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Just One Thing

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2012-05-22T11:34:34-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Give No One Cause to Fear You

Last updated on: May 22, 2012 at 11:34 am By Rick Hanson

What puts people at ease? The Practice: Give no one cause to fear you. Why? We evolved to be afraid. The ancient ancestors that were casual and blithely hopeful, underestimating the risks around them – predators, loss of food, aggression from others of their kind – did not pass on their genes. But the ones that were nervous were very successful – and we are their great-grandchildren, sitting atop the food chain. Consequently, multiple hair-trigger systems in your brain continually... Read more

Contemplative Practice

2012-05-01T21:33:27-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

See the Good in Others

Last updated on: May 1, 2012 at 9:33 pm By Rick Hanson

What do you notice in people? The Practice: See the good in others. Why? Many interactions these days have a kind of bumper-car quality to them. At work, at home, on the telephone, via email: we sort of bounce off of each other while we exchange information, smile or frown, and move on. How often do we actually take the extra few seconds to get a sense of what’s inside other people – especially their good qualities? In fact, because... Read more

thoughts and feelings

2012-04-17T11:40:45-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Ask Questions

Last updated on: April 17, 2012 at 11:40 am By Rick Hanson

What are you learning? The Practice: Ask questions. Why? My dad grew up on a ranch in North Dakota. He has a saying from his childhood – you may have heard it elsewhere – that’s: “You learn more by listening than by talking.” Sure, we often gain by thinking out loud, including discovering our truth by speaking it. But on the whole, listening brings lots more valuable information than talking does. Nonetheless, many people are not the greatest listeners. (You’ve... Read more

thoughts and feelings

wisdom

2012-04-17T11:59:30-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Stay Right When You’re Wronged

Last updated on: April 17, 2012 at 11:59 am By Rick Hanson

What happens after you’re mistreated? The Practice: Stay right when you’re wronged. Why? It’s easy to treat people well when they treat you well. The real test is when they treat you badly. Think of times you’ve been truly wronged, in small ways or big ones. Maybe someone stole something , turned others against you, broke an agreement, cheated on you, or spoke unfairly or abusively. When things like these happen, I feel mad, hurt, startled, wounded, sad. Naturally it... Read more

psychological factors

relationship

2012-03-27T16:00:10-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Hug the Monkey

Last updated on: March 27, 2012 at 4:00 pm By Rick Hanson

Longing for love? The Practice: Hug the monkey. Why? Your brain evolved in three stages (to simplify a complex process): Reptile – Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm Mammal – Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards Primate – Cortex, focused on attaching to “us” The first JOT in this series – pet the lizard – was about how to soothe the most ancient structures of the brain, the ones that manage the first emotion of all: fear. The next one –... Read more

Contemplative Practice

2012-03-27T15:55:26-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Feed The Mouse

Last updated on: March 27, 2012 at 3:55 pm By Rick Hanson

Got cheese? The Practice: Feed the mouse. Why? As the nervous system evolved, your brain developed in three stages: Reptile – Brainstem, focused on avoiding harm Mammal – Limbic system, focused on approaching rewards Primate – Cortex, focused on attaching to “us” Since the brain is integrated, avoiding, approaching, and attaching are accomplished by its parts working together. Nonetheless, each of these functions is particularly served and shaped by the region of the brain that first evolved to handle it.... Read more

Contemplative Practice

2012-03-27T15:52:17-07:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Pet the Lizard

Last updated on: March 27, 2012 at 3:52 pm By Rick Hanson

Down deep, do you feel at ease? The Practice: Pet the lizard. Why? I’ve always liked lizards. Growing up in the outskirts of Los Angeles, I played in the foothills near our home. Sometimes I’d catch a lizard and stroke its belly, so it would relax in my hands, seeming to feel at ease. In my early 20’s, I found a lizard one chilly morning in the mountains. It was torpid and still in the cold and let me pick... Read more

Dr. Rick Hanson

Just One Thing

2011-12-28T12:21:47-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Empty The Cup

Last updated on: December 28, 2011 at 12:21 pm By Rick Hanson

Are you full to the rim? The Practice: Empty the cup. Why? Once upon a time, a scholar came to visit a saint. After the scholar had been orating and propounding for a while, the saint proposed some tea. She slowly filled the scholar’s cup: gradually the tea rose to the very brim and began spilling over onto the table, yet she kept pouring and pouring. The scholar burst out: “Stop! You can’t add anything to something that’s already full!”... Read more

2011-12-28T12:18:33-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Remember The Big Things

Last updated on: December 28, 2011 at 12:18 pm By Rick Hanson

What matters most to you? The Practice: Remember the big things. Why? In every life, reminders arrive about what’s really important. I’ve recently received one myself, in a form that’s already come to countless people and will come to countless more: news of a potentially serious health problem. My semi-annual dermatology mole check turned up a localized melanoma cancer in my ear that will need to come out immediately. The prognosis is very positive – this thing is “non-invasive” –... Read more

Contemplative Practice

2011-12-28T12:04:25-08:00

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Rest

Last updated on: December 28, 2011 at 12:04 pm By Rick Hanson

Busy, busy? The Practice: Rest. Why? This practice is definitely a case of teaching what you need to learn: I’ve been working through a big bucket of tasks lately with little chance to rest. (I console myself with knowing that the bucket is emptying a lot faster than it’s filling with new tasks.) Sometimes you can really feel what you need to do by feeling what’s happening for you when you don’t. “Don’t,” that is: ease up, unwind, recharge, put... Read more

Contemplative Practice

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