Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Dr. Stephen Porges joins Rick and Forrest to explore his Polyvagal Theory, which explains how we can use the systems of the body to completely change our relationship with stress. About Our Guest: Dr. Stephen Porges is a Distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina. In 1994 he proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological states in our psychological experiences.Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Key Topics:1:45: Summary of Polyvagal Theory.6:00: Evolutionary neuro-biology: the three systems of the body.15:15: The adaptive nature of the three systems.19:45: Shutdown, trauma, and constructing a narrative. 23:00: Challenges of COVID to the social engagement system28:15: How to intervene in the body.33:00: Being stuck with problematic people.35:30: Using the breath and staying calm.38:00: Co-regulation42:00: A message to your younger self. From Dr. Hanson: Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!From Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Sponsors:Want fresh, delicious, simple dinners delivered right to your doorstep? Check out HelloFresh, America’s #1 meal kit, and use code beingwell90 to get $90 off including free shipping! Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Want to sleep better? Try the legendary Calm app! Visit calm.com/beingwell for 40% off a premium subscription.Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Do self-help environments force us into inauthentic happiness? And how can we move away from the false front, and into more authentic expression? This is the first of a series of episodes dedicated to some of the self-help community's pitfalls. This is a self-help podcast. And there's a lot to like about self-help! But it has it's issues as well. Today we're exploring one of them: toxic positivity and forced happiness.New Sponsor: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Key Topics:3:00: Rick’s personal experience inside the personal development world. 8:00: Things that tend to limit abuses of power. 10:00: The democratization of self-help, and related pitfalls. 18:00: Act, scared self, and true being. 21:00: Where does toxic positivity appear?26:00: The importance of authenticity.29:30: The false front. 32:30: Encouraging other people to be fully authentic. Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.From Dr. Hanson: Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're halfway through a very strange year, and it's a good time to take stock, check in with ourselves, and establish some new commitments – even if they’re as simple as being kind to ourselves. One way we can reclaim our experience of agency is by finding where we do still have influence over our outcomes. And that’s what we’ll be exploring today: how to start anew under the circumstances we find ourselves in. New Sponsor: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Key Topics:3:45: Hope and disappointment. 7:30: Reckoning, repentance, and renewal. 11:00: Controlling what you can. 14:00: Coping with self-criticism and shame. 18:30: How to approach the future. 20:45: Building key habits. 24:00: Changing our identity in order to change our behavior. 26:30: Forrest's changing identity - moving into empathy. 29:30: Using key phrases. 31:00: Rick's changing identity - feeling like a good person.34:00: Realistic optimism. Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.From Dr. Hanson: Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!From Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The discussion dives into the complex notion of doing no harm in both personal and societal contexts. The speakers explore the importance of self-reflection, empathy, and collective responsibility in fostering well-being. They tackle the necessity of acknowledging and repairing harm in relationships, emphasizing how self-forgiveness can lead to personal growth. The conversation also highlights the moral imperative of sincerity and integrity, illustrating how these principles cultivate healthier connections and contribute to our moral health.

