Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

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Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson

1 hour 19 minutes

Improving Focus and Fixing Your Attention Span
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 common reasons it’s hard to focus and three key interventions that can help most people. Rick teaches approaches from mindfulness practice, and Forrest explains how we can improve focus motivation and distress tolerance. Topics include ADHD, the role of dopamine, expanding the “Goldilocks Zone,” the practice of doing hard things, and how we can become less reliant on willpower.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
5:25: Three key areas where we seek focus
9:10: Self-belief and inner turmoil
14:10: Three factors for sustaining focus
20:50: The goldilocks zone, physical health, and emotional preoccupation
24:40: Difficulties with meditation and mindfulness
32:40: Willpower vs. motivation
40:20: Quieting the mind
41:25: Decreasing the reward value of our distractions
48:35: Being present with others
54:05: ‘Going wide’, self-compassion, and other tactics for completing tasks
1:02:10: Choice and rumination
1:06:15: Recap
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
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Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
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3 March 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 22 minutes

Protecting Yourself from Narcissistic People with Dr. Ramani Durvasula
Dr. Ramani Durvasula, one of the world’s leading experts on narcissism and narcissistic abuse, joins Forrest to help us learn how to understand, identify, and recover from relationships with narcissistic people. They start by discussing the traits associated with narcissism, the spectrum of narcissistic behaviors, and Dr. Ramani’s critiques of the NPD diagnosis. They then talk about different kinds of narcissism and why narcissists can be difficult to identify before moving on to the issues with narcissism in relationships. Dr. Ramani explains the general pattern narcissism follows, what narcissistic abuse looks like in practice, and what we can do to become more "narcissist resistant.”
About our Guest: Dr. Ramani is a clinical psychologist, professor emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles, and the author of a number of books including her most recent It’s Not You: Identifying and Healing from Narcissistic People. Her work has been featured on The Today Show, CNN, and The New York Times. She also offers an online program for survivors of narcissistic abuse.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:30: Defining the variety of narcissistic personality styles
9:40: Narcissism as a tactic for external validation
13:00: Narcissistic supplies, personality style, and diagnosable conditions
24:45: The appeal of narcissistic traits, and their effect on specific relationships
33:25: Getting stuck in a relationship with a narcissist, and devaluation
42:45: Manipulation, gaslighting, and discerning what’s real
52:35: Becoming narcissist resistant
1:00:45: Nervous system responses
1:03:25: Covert narcissism and seeing your own traits
1:06:45: Recap
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Field of Greens from Brickhouse Nutrition is a superfood powder packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Use the code BEINGWELL at fieldofgreens.com for 20% off your first order.
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
24 February 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 1 minute

What to Do When Your Worst Fears Come True: Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest open up the mailbag and answer questions from listeners, many of which focused on anxiety experiences. They start by discussing “dreaded experiences,” and how we can respond when our worst fears come true. Rick then shares how we can respond effectively to feedback, before answering a short question about taking in the good. Forrest and Rick then answer three questions related to different kinds of anxiety: social anxiety, managing different levels of concern in a relationship, and anxiety brought on by slowing down.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:00: How do you handle situations where you really fear something, and then it actually happens?
10:45: How can I become more receptive to feedback, and respond with less defensiveness?
19:00: How long do I need to “take in the good” for?
22:55: How can I work with my anxious parts when navigating social anxiety?
29:20: How can I support a partner who experiences a lot of anxiety?
40:40: Why am I struggling so hard with mindfulness meditation?
48:00: Recap
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Field of Greens from Brickhouse Nutrition is a superfood powder packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and antioxidants. Use the code BEINGWELL at fieldofgreens.com for 20% off your first order.
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
17 February 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 8 minutes

Learning to Trust Yourself: How to Stop Self-Abandonment
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 the face of life’s challenges, and it’s a key resource for people who tend to abandon their wants and needs. They start by discussing why some people struggle with self-trust, the difference between inside-out and outside-in safety, and changing the model we have of ourselves. Forrest introduces a framework for developing self-trust based on self-efficacy, flexibility, self-advocacy, and accurate appraisal, and Rick applies this to how we can build self-worth and feel strong and capable.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:10: Why some people have an easier time trusting themselves than others
4:30: An outside-in vs, inside-out sense of safety, and feeling reliable
9:50: Welcoming positive feedback, and psychological flexibility
14:10: Sticking up for yourself
19:55: Stabilizing yourself when feeling helpless
25:00: Evaluating internal stories, and living moment to moment
30:15: Feeling like someone who matters, and feeling seen by others
35:00: Three aspects of self-regulation, and self-appraisal
41:35: Object relations, and focusing attention on your inner world
48:55: Seeing yourself as the creator of your world, and authenticity
55:15: Recap
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
10 February 2025, 11:00 am
57 minutes 46 seconds

