Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Dealing with a Mental Health Crisis, Trauma and Meditation, and Getting Back on the Wagon: January Mailbag

22 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Dr. Rick open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners. How can we understand and support someone going through a mental health ...

Internal Family Systems: Healing Trauma and Restoring Wholeness with Dr. Richard Schwartz

15 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rick and Forrest are joined by Dr. Richard Schwartz, creator of the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model of therapy, to explore how we can integrat...

Healing Cycles of Trauma with Dr. Mariel Buqué

08 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Mariel Buqué joins the podcast to help us learn how we can heal from the past, create healthier patterns, and break cycles of trauma. Forrest and...

How to Get More From 2024

01 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rick and Forrest kick off 2024 by exploring how we can relate to the past, plan for the future, and get more from the year ahead. They talk about ...

CPTSD, Somatic Psychology, and Finding Your Happiness with Elizabeth Ferreira

25 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Elizabeth welcome listeners into their home to talk about their changing relationship with the holidays, letting go of the past, healthy b...

Harnessing Your Generativity: The Secret to Productivity, Creativity, and Consistency

18 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rick joins Forrest for a deep dive into harnessing our natural generativity. How can we become more productive and creative, experience greater sa...

How to Become a New Person

11 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re getting toward the end of the year, and it’s a great opportunity to evaluate where we are and where we’d like to go. On today's episode, D...

What Healthy Couples DON’T Do with Dr. Amy Morin

04 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Just as we can exercise our arms or legs to build physical strength, we can exercise our brains like we do any other muscle. Therapist Amy Morin joins...

Highly Sensitive People, How to Repair, and When Your Partner Won't Stop Talking: November Mailbag

27 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

What can I do if my partner dominates conversations about our relationship? How can I navigate situations where I want to repair, but other people don...

What Really Helps Trauma? with Dr. Jacob Ham

20 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In one of the most interesting conversations we've ever had on the podcast, Forrest is joined by clinical psychologist Dr. Jacob Ham to explore what r...

The Being Well Holiday Survival Guide

13 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ah the holidays, that blessed time of year when we come together with our highly functional family systems to engage in some good, old-fashioned fun. ...

The Polyvagal Theory and Trauma with Dr. Stephen Porges

06 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Stephen Porges, the creator of the polyvagal theory, joins the podcast to walk us through how its lessons can be applied to recovering from trauma...

Mastering Change with Brad Stulberg

30 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We all know that change is inevitable in life, and getting good at changing is one of the most important skills we can develop. It’s also one of the...

What's Good Parenting? Key Skills, Healthy Relationships, and Making the Choice

23 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode Dr. Rick and Forrest focus on one of the most important decisions we’ll make in life: the choice to become a parent. They focus...

How to Become Self-Confident

16 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode Forrest and Dr. Rick explore how we can improve our self-confidence, allowing us to become more psychologically flexible and crea...

How to Change Your Perspective

09 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How we view ourselves, other people, and the world around us has a huge impact on the emotions we feel, the choices we make, and the quality of the li...

Creating a Healthy Relationship (with Yourself) with Najwa Zebian

02 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

“The mistake most of us make is building our homes in other people. When we do that, we give them the power to make us homeless.” Poet, activist, ...

Authenticity: How to “Be Yourself”

25 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We’re often told to “be true to ourselves:” to line-up the person we are on the outside with the person we are on the inside. In a word, to be a...

Childhood Trauma, Self-Sabotage, and Therapy: September Mailbag

18 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners focused on getting the most we can out of therapy, processing old painful exp...

Workaholism: Anxiety, Addiction, and Finding Balance in a Busy World

11 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our productivity-obsessed, always-on world it’s easy for busyness to become a badge of honor. But sometimes that effort-ing transforms from the r...

Becoming Emotionally Agile with Dr. Susan David

04 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Rick sit down with Dr. Susan David, the creator of the concept of Emotional Agility. Emotional agility is what allows us to navigate our c...

Impermanence Anxiety: How to Live While Letting Go

28 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The only constant in life is change. Moments come and go, people enter and leave our lives, and we ourselves grow, change, and eventually pass away. W...

Metabolism, Brain Energy, and Mental Health with Dr. Chris Palmer

21 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Chris Palmer, assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School, joins Forrest to discuss the relationship between metabolic function an...

Emotional Intelligence: Improving Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, and Empathy

14 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Emotional intelligence is considered an essential trait for everything from being a desirable romantic partner to having a successful career. But what...

Neuroplasticity Tools to Change Your (and your kid’s) Brain with Dr. Caroline Leaf

07 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our thoughts, emotions, and experiences can reshape the very structure of our brains, allowing it to adapt and change over time. This is known as neur...

So You Want to Be a Therapist?

