Plus: How to "turn down the volume" on suffering, how to reframe your problems, and the clinical evidence for "stopping and smelling the roses."

Eric Garland, PhD, LCSW is Endowed Professor in Health Sciences at the Sanford Institute for Empathy and Compassion, Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and the Center for Addiction Science and Treatment at University of California San Diego (UCSD), and Director of UCSD ONEMIND (Optimized Neuroscience-Enhanced Mindfulness Intervention Design). Dr. Garland researches treatments for addiction and chronic pain, and is the developer of an innovative, mind-body therapy founded on insights derived from cognitive, affective, and neurobiological science, called Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement (MORE).

In this episode we talk about:

• The three parts of his MORE protocol
• Simple practices for dealing with everyday addictions
• Mindfulness techniques for dealing with pain
• What pain actually is
• How to reframe negative thought patterns
• Practical tools for regaining a sense of joy in your life
• And much more

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Additional Resources:

• moretherapy.com
• Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement: An Evidence-Based Treatment for Chronic Pain and Opioid Use
• Mindfulness-Oriented Recovery Enhancement for Addiction, Stress, and Pain

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Plus: How to find practices that work for you, what "mindfulness" actually means, and a new audiobook out now.

Sebene Selassie has been meditating for decades, survived cancer three times, and still says the practice isn't a magic bullet. That honesty is kind of the point.

Today we're sharing a sneak preview of Dan's new audiobook, Even You Can Meditate, co-authored with Sebene. Think of it as a practical rescue plan for anyone who feels too distracted, overwhelmed, or skeptical to start (or restart) a meditation practice.

In this preview, Dan and Seb cover:

• Why "mindfulness" is actually a bit of a misnomer — and what the practice is really about

• What meditation can and can't do for you (it won't solve everything, but the benefits tend to kick in faster than you'd expect)

• How to find the style that works for your specific brain, body, and life — including if sitting still feels impossible

• The role of intention, and why getting clear on your "why" can become a surprisingly powerful engine for keeping a practice going

• The five hindrances — the predictable challenges that come up for almost every meditator — and how to work with them instead of against them

Even You Can Meditate is out now on Audible. Listen now at audible.com/danharris.

And mark your calendar: Dan and Seb are running a free five-day meditation challenge March 23–27 on Dan's app, 10% with Dan Harris. Download the app at app.danharris.com.

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The comedian on: connecting instead of separating, feeling whole, and the upside of being an affirmation addict.

Pete Holmes is a stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He created and starred in HBO's Crashing and hosted The Pete Holmes Show on TBS. He has released stand-up specials on HBO, Netflix, and Comedy Central, hosts the popular You Made It Weird podcast, and is the author of Comedy Sex God.

This episode is a live conversation recorded in NYC as part of a benefit for the amazing organization New York Insight Meditation Center.

In this episode we talk about:

• How Pete Holmes's evangelical upbringing shaped his early ideas about fear, morality, and God
• Psychedelics, awareness, identity and consciousness
• Mysticism and metaphor versus literal belief
• Meditation and different paths of practice
• What meditation reveals about awareness, forgetting, and remembering
• Being an affirmation addict
• Service and helping others
• Happiness versus peace of mind

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The brain benefits of self-disclosure, the costs of staying silent, and how to know what to reveal and when.

Leslie John is the James E. Burke Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School. Her new book is called Revealing: The Underrated Power of Oversharing.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why self-disclosure can feel risky but is often socially rewarding
• The psychological and physiological costs of keeping secrets
• How putting feelings into words can reduce rumination and anxiety
• Why validation is often more helpful than advice
• Why undersharing leads to missed opportunities in relationships, work, and life

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If you struggle with the terrifying reality that everything changes, this conversation is for you.

Bart van Melik is a meditation teacher, psychotherapist, and our Teacher of the Month for January. In this live session recorded on Zoom with subscribers to the 10% with Dan Harris app, Bart and Dan explore one of Bart's favorite teachings: "Keep calmly knowing change"—four words that supposedly distill all 84,000 of the Buddha's teachings.

We talk about:

• Why attuning to the flow of things brings peace (even though change is terrifying)—and what the Buddha said on his deathbed about impermanence

• How to introduce meditation to kids without making it seem difficult or boring

• The three dimensions of mindfulness: internal (your own mind), external (noticing other people's breath on the subway), and relational (the field we're all co-creating together)

• Whether connecting through venting and complaining is harmless or something to examine more closely

• "Useless speech" (sampappalāpa)—the Pali term for saying stuff that doesn't really matter, and why the urge is often just "look at me"

• Why Bart is still on this path after all these years: community

Bart closes with a beautiful dedication about coming home to the body and appreciating that we show up in community.