Everything I've Learned (so far): A Guide to Personal Growth
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 development. If you’re just getting into the show, or are looking for a good episode to share with people who are new to this kind of content, this is a great place to start.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:10: Change is possible, but change is hard
3:00: Focus on what you can control
4:30: The consistency principle
6:05: Punishing ourselves is a losing strategy
7:45: What are you pursuing?
9:30: The negativity bias
11:40: Why you don't have self-worth
13:40: Change the beliefs you have about yourself
17:05: Forming a coherent narrative
19:50: Set reasonable expectations
22:45: The middle path
24:30: Homeostasis and social pressure
26:30: How to get good at anything
27:45: Willpower, and avoiding willpower
28:25: Don’t know mind
31:25: The trap of self-awareness
32:35: Risking disappointment
34:10: The function of our bad habits
36:00: Look for those who support you
37:15: Changing our models of relationship
40:00: Authenticity
41:50: Embrace good conflict
44:40: Contempt
46:20: Start by joining
48:40: Experiencing out
49:55: Joining with the defense
51:15: Moving toward to move away
52:40: Learning to trust yourself
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
3 February 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 52 seconds

Letting Go: Rumination, Breakups, and How to Stop Feeling Attached
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 thoughts, move on from a relationship, or change an old pattern of behavior, this episode will help you learn how to release what no longer serves you.
They start by exploring why letting go is so difficult, the nature of the brain and how it gets in our way, and how to start opening up to a new way of being. They then discuss different practical approaches to letting go, how to work with the feeling of “giving up,” and staying on your own side when facing resistance.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
3:05: Rumination and the comfort of familiarity
7:00: Allowing for shifts in identity
14:25: An example of working with a pattern
29:40: Being on your own side when you feel resistance from others
34:45: Letting go vs. giving up, and orienting toward our own fulfillment
43:35: The destabilization phase, and learning about yourself
51:05: Recap
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Zocdoc helps you find expert doctors and medical professionals that specialize in the care you need. Head to zocdoc.com/being and download the Zocdoc app for FREE.
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
27 January 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 19 minutes

Healing Attachment Wounds with Elizabeth Ferreira
Attachment wounds are emotional injuries that develop based on painful experiences with those we care about. These experiences create a kind of blueprint we carry around for how relationships work, and when that internal model is based on fear and pain, it's hard for our relationships to thrive. Somatic therapist Elizabeth Ferreira joins the show to help us understand how we can heal old wounds and develop more secure forms of relating.
Elizabeth and Forrest explore how early experiences shape our relationships, with a particular focus on a common paradox: deeply wanting connection while simultaneously fearing intimacy. They discuss fearful attachment, how Elizabeth approaches working with attachment wounds in clinical practice, complex PTSD, self-abandonment, facing our dreaded experience, setting healthy boundaries, and navigating relationships where fearful attachment patterns are present.
About our Guest: Elizabeth Ferreira is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working in California. She specializes in somatic approaches to trauma work.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
1:05: Elizabeth’s personal experience of fearful attachment
7:40: Working with a therapist to heal attachment
11:55: Elizabeth’s experience learning to create boundaries
21:35: Internal Family Systems, and how to dialog with our parts
27:15: Working with our protective part, and self-criticism
31:00: Dialoguing with our inner child without a therapist
38:15: Healthy anger, grief, and patience
42:25: What helped Elizabeth be vulnerable in relating to Forrest
53:10: Disorganized moments, identifying needs, and taking in the good
1:00:20: Intent, impact, and reasonable limits
1:05:20: Becoming your own secure attachment figure, and healing in community
1:09:10: Recap
I am now writing on Subståack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
20 January 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 6 minutes

Limerence, Love, and Life Transitions: January Mailbag
Dr. Rick and Forrest begin the mailbag by exploring limerence – an obsessive form of romantic attraction – and offer practical recommendations for working with one-sided infatuation. They then discuss what to do when romantic vulnerability feels unsafe, and how we can rebuild trust in others after traumatic experiences. The episode also tackles managing career transitions, dealing with social anxiety around positive interactions, and maintaining boundaries without being consumed by anger.
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
0:50: What can I do when I experience limerence, or compulsive romantic attraction?
18:00: How can I learn to trust my partner and embrace the experience of happiness in my relationship?
26:50: How can I best think about the inherent uncertainty in the 2-3 years of preparation for a new career path?
37:55: How can I learn to “take in the good” when good experiences feel uncomfortable for me?
44:55: How can I maintain important boundaries in a way that doesn’t lead to me feeling too much anger?
56:40: Recap
I am now writing on Subståack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
13 January 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 7 minutes

Navigating Situationships: How to Get What You Really Want
Forrest and Dr. Rick explore "situationships" – those poorly defined, boundary-free relationships that exist in a gray area between friendship and committed dating. They unpack why these arrangements have become so common, examine the emotional trade-offs that keep people stuck, and share how to reclaim a sense of agency and build more authentic connections. The episode includes a role-play where Forrest plays someone struggling with situationships, while Dr. Rick draws on his decades of experience as a couples counselor to offer guidance.
Rick’s Yearly Program: Rick’s Foundations of Well-Being 2.0 is a year-long, science-backed journey through developing 12 key inner strengths like mindfulness, motivation, and confidence. It’s currently on sale, and if you like Being Well we think you’ll love it. Follow the link here and use coupon code beingwell20 for an additional 20% off: RickHanson.com/FWB
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
2:35: What is a situationship?
7:25: The benefits of a situationship, and relationship asymmetry
13:05: A roleplay of sharing your feelings
20:55: Uncertainty, wanting to be liked, and the fear of asking for what you want
31:10: Gears of rapport, and knowing your worth
38:05: Honoring yourself when a change is needed
48:05: How much to care, and the natural arc of change
52:35: Early indicators that someone is ready for a relationship
58:55: Recap
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
6 January 2025, 11:00 am
1 hour 17 minutes

