Practical Wisdom with Dr. Rick Hanson

This week I'd like to focus on something both personal and practical: What is a core practice that you return to when things go sideways? When you're overwhelmed, irritated, frustrated, or just worn out? What’s the thing that centers you and brings you back to who you really are? In this episode, I explore how even our healthiest desires—those driven by love, purpose, or care—can quietly...

Let’s be honest—these days, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed, reactive, and worn down. Whether it’s the relentless news cycle, a difficult interaction, or just your own mind revving up again, it can feel like calm and happiness are out of reach. So in this episode, I unpacked some of the biological machinery underneath our stress and reactivity—and offered practical ways to work with it. I talked abo...

What does it feel like to simply be yourself—without all the striving, fixing, and fabricating?  In this episode, I explore six key turning points in my own journey of practice, from realizing I could shape my mind, to discovering concentration, to resting more deeply in love and a growing sense of oneness.  Along the way, I reflect on the challenges of modern life—overthinking, anxiety, emotional...

When life feels heavy—when people let you down, when things don’t go your way, when the world just keeps coming at you—it’s easy to feel like you’re not strong enough, not doing enough, or like you have to hold everything together all the time. So this week, I invite you to pause and look a little deeper. Because underneath all the noise, all the stress, all the striving... there's a quiet st...

Life is hard—and then our mind makes it harder. We stew in old regrets, brace for future disasters, cling to how things should be, or take everything way too personally. Sound familiar? In this talk, I dig into the Buddha’s teaching on dukkha—the unavoidable pain of life—and how we add unnecessary suffering on top through craving.  But here’s the good news: you can practice your way out of that ex...

How do we connect our personal healing and awakening… to the broader world that’s hurting? This is often called Engaged Buddhism — but honestly, it’s relevant to anyone who wants to live with wisdom, compassion, and integrity, especially in times like these. Inner peace can and should lead to outer action. The Buddha himself confronted systemic suffering in his day. What does that mean for us now,...

Many of us are carrying pain, guilt, or resentment that we can’t seem to let go of. So this week I explored something we all face: those moments when we’re stuck — carrying old hurts, regrets, or mistakes that weigh us down. How can we turn a corner inside ourselves? How can we let go, not by forcing it, but by choosing a new path with wisdom and self-compassion? It’s important to recognize when i...