209. Rick Hanson

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and New York Times best-selling author. Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom and on the Advisory Board of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, he’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An authority on self-directed neuroplasticity, Dr. Hanson’s work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, CBC, FoxBusiness, Consumer Reports Health, U.S. News and World Report, and O Magazine, and his articles have appeared in Tricycle Magazine, Insight Journal, and Inquiring Mind. He has several audio programs with Sounds True, he edits the Wise Brain Bulletin, and his weekly e-newsletter – Just One Thing – has over 100,000 subscribers, and also appears on Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and other major websites. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, Dr. Hanson has been a trustee of Saybrook University, and he served on the board of Spirit Rock Meditation Center for nine years and was President of the Board of FamilyWorks, a community agency. He began meditating in 1974, trained in several traditions, and leads a weekly meditation gathering in San Rafael, California. He enjoys rock climbing and taking a break from emails. He and his wife have two adult children. Books and other media: Hardwiring Happiness: The New Brain Science of Contentment, Calm, and Confidence (in 4 languages), Buddha's Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (in 25 languages), Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time (in 12 languages), and Mother Nurture: A Mother's Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships Stress-Proof Your Brain Meditations to Change Your Brain The Enlightened Brain Meditations for Happiness Self-Directed Brain Change Letting Go: A Key to Lasting Happiness Steadying Your Mind Awaken Your Brain For more information, please see his full profile at rickhanson.com. Discussion of this interview in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Transcript of this interview. Interview recorded 12/14/2013. Second BatGap interview with Rick Hanson. YouTube Video Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to Rick Hanson and the Mind-Brain Connection 00:03:11 - The Brain's Bias towards Over-learning from Negative Experiences 00:06:11 - The Mystery of Brain Transformation 00:08:45 - The Root of Suffering and the End of Craving 00:11:23 - The Nature of Heartfelt Emotions 00:13:54 - Changing the Conditioning of the Mind 00:17:07 - Overcoming Aversion and Grasping 00:19:32 - The Brain of a Buddha 00:22:42 - The Ultimate Truth and Brainwaves 00:25:32 - The Nature of Consciousness and the Transcendental 00:28:25 - The Thicket of Views and the Woo-Woo Stuff 00:31:10 - Exploring the Transcendental State 00:33:45 - The Stable Shift of Awakening 00:35:59 - Installing Wholesome States of Mind 00:38:38 - The Art of Receptive Learning 00:41:30 - Internalizing the Mind of No Grasping 00:43:53 - Neurobhavana: Mo' Bettah 00:46:31 - Cultivating Positive Experiences 00:49:08 - Factors for Enriching Experiences 00:51:31 - Cultivating Inner Strengths for Healing and Awakening 00:53:58 - Overcoming the Stone Age Negativity Bias 00:57:05 - The Negativity Bias and its Impact on Well-being 00:59:19 - Mindfulness Programs for Prisoners and PTSD Sufferers 01:02:05 - Adapting Practice and Dealing with Negative Experiences 01:04:27 - The Impact of Negative Experiences 01:07:07 - The Power of Fear and Disgust 01:09:48 - The Possibility of a Utopian Planet 01:12:12 - The Tipping Point: From Frustration to Contentment 01:14:46 - Letting the Good Sink In 01:17:14 - Physiological Correlates of Higher States 01:19:35 - Music interlude