Beyond Resolutions: Discover What You Want in 2025
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 to creating lasting change. They discuss how we can uncover our authentic wants and needs, move away from a punishment mindset, and use our new knowledge to find fulfillment. This episode will teach you how to get more out of any other New Year’s content you listen to.
Rick and Forrest walk through a practical example of brain dumping “shoulds,” shifting the focus from means to ends, and working with internal resistance. They end the episode with a role-play focused on working with someone who wants to find a more meaningful relationship.
Rick’s Yearly Program: Rick’s Foundations of Well-Being 2.0 is a year-long, science-backed journey through developing 12 key inner strengths like mindfulness, motivation, and confidence. It’s currently on sale, and if you like Being Well we think you’ll love it. Follow the link here and use coupon code beingwell20 for an additional 20% off: RickHanson.com/FWB
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
2:35: Fulfillment as a target, and other healthy ways of orienting to our goals
14:00: Cataloguing our “shoulds”, and being driven by a sense of enthusiasm
23:20: How Forrest has personally connected with his authentic wants
30:15: The “punishment part”
35:50: Practical techniques for identifying our values
41:45: A roleplay focused on how to find a meaningful relationship
51:25: Reviewing the roleplay
55:05: Knowing your why
59:50: Developing your personal psychology, and surrendering to the best within you
1:03:40: Recap
I am writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Head to acorns.com/beingwell or download the Acorns app to start saving and investing for your future
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
30 December 2024, 11:00 am
2 hours 1 minute

Attachment Masterclass: Sue Johnson, Rick Hanson, Julie Mennano, and Elizabeth Ferreira
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, Forrest is joined by four leading experts for a masterclass on the science of attachment. Featuring conversations with Dr. Sue Johnson, Dr. Rick Hanson, Julie Mennano, and Elizabeth Ferreira, this carefully curated episode gives you a map to becoming more socially confident, emotionally intelligent, and authentically connected.
Topics include:
- The four fundamental patterns that influence how we show up in every social interaction.
- Dr. Sue Johnson's guide to having deeper, more meaningful "hold me tight" conversations.
- Dr. Rick Hanson’s approach to working with self-abandonment.
- Julie Mennano on working with the anxious-avoidant dance that brings so many couples to therapy.
- Elizabeth Ferreira’s somatic and trauma-informed perspective on healing attachment wounds.
Rick’s Yearly Program: Rick’s Foundations of Well-Being 2.0 is a year-long, science-backed journey through developing 12 key inner strengths like mindfulness, motivation, and confidence. It’s currently on sale, and if you like Being Well we think you’ll love it. Follow the link here and use coupon code beingwell20 for an additional 20% off: RickHanson.com/FWB
You can watch this episode on YouTube.
Key Topics:
0:00: Introduction
3:35: Rick Hanson: How to become securely attached
31:20: Working with common attachment wounds
47:35: Sue Johnson: How to have a bonding conversation
1:09:35: Julie Mennano: The attachment mistakes that bring people to therapy, and how secure couples relate differently
1:22:25: Rick Hanson: Self-abandonment, anxious attachment, and how to build up a greater sense of self-worth and self-trust
1:40:30: Elizabeth Ferreira: Creating a secure relationship
1:56:50: Recap and outro
About our Guests: Dr. Sue Johnson is a clinical psychologist, researcher, professor, and the founder of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), a widely used and respected approach to couples therapy. She is considered one of the foremost experts in the field of attachment, and has received numerous awards for her contributions to the field of psychotherapy. Dr. Johnson is also the author of seven books, including the best-selling Hold Me Tight.
Elizabeth Ferreira is an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist working in California. She specializes in somatic approaches to trauma work.
Julie Menanno a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor, and Relationship Coach. She is the founder of The Secure Relationship coaching method, and maintains an instagram of the same name with over 1M followers. She is also the author of Secure Love.
I am now writing on Substack, check out my work there.
Support the Podcast: We're now on Patreon! If you'd like to support the podcast, follow this link.
Sponsors
Use promo code hanson at the link below to get an exclusive 60% off an annual plan at incogni.com/hanson.
Sign up for a one-dollar-per-month trial period at shopify.com/beingwell.
Get 15% off OneSkin with the code BEINGWELL at https://www.oneskin.co/ #oneskinpod
Join over a million people using BetterHelp, the world’s largest online counseling platform. Visit betterhelp.com/beingwell for 10% off your first month!
Transform your health with the ZOE Science & Nutrition podcast. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
Connect with the show:
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
23 December 2024, 11:00 am
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