These live sessions happen every week in the app 10% with Dan Harris, where you can meditate with Dan and guest teachers and ask questions in real time. Get the app at danharris.com—there's a free 14-day trial.

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Plus, making the mundane sacred, meditating in a cave, and lowering the ego walls.

Michael Pollan is the author of ten books, all of which were New York Times bestsellers. His latest book is A World Appears: A Journey Into Consciousness.

In this episode we talk about:

• How to get over yourself
• How to reduce rumination
• How to lower the ego's walls
• How to elevate mundane tasks
• The value of what Zen practitioners call "don't know mind"
• How to reclaim your attention from Big Tech (what Michael calls the "colonizers of consciousness")
• The value of MDMA-assisted therapy
• Michael's experiences meditating in a cave

Related Episodes:

• Don't Let This Crisis Go To Waste | Roshi Joan Halifax

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A financial psychology expert on the science of contentment.

Morgan Housel is the New York Times Bestselling author of The Psychology of Money and Same As Ever. He's a partner at The Collaborative Fund, serves on the board of directors at Markel and is host of The Morgan Housel Podcast. His new book is The Art of Spending Money: Simple Choices for a Richer Life.

In this episode we talk about:

• What "irrational" spending habits really tell us
• How to manage money ambition with sanity
• How to use scarcity to your advantage
• A useful equation for finding contentment
• The key defense against envy
• How to minimize future regret
• Why young people should check their bank accounts more often
• How to talk to your kids about money
• How to disconnect self-worth from financial worth
• And more

Related Episodes:

• The Psychology of Money | Morgan Housel

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Thanks to our sponsors: Function Health: Visit functionhealth.com/happier and use the gift code HAPPIER25 for a $25 credit toward your membership. BetterHelp: Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com/Happier.

How do you stay engaged without getting consumed? That's one of the central questions in this conversation between Dan and high-performance psychologist Dr. Michael Gervais.

Together they explore:

• working at your edge in meditation, panic disorder, and professional life

• why love might be the most important skill we can develop

• navigating rage in difficult political times

• and the Ideal Competitive Mindset — a concept Dan found surprisingly useful.

Originally recorded for Dr. Gervais' podcast, Finding Mastery, this one turned into a real back-and-forth.

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In this episode, Dan takes live questions from subscribers to the 10% with Dan Harris app. Topics include: meditating through grief and serious emotional pain, the hidden addiction to feeling calm during meditation, how to find focus and concentration without straining so hard you get a headache, whether guided meditations are just "training wheels," and how to practice when ADHD or restlessness makes sitting still feel impossible.

Throughout, Dan returns to a central theme: the point of meditation isn't to feel any particular way — it's to relate differently to whatever is already there. To join the live Tuesday sessions, sign up for a free 14-day trial at danharris.com.

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The two practices that helped turn this self described scowling, sarcastic skeptic into an expert meditator.

Devin Berry is a Core Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society and a residential retreat teacher at IMS and Spirit Rock. A meditator since 1999, his practice is rooted in long-term retreat practice and the mettā and vipassanā teachings of the Insight Meditation tradition.

In this episode we talk about:

• Why mindfulness alone is not enough
• How mettā is part of four related mental skills called the Brahma Viharas
• The story of how and why the Buddha (according to the legend) invented mettā practice
• The role and practice of generosity
• A year long experiment that Devin ran in mettā and danā
• And lastly, how these practices can help us both on and off the cushion

This episode originally aired on July 31st, 2024.

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What it really means to feel loved, and why many people who are loved don't feel it.

Sonja Lyubomirsky is a preeminent happiness expert and Distinguished Professor of Psychology at the University of California. Harry Reis is one of the world's leading experts on relationships and Dean's Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Rochester. They are the authors of: HOW TO FEEL LOVED: The Five Mindsets That Get You More of What Matters Most.

In this episode we talk about:

• What it really means to feel loved, and why many people who are loved don't feel it
• An antidote to loneliness
• A broader definition of love beyond romance
• Why feeling loved may be the true key to happiness
• How feeling loved is more in your control than you think
• The "relationship seesaw": lifting others up to feel loved yourself
• The power of curiosity, listening, and reciprocity
• Why dropping emotional armor is necessary for real connection
• Practical tools for feeling more loved
• Tips on asking better questions and showing real enthusiasm
• Why genuine curiosity, reciprocity, and emotional pacing deepen connection more than performative listening

Related Episodes:

• Happiness Takes Work | Sonja Lyubomirsky

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