Practical Wisdom with Dr. Rick Hanson

A talk about expanding compassion beyond mere tenderness into wise, firm, and courageous care. Discussions include fierce compassion that can be intense without malice, when to make others uncomfortable for the greater good, and setting authentic boundaries. There is practical attention to self-compassion as standing up for yourself, handling mean or aggressive people, and balancing love with anger in relationships.

A talk about why extending empathy beyond close circles can soften the heart and ease inner burden. It explores the evolution and psychology behind caring, and practical steps to notice similarities with challenging people. The conversation balances widening moral concern with maintaining justice and clear boundaries.

A talk about early feelings of helplessness and how they shape adult compensation patterns. It explores leaning into vulnerability through radical helplessness, radical trust, and radical acceptance. The conversation highlights how trust can surface old wounds and how acceptance helps amid aging, loss, and change.

A reflection on trying on the phrase "I am whole" and noticing how the body and mind respond. A look at practice as uncovering inherent goodness rather than fixing defects. An exploration of coverings like striving and the trance of unworthiness that hide a felt sense of enoughness. Ideas for relating to others from a place of basic okayness.

A concise look at the difference between what truly matters and life’s distractions. Discussion of three core needs: safety, satisfaction, and connection. Practical ideas for increasing safety, cultivating everyday contentment, and deepening relationships. Explanations of brain circuits that bias attention and simple practices to train wiser responses in heated moments.

A reflective talk about how bodily fragility and life’s precarity make vulnerability inevitable. It traces how infancy’s helplessness shapes compensatory habits like over-control and perfectionism. It explores welcoming vulnerability with compassion, sensing what underlies wounds, and engaging life honorably despite uncertainty.

A reflective exploration of aging, illness, death, and the possibility of awakening. Guided practices invite meeting difficult truths with tenderness rather than avoidance. Practical ways to shift from fixation to openness, cultivate equanimity and loving presence, and prioritize what truly matters in daily life.

What should we do when we get triggered — especially by other people? In this talk, I discuss how mindfulness, focused attention, open awareness, and non-clinging help us manage reactivity, reduce rumination, and relate more wisely to ourselves and others.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-using-mindfulness-when-youre-triggered/And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

When fear and anxiety feel woven into the fabric of everyday life — from global crises to personal health worries — it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, helpless, or stuck in a loop of dread.So this week I explored how to meet anxiety with mindfulness and compassion, find real refuges that steady the heart, take meaningful action without burning out, and hold life with a wider wisdom perspective.When we relinquish what no longer serves — harsh self-judgment, false hopes, and unnecessary worry — we can live well, meanwhile, even in a world that can feel profoundly uncertain.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-five-ways-to-feel-less-anxious/And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.

When you’ve been triggered enough times, it’s easy to start living smaller: avoiding certain conversations, second-guessing yourself, and staying inside an invisible cage that looks like caution but feels like contraction. In this talk, I explore what “trusting yourself” really means—not as bravado or blind confidence, but as an embodied sense that you can stay steady, return to center, and take the next step even in uncertainty. Along the way, we connect this to early conditioning (basic trust/mistrust), to good intentions, and to practical tools for staying grounded when someone tries to pull you into their script.You’re welcome to join me live each week for these talks — for free — by signing up at https://rickhanson.com/wednesday-meditations-with-dr-rick-hanson/. We always start with a guided meditation to set the tone for the evening. If you’d like to experience the meditation that accompanied this talk, you can listen to it at: https://rickhanson.com/talk-meditation-how-to-trust-yourself/And if you'd like to check out any of my online programs at https://rickhanson.com/online-courses/, you can receive 20% off by using coupon code PW20 during checkout.