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Over the last 10 years interest in therapy has boomed, and with the greater demand for therapists more people than ever are considering pursuing a car...

Dan Harris: Mindfulness, Fear, and Love Without the Cringe

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Harris, author of 10% Happier, joins Dr. Rick and Forrest for a wide-ranging, open, and personal conversation. They explore dealing with anxiety a...

Dealing with Criticism, Anxiety, and Dysfunctional Family Systems: July Mailbag

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Dr. Rick open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners. They explore how we can thoughtfully take the input of other people, ide...

Simplifying Self-Help: 7 Lessons for a Lifetime of Well-Being

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a lot of complicated advice out there (including on this podcast) for how to improve our well-being. In this episode, Forrest and Dr. Rick si...

How to Become Securely Attached

03 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In today’s episode, Forrest and Dr. Rick focus on one of the most common, and most important, questions they get about attachment theory: can we hea...

Time Management for Mortals with Oliver Burkeman

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The average human will live for roughly 4000 weeks. Foregrounding this can be a source of stress, leading us to constantly run from one task to anothe...

Overcoming Procrastination: Unleashing Motivation and Creating a Pursuit Mindset

19 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We've all experienced that frustrating feeling of knowing that we should be doing something, and yet struggling to take action. Join Forrest and Dr. R...

Staying Curious, Embracing Change, and Relating to Media with Michael Krasny

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Rick and Forrest are joined by award-winning journalist Michael Krasny for an episode focused on how to stay curious, navigate times of transition, an...

How to Change Your Life: Self-Efficacy, Learned Helplessness, and Growth Mindset

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re tired of feeling stuck, this one’s for you. Dr. Rick and Forrest explore how we can overcome learned helplessness and change our lives b...

How to Overcome Imposter Syndrome: Self-Doubt, Confidence, and Authenticity

29 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Dr. Rick explore how to overcome imposter syndrome, the common psychological experience of self-doubt and feeling like a fraud. You'll lea...

Self-Help Fads and Finding What Really Works with mindbodygreen CEO Jason Wachob

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s an enormous amount of advice out there in the self-help world…and much of it isn’t very good. Jason Wachob, the Founder and Co-CEO of mi...

Attachment Theory and Emotionally Focused Therapy with Dr. Sue Johnson

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Sue Johnson, the founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), joins Dr. Rick and Forrest to explore how insights from attachment theory can trans...

Mailbag: Power in Relationships, Self-Worth, Motivation, and Personal Responsibility

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Dr. Rick dive into the mailbag to answer questions from listeners. They explore age gaps in relationships, relating to people as ongoing p...

How to Create Massive Change with Dr. Benjamin Hardy

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest Hanson welcomes Dr. Benjamin Hardy to explore how we can create massive change by applying "10x thinking.” This mindset involves embracing a...

Learning from Nature with Mark Coleman

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Buddhist teacher Mark Coleman joins Forrest and Dr. Rick to share how we can learn from nature and incorporate it into our practice. Mark shares his i...

Releasing Obsessive Thoughts: Rumination, OCD, and Dealing with Fear

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Forrest and Dr. Rick delve into a frequently requested topic: how we can let go of obsessive and intrusive thoughts. They explore why we get trapped i...

Cognitive Bypassing: How to Get Out of Your Head and Into Your Life

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Cognitive bypassing occurs when we overthink to avoid feeling uncomfortable emotions like sadness, fear, or anger. In this episode, Forrest and Dr. Ri...

ADHD 2.0: Debunking Misconceptions, Revealing Hidden Strengths, and Effective Treatments w/ Dr. John Ratey

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

ADHD is often misunderstood as a simple "lack of attention." But in this episode of Being Well, Forrest and Dr. Rick are joined by ADHD pioneer Dr. Jo...

How to Become Psychologically Flexible (from two formerly rigid people)

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Join Forrest and Dr. Rick, two “reformed rigid people,” as they explore how to become more psychologically flexible. Just as physical flexibility ...

Complex PTSD and Learning to Live With the Past with Stephanie Foo

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Author Stephanie Foo joins Forrest to share her journey with Complex PTSD. They talk about what it was like to receive a diagnosis, the various techni...

The Unconscious Mind: How to Access, Understand, and Use It

13 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Most of what's occurring in the mind lies outside our awareness. In this episode, Forrest and Dr. Rick Hanson explore the unconscious mind and the mat...

What We've Learned From 100 Experts

06 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

On the (roughly) 300th episode of Being Well, Forrest and Dr. Rick share what they’ve learned from the many experts in psychology, personal growth, ...

Somatic Psychology: Using the Body to Heal the Mind with Elizabeth Ferreira

27 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira returns to the podcast and joins Forrest for a deep dive into somatic psychology. They explore what a somatic the...

