Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Dr. Rick Hanson, a clinical psychologist and author focused on practical neuroscience and well-being. He talks about how a secure internal base develops, why contingent love can undermine it, and four paths forward like reparenting, making a coherent narrative, rescaling the self, and building self-trust through safe exploration.

David Epstein, science journalist and bestselling author of Range and The Sports Gene, explores how limits can boost creativity, focus, and decision-making. He discusses why too much freedom backfires. He uses examples from Virginia Woolf, Mendeleev, sports training, and startups. He also covers satisficing, time as a bottleneck, and using constraints in work, relationships, and personal experiments.

Robert Drozek, clinical social worker and MBT clinic director at McLean, explains mentalization and why we so often assume our feelings equal facts. He walks through three non-mentalizing modes, how childhood shapes our capacity to reflect, and practical ways to notice and challenge rigid certainties in relationships.

Dr. Rick Hanson, clinical psychologist and author known for practical tools for resilience, shares why rumination becomes a self-reinforcing habit and why insight alone rarely ends it. He explains the difference between brooding and reflection. Short strategies covered include interrupting loops, shifting from abstract to concrete thinking, and simple behavioral circuit breakers to stop overthinking.

Dr. Jacob Ham, clinical psychologist and director of the Center for Complex Trauma, and Elizabeth Ferreira, an associate somatic therapist specializing in complex trauma, talk candidly about the messy craft of trauma therapy. They discuss self-disclosure, mistakes and repair, grief and co‑witnessing, supervision, and how therapy blends structure with relational improvisation.

They compare existential and transpersonal psychology, highlighting freedom, agency, and how confronting mortality shapes meaning. They trace Maslow, May, Yalom, and Grof while exploring altered states, peak experiences, and the porous nature of the self. They discuss anxiety, choice overload, letting go of self-focus, and how bravery plus humility can deepen a meaningful life.

Eric Zimmer, behavior coach, podcast host, and author of How a Little Becomes a Lot, shares practical approaches to self-regulation and habit change. He discusses why insight often fails to produce action. He explores values versus immediate desires, managing shame and recovery, small consistent steps, and strategies for bouncing back after slips.

Dr. Rick Hanson, clinical psychologist and author known for resilience and inner-strength work, joins to unpack shame and the self-abandonment loop. They map the loop and the inner critic, explore parts work and the double-bind, and discuss anger, grief, and practical tools like self-compassion and graded exposure to reclaim agency.

Elizabeth Ferreira, an associate therapist who lives with complex PTSD, shares personal and clinical perspectives. They explore how trauma shapes relationships and how safety and reciprocity emerge. Conversations cover supporting without enabling, avoiding power imbalances, managing resentment, communicating without shame, and why diagnostic labels can be limiting.

Dr. Rick Hanson, clinical psychologist and author known for positive neuroplasticity work, offers concise clinical wisdom on Family Systems Theory. He explains hidden family rules, roles like the golden child, triangulation, how anxiety circulates, and practical moves toward healthy differentiation. Short, vivid examples show how systems shape identity and how small changes can loosen old patterns.