Sallie and Conway Felton discuss with one of their favorite people, Dr. Rick Hanson, self-worth, feeling valued and what you can change to be more positive in the eyes of depression. This is their depression series to give tips to live a happier life. Dr. Rick Hanson says, “When your mind changes, your brain changes” and “Your brain is like Velcro for negative experiences but Teflon for positive ones.” His latest book talks openly about how psychology, neurology, and contemplative practice are intersecting to create an exciting new field that is yielding surprising findings about how we can take charge of our well being. Rick Hanson, author of the #1 hit Buddha’s Brain, neuropsychologist and founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, his work has been featured on the BBC and NPR, and he’s an invited presenter at leading universities, including Oxford, UC Berkeley, Stanford, and Harvard.

Dr. Hanson’s recent book is  Buddha’s Brain:The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (with Rick Mendius, M.D.; Foreword by Dan Siegel, M.D. and Preface by Jack Kornfield, Ph.D.), which is being published in sixteen languages.

An authority on self-directed neuroplasticity, he edits the Wise Brain Bulletin, and his articles have appeared in Tricycle Magazine, Insight Journal, and Inquiring Mind. His Your Wise Brain blog is on Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and other major websites, and he also has a weekly e-newsletter, Just One Thing, with over 21,000 subscribers. He has several audio programs with Sounds True, and his first book was Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships (Penguin, 2002).

Dr. Hanson is a trustee of Saybrook University and a member of the Board of the Tricycle Foundation. He also served on the board of Spirit Rock Meditation Center for nine years, and was President of the Board of FamilyWorks, a community agency.

He began meditating in 1974, trained in several traditions, and leads a weekly meditation gathering in San Rafael, CA. He enjoys rock-climbing and taking a break from emails. He and his wife have two children.