Daddy Issues: Attachment Wounding, Dealing with Common Symptoms, and Becoming More Securely Attached

20 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

If you listen to a podcast like ours, you’re probably familiar with the phrase “daddy issues.” A more accurate way to understand daddy issues is...

What Addiction (and Recovery) Can Teach Us About Change with Eric Zimmer

13 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Eric Zimmer, a behavior coach and the host of The One You Feed podcast, joins Forrest and Rick to explore what really supports us in changing our ingr...

Repairing with Family, Dealing with Difficult People, and Recognizing Power: Mailbag

06 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners related to how we can build better relationships (particularly with our f...

How to Navigate Common Arguments

30 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

All of our relationships include some conflict, the big question is how skillfully we handle that conflict when it appears. Dr. Rick Hanson joins Forr...

Letting Go of Our Conditioning with Caverly Morgan

23 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The main topic we explore on the podcast, in many different ways, is change. How can we come to understand ourselves better, let go of who we were, an...

The Keys to a Great Relationship

16 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Before becoming the “Buddhist brain guy” Dr. Rick spent over 30 years working in private practice as a couples counselor and family therapist. Tod...

Becoming Our Best Selves with Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman and Dr. Jordyn Feingold

09 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We often know what we “should” do, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to do it. Today Dr. Rick and Forrest are joined by Dr. Scott Barry Kaufman ...

Why Don't We Get Better?

02 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This is the podcast’s five-year anniversary, and over that time I’ve submerged myself in psychology, self-help, and personal growth content - and ...

How to Reinvent Yourself (in 2023)

26 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve come to the end of another year, and it’s a good time to take stock and consider how we’d like to grow and change during our next trip aro...

The Science of Stress with Dr. Elissa Epel

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We think of stress as “bad” for you, but what if some forms of stress could actually help us grow and change for the better? On today’s episode ...

Responding to Criticism, and Accepting The Way Things Are

12 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Criticism is an unavoidable part of life. But even though we’re all going to be criticized from time to time, many of us spend much of our lives liv...

Living While Dying with Sensei Koshin Paley Ellison

05 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

“All the time I work with dying people, and only a few of them know they are dying.”  On this episode of Being Well, Soto Zen teacher Sensei Kosh...

How to Understand Anxiety and See Threats Clearly

28 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’re living in an anxious time, and part of the reason we’re anxious is because there are very real challenges we face both individually and coll...

Moving Beyond “Fair” to Build a Great Relationship with Nate and Kaley Klemp

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

These days couples often shoot for 50/50 in their relationships: an even split of responsibilities in the home or at work. But 50/50 often leads to fi...

Choosing the Roles We Play in Life

14 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

If you’re the kind of person who listens to mental health podcasts, you’re more likely than average to get pulled into an impromptu “helping rol...

Authentically Developing Self-Worth

07 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s one thing to feel good about what we do, and another to feel truly worthy from the inside out. When we increase our self-worth it allows us to ...

Saying No to Your Past, Embracing Growth, and Becoming Lighter with Yung Pueblo

31 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Diego Perez, widely known by his pen name Yung Pueblo, joins Forrest to explore how we can deepen our personal practice, refine the mind, break old pa...

How to Forgive Yourself

24 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all make mistakes in life. When we do it's important to take appropriate responsibility, feel the "wince," and make amends as we can. But after we'...

Evolving Our Approach to Treating Trauma with Dr. Bessel van der Kolk

17 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On today’s episode of Being Well, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk, the author of The Body Keeps the Score, joins Rick and Forrest to explore how trauma keep...

Changing Old Patterns, Using Psychedelics Thoughtfully, and Exploring Human Nature: October Mailbag

10 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode of Being Well, Rick and Forrest answer questions from listeners. They explore what they’re still working on in their relationship, h...

PTSD, Post-Traumatic Growth, and Prioritizing Mental Health with Jason Kander

03 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In 2016 Jason Kander was a rising star in the Democratic Party. After narrowly losing the race to become one of Missouri’s Senators, he began laying...

How to Effectively Communicate What You Want

26 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On the previous episode of Being Well, we talked about how to identify our wants and needs...but identifying our needs is just the first step. After t...

Discovering Your Wants and Needs

19 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone has needs, but many people find it difficult to identify what authentically matters to them. Even when we can identify them, shame or fear of...

Healing Trauma in a Toxic Culture with Dr. Gabor Maté

12 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned physician Dr. Gabor Maté joins Rick and Forrest to explore the many problems for our bodies and minds that arise out of our modern culture, ...

Understanding, Recognizing, and Dealing with Narcissists with Dr. Craig Malkin

05 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all have narcissistic traits. Having some sense of our own specialness isn’t just normal, it’s actually psychologically healthy. The problems s...

