min

Understanding Rumination and Acceptance

15min

Navigating Change and Relationships

10min

Embracing Change with the RIC Protocol

5min

Navigating Emotions in Mindfulness

14min

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.

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

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export