Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
Episodes
The Therapy Wars: Science, Self-Help, and that IFS Article
15 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore one of the major topics in psychology today: the tension between "mainstream" and "alternative" approaches, and how to u...
BPD with Dr. Blaise Aguirre
08 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by psychiatrist Dr. Blaise Aguirre to discuss Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). They e...
Toxic Relationships: Why We Stay and How to Leave
01 Dec 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore toxic relationships, focusing on how to identify and exit them. Rick talks about how positive traits like empathy, loyal...
Dr. Becky on Becoming the Person (and Parent) You Needed
24 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Becky Kennedy joins Forrest for a conversation about building better relationships, with ourselves, our partners, and our children. They talk abou...
Dealing with Guilt Trips, Boundaries, and Non-Monogamy: November Mailbag
17 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag to answer listener questions about effective communication, healthy relationships, and contentment. They expl...
How to Be Yourself: Authenticity in Relationships with Elizabeth Ferreira
10 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this very fun episode, Forrest and Elizabeth discuss how to get on the same team in a relationship. They explore how conditions of worth, masking, ...
Fighting the Loneliness Epidemic and the Power of Intergenerational Friendships: Feed Drop
06 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re featuring an episode from another show I think you’re really going to connect with: Turning Points: Navigating Mental Health. Can a m...
Trauma Masterclass: Understanding and Repairing Our Hidden Wounds
03 Nov 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Today we’re revisiting some of our favorite episodes to explore one of the most salient topics in psychology today: trauma. We begin by tracing its ...
End Self-Punishment: Curiosity, Joy, and Real Growth with Joe Hudson
27 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by one of the world’s top executive coaches, Joe Hudson, for a conversation focused on how we can reduce self-punishment and live ...
Emotional Regulation: How to Feel Your Feelings Flexibly
20 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest discuss how we can regulate our emotions by feeling, managing, and processing them more effectively. They begin by unpacking comm...
Trauma or Personality, When to Walk Away, and Burnout: October Mailbag
13 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag to answer listener questions about trauma and its impact on personality, boundaries, anger, and burnout. They...
The Psychology of Resentment: Over-Functioning, Repression, and Repair
06 Oct 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore the silent killer of relationships: resentment. They discuss resentment as a combination of perceived grievance (“I was...
How to Believe in Yourself: Carl Rogers and Humanistic Psychology
29 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore humanistic psychology, the mid-20th century movement that redefined how therapists relate to clients. It challenged the p...
AI Therapy Deep Dive: Can a Chatbot Be Your Therapist? w/ Dr. Nick Jacobson
22 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
AI chatbots may already be the largest providers of mental health services in the United States, raising big questions about safety, effectiveness, an...
How to Have a (Good) Life Crisis: Authenticity, Healthy Discontent, and the Anxiety of Choice
18 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how to use a life crisis productively, drawing on developmental stage theories, existential philosophy, literature, perso...
People Pleasing and the Fawn Response with Meg Josephson
08 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and therapist Meg Josephson explore the fawn response, a survival strategy where safety is sought by pleasing other people. They discuss how f...
Anxious-Avoidant Relationships, Narcissism, and Insight to Action: Mailbag
01 Sep 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag to answer questions about complex situations where good process really matters. They discuss whether to get b...
Limerence: The Psychology of Romantic Obsession with Brandy Wyant
25 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and therapist Brandy Wyant discuss limerence, an intense and often one-sided state of romantic obsession. They explore how limerence differs f...
Mingyur Rinpoche: A Meditation Master on Anxiety, Awareness, and Awakening
18 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest are joined by Mingyur Rinpoche, a renowned Tibetan Buddhist teacher, to explore calming anxiety with awareness, relaxing unhealth...
9 Lessons from the Great Minds of Psychoanalysis
11 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore the evolution of psychoanalysis after Freud, highlighting key ideas from figures like Adler, Klein, Winnicott, and Hillma...
Reclaiming Anger: Trauma, Repression, and Healthy Protest with Elizabeth Ferreira
04 Aug 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and associate therapist Elizabeth Ferreira talk about healthy (and unhealthy) anger. They challenge the common framing of anger as a “second...
Psychoanalysis: Therapy’s Controversial Origins
28 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore the ideas, context, and legacy of psychoanalysis, the often-controversial origin point for modern therapy. They discuss p...
Is Self-Help Making You Miserable?
21 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick discuss what's really wrong with the self-help industry, going beyond the obvious pseudoscience and snake oil to examine deeper s...
The Freeze Response, Gifted Kid Syndrome, and BPD: July Mailbag
14 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest answer listener questions about perfectionism, performance anxiety, trauma, and relationships. They explore how early praise for ...
How Real Change Happens with Elizabeth Ferreira
07 Jul 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by associate therapist Elizabeth Ferreira to discuss parts work, psychological defenses, and how real change happens. They talk abou...
Why Modern Life Doesn't Make Us Happy, and How to Fix It with Dr. William von Hippel
30 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Life today is safer and more comfortable than ever before, so why do so many people feel unhappy, lonely, and anxious? Forrest talks with evolutionary...
Rethinking Masculinity: Strength and Connection w/ Terry and Justin Real
23 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by renowned therapist Terry Real and his son Justin for a frank exploration of modern masculinity. They talk about why so many men f...
Self-Sabotage: Why You Do What You Shouldn’t, and How to Stop
16 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
We’ve all had moments where we watch ourselves make the exact wrong choice: procrastinating on an important task, picking a fight in a good relation...
Terry Real: Relationships, Trauma, and Inner Child Work
09 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
What gets in the way of truly intimate, healthy relationships…and what can we do about it? In this moving episode, Forrest is joined by renowned cou...
OCD and Anxiety Disorders with Kimberley Quinlan
02 Jun 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by therapist Kimberley Quinlan to explore one of the most misunderstood anxiety disorders: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Draw...
People Pleasing, AI Therapy, and Sexual Transference: May Mailbag
26 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this very fun episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest open the mailbag and answer questions from listeners about people pleasing, the potential (and pitfalls...
Disorganized Attachment: Heal By Embracing Your Needs
19 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore disorganized, or “fearful,” attachment. This complex style occurs when emotional intimacy and distance both feel unco...
Living with Depression with Dr. Scott Eilers
12 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Scott Eilers to explore how he both treats and lives with chronic depression. They discuss anhedonia, t...
Live Show: Yung Pueblo on Relationships, Change, and Mindfulness
05 May 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest is joined by poet and author Diego Perez - better known as Yung Pueblo - for a live conversation recorded at City Arts & Lectures in San Franc...
How to Change Your Personality with Olga Khazan
28 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Can we really change our personalities? In this episode, Forrest is joined by someone who’s actually tried most of the things we talk about on the p...
Your Parents Are Emotionally Immature. Now What? w/ Dr. Lindsay Gibson
21 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Lindsay Gibson joins Forrest to explore emotional immaturity, the consequences of growing up with emotionally immature caregivers, and what we can...
Self-Concept: The Secret to Changing WHO You Are
14 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick explore how self-concept, the invisible architecture of who we are, shapes our lives. They discuss how identity can become a cage...
Linking: The Secret to Rewiring Painful Memories
07 Apr 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick explore one of his most powerful psychological tools: linking. Over time, linking can help us rewire the brain, softening the imp...
How to Get On the Same Team: Relationship Mailbag
31 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest answer questions focused on navigating common relationship conflicts, focusing on situations where people need to find a middle p...
How to Find Your Path in Life with David Epstein
24 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In one of my favorite conversations, bestselling author David Epstein joins the podcast to explore how to find your path in life, the problem with 10,...
How to Stop Overthinking: Rumination, OCD, and Breaking the Awareness Trap
17 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Self-awareness is a good thing…right? In this episode, Forrest and Dr. Rick Hanson explore how we can stop overthinking and break the self-awareness...
How to Get Your Life Together: The 90/10 Rule
10 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
There’s never been more information out there about psychology, self-improvement, and mental health, making it easy to get lost in the details and l...
Improving Focus and Fixing Your Attention Span
03 Mar 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how we can improve focus and fix our attention spans in a world that is constantly trying to distract us. They discuss co...
Protecting Yourself from Narcissistic People with Dr. Ramani Durvasula
24 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Ramani Durvasula, one of the world’s leading experts on narcissism and narcissistic abuse, joins Forrest to help us learn how to understand, ide...
What to Do When Your Worst Fears Come True: Mailbag
17 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners, many of which focused on anxiety experiences. They start by discussing “...
Learning to Trust Yourself: How to Stop Self-Abandonment
10 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how we can become more self-reliant, and learn to trust ourselves. This helps us be resilient in...
Everything I've Learned (so far): A Guide to Personal Growth
03 Feb 2025
Contributed by Lukas
In this special episode, Forrest focuses on the key lessons from 400 episodes of Being Well, giving you a crash course in personal growth and developm...
Letting Go: Rumination, Breakups, and How to Stop Feeling Attached
27 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick focus on one of life's most challenging but essential skills - letting go. Whether you're trying to break free from repetitive th...
Healing Attachment Wounds with Elizabeth Ferreira
20 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Attachment wounds are emotional injuries that develop based on painful experiences with those we care about. These experiences create a kind of bluepr...
Limerence, Love, and Life Transitions: January Mailbag
13 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest begin the mailbag by exploring limerence – an obsessive form of romantic attraction – and offer practical recommendations for...
Navigating Situationships: How to Get What You Really Want
06 Jan 2025
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick explore "situationships" – those poorly defined, boundary-free relationships that exist in a gray area between friendship and c...
Beyond Resolutions: Discover What You Want in 2025
30 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do New Year's resolutions usually fail by February? Forrest and Dr. Rick explore why traditional goal-setting falls short and offer a new approach...
Attachment Masterclass: Sue Johnson, Rick Hanson, Julie Mennano, and Elizabeth Ferreira
23 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do some people navigate the social world with such ease while others feel like they're swimming upstream? In this special episode of Being Well, F...
Working with Your Parts: Complex PTSD, Dissociation, and Hypervigilance with Elizabeth Ferreira
16 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira joins the show to discuss complex trauma, dissociation, and working with challenging emotions. Forrest and Elizab...
Anxious and Avoidant in Relationship: The Pursuer-Distancer Dynamic
09 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all have different needs for closeness and distance, for intimacy and independence. You might have heard terms like anxious or avoidant attachment ...
Why We Don’t Change (and what you can do about it) with Dr. Ross Ellenhorn
02 Dec 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why does change feel so difficult, even when we desperately want it? Dr. Ross Ellenhorn joins the show to explore our resistance to change, and the ma...
Now What? What to Do When Things Fall Apart
25 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Life has a way of throwing unexpected curveballs: a sudden job loss, a relationship ending, a health crisis, or losing faith in something. These momen...
How to Make Good Choices: A System for Decision Making
18 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all have to make big choices in life, but it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when facing major decisions about careers, relationships, or personal gro...
Healthy Productivity with Cal Newport
11 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We’re tired, burnt out, and searching for a reprieve from hustle culture. Something needs to change if we’re going to get to real productivity: do...
Attachment, Boundaries, and Finding Yourself: Relationship Mailbag
04 Nov 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest answer listener questions focused on navigating relationship challenges. They explore how to rediscover yourself after a codepend...
Healing Your Inner Child
28 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
We all have an "inner child:” the part of ourselves that carries the emotions, beliefs and experiences from our early years. While this aspect of ou...
The Anxiety Toolkit: How to Tolerate Uncertainty with Joshua Fletcher
21 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Anxiety is something we all experience from time to time, and because it’s so common it can be easy to take it lightly. But anxiety dominates the li...
Self-Compassion: How to Make it Work For You with Dr. Chris Germer
14 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Why do so many people seem to resist self-compassion? Dr. Chris Germer, co-creator of the Mindful Self-Compassion program, joins Forrest to explore ho...
Understanding and Overcoming Social Anxiety: Attachment, Exposure, and Confidence
07 Oct 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest explore the all-too-common challenge of social anxiety. They break down what it really means to be socially anxi...
The Dark Triad: Dealing with Narcissists, Sociopaths, and Other Toxic People
30 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest unpack the "Dark Triad" of personality traits - narcissism, Machiavellianism, and sociopathy - and explore how these traits can m...
How to Build a Securely Attached Relationship with Julie Menanno
23 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest sits down with marriage and family therapist Julie Menanno to explore one of the most crucial aspects of healthy relationships: secure attachm...
Social Anxiety, Self-Advocacy, and Too Much Self-Help: September Mailbag
16 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest dive into the mailbag, and answer questions from listeners focused on working with anxiety in ourselves and our relationships. Th...
Cognitive Bypassing, Traumatic Experiences, and Managing Triggers with Simone Saunders
09 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest dives into cognitive bypassing - a common strategy many of us use to avoid feeling difficult emotions - with trauma therapist Simone Saunders....
Navigating Parenthood: What Every Dad Needs to Know
02 Sep 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this special conversation, Forrest explores what it means to be a good father with his dad, clinical psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson. They discuss the...
How to Live in an Anxious World: Uncertainty, Agency, and Resilience
26 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this timely episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest tackle the anxiety and uncertainty so many are feeling about the state of today’s world. They discuss w...
Embracing Perfectionism with Katherine Morgan Schafler
19 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest explores how we can harness perfectionism’s strengths without getting captured by its vulnerabilities with therapist and author Katherine Mo...
The Shadow: Individuation, Wholeness, and Becoming Your True Self
12 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore one of the most interesting concepts in psychology: Carl Jung’s concept of the shadow. The shadow includes the “the t...
Dealing with Other People’s Defenses
05 Aug 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick tackle the tricky topic of dealing with other people’s psychological defenses. It’s often easier to see other people’s defe...
If You’re “Too Self-Aware,” Listen to This
29 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever felt like you knew yourself a little too well? While self-awareness is usually helpful, it can sometimes lead to overwhelm, anxiety, con...
How to Get Out of a Depressed Mood
22 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
About 30% of people will experience depression at some point in their lives, and most of us know what a depressed mood feels like. Because depressive ...
Why You’re Stuck, and How to Fix It
15 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Most of us have gone through a time in life when it felt like we were stuck: unable to deal with our issues, change in useful ways, or make our lives ...
Depression and Self-Care, Accepting Love, and Building Stronger Relationships: July Mailbag
08 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest open the mailbag and answer questions focused on strengthening our relationships. They explore how we can support friends and lov...
How to Become a Disciplined Person
01 Jul 2024
Contributed by Lukas
If we want to accomplish something in life it usually takes a combination of motivation and consistency - in other words, discipline. Discipline is bo...
Psychological Defenses: How to Understand (and change) Your Mind and Behavior
24 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Psychological defenses are subconscious strategies we use to protect ourselves from uncomfortable emotions, and they exert a hidden power over our beh...
The Fawn Response: People Pleasing, Self-Abandonment, and Standing Up for Yourself
17 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest finish their series on the stress responses with the fawn response: an appeasement strategy where we manage stressful situations ...
How to Create a Secure Relationship with Elizabeth Ferreira
10 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Somatic trauma therapist Elizabeth Ferreira joins Forrest to explore how we can create more secure relationships. They talk about the lessons they've ...
Becoming Self-Confident, Learning Healthy Relationship Skills, and Trusting Yourself: June Mailbag
03 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners. They explore how to deal with chronically negative people, managing avoi...
The Psychology of Manifesting: How to Create the Life You Want
27 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick explore “manifesting:” the idea that our thoughts impact the world around us, and by changing those thoughts we can change ou...
Understanding the “Flight” Response: Anxiety, Avoidance, and Feeling Safe
20 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest discuss the “flight” response to stress, which includes feelings of anxiety and fear, avoidant behavior, and an underlying se...
Managing The “Fight” Response: Anger, Repression, and Self-Regulation
13 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest continue their series on the stress responses with the “fight” response to stress. They explore anger, repression, and the ba...
Everything You Need to Know About Therapy
06 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
In this mega-episode, clinical psychologist Dr. Rick Hanson and Forrest Hanson explore everything you need to know about therapy. They share how you c...
Healing After Trauma with Dr. Peter Levine
29 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Somatic psychology legend Dr. Peter Levine joins Dr. Rick and Forrest to explore how we can use body-based approaches to recover from traumatic experi...
Recovering from a Challenging Childhood: Reclaim, Resupply, and Repair
22 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Rick and Forrest explore a huge topic: what can we do to recover from a difficult childhood as an adult? Rick introduces a three step process that...
Dealing with Emotionally Immature People (and Parents) with Dr. Lindsay Gibson
15 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Dr. Lindsay Gibson joins the podcast to share her groundbreaking work on emotional maturity. Forrest and Dr. Gibson explore how growing up with emotio...
How to Make the Most of Your 20s with Dr. Meg Jay
08 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Twentysomethings are bombarded with misinformation, hype, and contradictory messages that pull them in many different directions. Dr. Meg Jay, a speci...
Managing the Freeze Response: Dissociation, Emotional Shutdown, and Creating Safety
01 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
What do dissociation, avoidance, and emotional shutdown all have in common? They’re connected to the “freeze” response to stress. In one of ou...
Working with Irrational Fears, Setting Healthy Boundaries, and Understanding Therapy: March Mailbag
25 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners focused on how we can work with irrational fears, create separation from ...
10 Things We Wish We Knew in Our 20s
18 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our 20s are a unique decade filled with opportunity…including the opportunity to make a lot of mistakes. On today’s episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest ...
Repairing Self-Abandonment: Anxious Attachment, Healthy Boundaries, and Creating Strong Relationships
11 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode Dr. Rick and Forrest explore self-abandonment, which occurs when we go against our authentic wants, emotions, and boundaries in o...
Emotional Eating and Changing Your Relationship with Food with Dr. Jud Brewer
04 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
There are as many ways to have a difficult relationship with food as there are ways to eat. It’s hard to get conversations about these challenges ri...
Somatic Tools for Self-Regulation with Elizabeth Ferreira
26 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
One of the most important skills we can learn is how to regulate ourselves, riding the emotional waves without either ignoring or being overwhelmed by...
Build Strong Relationships and Heal in Community with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
19 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Our relationships are some of the most important parts of our life, and our happiness is often directly correlated to the strength of those relationsh...
How to ADHD with Jessica McCabe
12 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
ADHD is one of the most common - and most misunderstood - conditions out there, and today we’re setting the record straight with author and YouTuber...
The (real) Secret to Happiness: Attachment, Craving, and Enjoying Life
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Forrest and Dr. Rick focus on the secret to everyday happiness: learning how to like without wanting. They talk about the lies our brain tells us, the...
Mindfulness for Depression, Pain, and Suffering with Dr. Danny Penman
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest focus on one of the most important skills we can learn: how we can become more aware of all the parts of ou...