Dealing with Difficult Emotions with Mollie West Duffy

29 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all experience big, difficult feelings, from common emotions like uncertainty, anger, despair, and regret, to difficult experiences like the pains ...

How to Use Your Diagnosis (Without It Using You)

22 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Receiving a diagnosis can be emotionally challenging, and leave a person with a lot of understandable questions: What does this mean? What do I do now...

Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy with Dr. Albert Garcia Romeu

15 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s been an explosion of interest in psychedelics over the last 10 years, and phrases like “psychedelic-assisted therapy” have gone from the...

Relating to Death, and Living a Better Life

08 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The median life expectancy for a man living in the United States is roughly 80 years. That works out to 960 months, 4,160 weeks, or about 29,000 days....

Changing Your Relationship to Shame

01 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Shame is one of the most complex and difficult emotions we experience on a regular basis, and one that can have seriously negative impacts on our sens...

The Grieving Brain with Dr. Mary-Frances O'Connor

25 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a lot of loss in the world these days, both in our individual lives and in our broader communities, and with those losses comes grief. Grief...

Borderline Personality Disorder: Regulation, Nurturance, and Compassion

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most important and challenging skills we can develop is learning to regulate our strong emotions. While it’s very natural to have fluctua...

How to Make Learning STICK

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most important skills we can develop is learning how to learn–how to update old beliefs about ourselves, take in new information, and bui...

Rediscovering Your True Self: Parentification and the "Gifted Child"

04 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When a child is particularly emotionally intelligent, and a parent is particularly emotionally vulnerable, an inversion of the typical relationship ca...

Connecting with Your Best Parts

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A little while ago, we had an episode on self-awareness where Rick emphasized how the majority of what people have to become self-aware of is the good...

Recovering from Complex PTSD with Elizabeth Ferreira

20 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD) is the result of the slow accumulation of many small traumatic experiences over time. On our most popul...

Attachment, and Cultivating Nonattachment

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You might have heard the line “attachment is the root of suffering.” It comes from the Buddha, but you don’t have to be a Buddhist to recognize ...

Intimacy, Individuality, and Breaking the Trauma Cycle with Terry Real

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On one of our favorite episodes of Being Well, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson are joined by author and therapist Terry Real to talk about how to overcome...

Overcoming Comparison and Accepting Ordinary with Dr. Ron Siegel

30 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When was the last time you went through a day without comparing yourself to anyone? For instance, by comparing your life to someone else’s highlight...

Working with Anger: Costs and Benefits, Repression, and the "Empty Boat"

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Anger is one of the most complex, demanding, and difficult emotions we deal with on a regular basis, in part because it has both many costs and many u...

Increasing Self-Awareness: The Key to Personal Growth

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Self-awareness is both one of the most important skills for a person to have, and one of the most challenging to develop. In this episode of Being Wel...

Changing Old Patterns, Self-Awareness, and Repairing Family Relationships: Mailbag

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson open up the mailbag to explore a variety of listener questions. They talk about what causes our brains to become attached ...

Maximize Your Motivation: Dopamine, Discipline, and Accepting Our Nature

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We all have things we want to accomplish in life, but having goals or knowing we should be doing something is often not nearly enough to get us to act...

Preventing Secondary Trauma and Compassion Fatigue with Laura van Dernoot Lipsky

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With so much suffering going on in the world that’s worthy of our compassion and engagement, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by it even as we have...

Rumination: How to Disrupt Obsessive Thoughts

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s normal and healthy for us to try to process our experiences emotionally, but sometimes during that process we find ourselves getting stuck on t...

Navigating Modern Dating with Logan Ury

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve spent a lot of time on the podcast exploring how we can improve our skills in romantic relationships, but for many people one of the most diff...

Understand and Manage Stress: Causes, Biological Basis, and Increasing Resilience

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

On this episode, Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson take a deep dive into defining stress, how it functions, how it impacts our lives and bodies, and what we...

Use the Enneagram to Rewrite Your Story with Ian Cron

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most effective ways to change how we show up in the world is to identify and change our underlying personal narrative. On this episode, For...

Hedonic Adaptation: Causes, Critiques, and How to Stay Happy

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We’ve talked on this show about lots of ways we can be happier over time, but one of the hardest things to do is to STAY happy as the events of life...

The Science of "Self" with Dr. Jud Brewer

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the underlying threads that runs through many of our conversations on Being Well is our relationship with our “self”. On this episode, Dr. ...

Supporting Yourself During Difficult Times

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The tone of this episode of Being Well is a bit different. For context, we recorded it four days after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.  It feels lik...

Coping with Failure, and Dealing with Disappointment

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most important skills we can develop is the ability to deal with disappointment and cope with failures big and small. On this episode of Be...