What can we do to combat, unlearn, and ultimately unburden ourselves from the influence of systemic structures of racism - both out in the world and inside of ourselves?About Our Guest: Erin is the CEO, principal coach, and founder of Community Equity Partners, and the senior advisor at the Equity Lab. Erin works with educational, non-profit, government, and tech organizations that are committed to creating equitable and inclusive practices. Key Topics:1:10: Finding hope and awakening in the moment.6:30: "Unburdening" ourselves. 9:15: Overt vs. covert structures and systems of racism. 16:15: Key moments that lead to waking to systemic racism.  23:30: A message to your younger self. Sponsors:Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!From Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is intergenerational trauma, how does it influence our lives today, and what can we do to heal and persevere when things get tough?The events of the past few weeks have cast the importance of healing the wounds of the past into stark relief. Today we’re exploring how the traumatic past, including that handed down through the generations, can influence our lives today. About Our Guest: Dr. Sherri Taylor is an assistant professor of somatic psychology at the California Institute of Integral Studies, and also teaches in the clinical psychology doctoral program at The Wright Institute. Sponsor Message: Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!From Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Key Topics:4:10: What is intergenerational trauma?7:30: Adaptive strategies for coping with trauma.12:30: The primacy of the body. 15:15: Reclaiming comfort in your body. 20:45: Sensorymotor psychotherapy22:30: Being with grief. 26:15: How to keep going when this process gets hard. Check out my new website here!Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Racism and racist structures place an enormous mental health burden on the people they persecute. Dr. Alfiee joins me to discuss the mental health consequences of institutional racism, unique challenges faced by marginalized youth, disparities in access to mental health services, and the importance of "naming and claiming." About Our Guest: Dr. Alfiee Breland-Noble is a licensed psychologist who spent 20 years in academic medicine. She's the lead author of The Handbook of Mental Health in African American Youth, the host of the podcast "Couched in Color with Dr. Alfiee," and the founder of the mental health nonprofit the AAKOMA Project.To join me in donating to the AAKOMA Project, follow this link.CNN Townhall with Dr. Alfiee.Key Topics:3:30: The impact of institutional racism on mental health.7:00: Forms of exposure to racism.9:45: Allostatic load, weathering, and secondary traumatic stress.15:30: Ways to manage traumatic stress.19:45: Confusing stress and anxiety.22:30: The importance of accurate labeling.25:00: AAKOMA and availability of mental health resources.29:00: Access, and the stigmatization of mental health.33:30: Removing the stigma.37:20: A message to your younger self.Sponsors: Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!From Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's our turn to be uncomfortable. https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.coRacism is a public health crisis. Ways You Can HelpDonate to:  ACT Blue fundraiser GoFundMe’s justice and equality fund George Floyd Breonna Taylor Ahmaud Aubery Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What can death teach us about living well? A pioneer in the field of end-of-life care joins us to explore the fear of death, anger, true courage, and acceptance in the face of it all. About our Guest: Frank is an internationally respected Buddhist teacher and advocate for compassionate care-giving. In 1987, he co-founded the Zen Hospice Project, which helped establish a longstanding model for mindful and compassionate care. In 2005, he founded the Metta Institute.Frank is also the author of The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully, which is one of my favorite books.From Dr. Hanson: The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.Key Topics:2:00: Frank’s recovery from multiple strokes.5:30: Fear and choice.  10:00: What death can teach us about ourselves.12:20: Supporting caregivers and spreading kindness.16:40: The fear of death. 23:30: Coming to terms with the deaths of those we love.27:00: Allowing.32:00: Meeting our defenses.36:30: Removing judgement from anger.43:00: Bringing wisdom to anger.44:45: Courage in the world.47:15: Coming together and falling apart.54:45: Accepting each other as is. Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does it mean to "transcend the self?" Today Dr. Hanson, Forrest, and Dr. David Yaden explore self-transcendent, or “peak,” experiences, which the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow defined as “moments of highest happiness and fulfillment.”As a note, David is referred to as a "PhD student" during the episode. Since it was recorded, he's gone on to earn his doctorate!About our Guest: David is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Johns Hopkins Medicine who studies the varieties of spiritual and self-transcendent experiences from the perspectives of psychology and cognitive neuroscience. Read David's paper on The Varieties of Self-Transcendent Experience here. New Sponsor: Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month! Key Topics:3:00: The two key characteristics of self-transcendent experiences.4:30: “Everyday” versions of peak experiences. 8:00: Self-transcendence and psychopathology.11:00: David’s account of self-transcendence. 13:50: The lasting impact of peak experiences. 17:00: Is there a “place” where self-transcendence occurs in the brain? 20:45: Making use of peak experiences.28:00: Should we seek peak experiences out? 36:00: Relaxing the sense of self. 41:30: A message to your younger self.43:30: RecapSupport the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.From Dr. Hanson: Hardwire lasting change into your mind and heart in just a few minutes a day  with Dr. Rick Hanson's new program: Just One Minute. Use the code BEINGWELL at checkout for 10% off the purchase price!The Foundations of Well-Being brings together the lessons of a lifetime of practice into one year-long online program. Podcast listeners can use the code BEINGWELL25 at checkout for an additional 25% off! Please don't hesitate to apply for a scholarship if you're in need. Connect with the show: Follow us on Instagram Follow Rick on Facebook Follow Forrest on Facebook Subscribe on iTunes Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices