Neurodharma - by Rick Hanson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER - "An easy-to-follow road map for creating day-to-day inner peace in today's increasingly complex world."--Lori Gottlieb, MFT, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

Throughout history, people have sought the heights of human potential--to become as wise and strong, happy and loving, as any person can ever be. And now recent science is revealing how these remarkable ways of being are based on equally remarkable changes in our own nervous system, making them more attainable than ever before.

In Neurodharma, the follow-up to his classic Buddha's Brain, New York Times bestselling author Rick Hanson, PhD, not only explores the new neuroscience of awakening but also offers a bold yet plausible plan for reverse-engineering peak experiences, sense of oneness, and even enlightenment itself. And he does so with his trademark blend of solid science and warm encouragement, guiding you along this high-reaching path with good humor, accessible tools, and personal examples.

A groundbreaking yet practical book, Neurodharma shares seven practices for strengthening the neural circuitry of profound contentment and inner peace--qualities that offer essential support in everyday life while also supporting the exploration of the most radical reaches of human consciousness. Step by step, this book explains how to apply these insights in order to cultivate unshakable presence of mind, a courageous heart, and serenity in a changing world. The breakthroughs of the great teachers are not reserved for the chosen few. Dr. Hanson shows how we can embody them ourselves in daily life to handle stress, heal old pain, feel at ease with others, and rest in the sense of our natural goodness.

The Buddha didn't use an MRI to become enlightened. Still, 2,500 years after he walked the dusty roads of northern India, neuroscientists are discovering the mechanisms of the brain that underpin the Buddha's penetrating analysis of the mind. With deep research, stories, guided meditations, examples, and applications, Dr. Hanson offers a fascinating, inspiring vision of who we can be--and an effective path for fulfilling this wonderful possibility.

Review Quotes

"Marrying science with spiritual practices, bestselling author Rick Hanson shares seven principles to awaken, enlighten, and discover true happiness . . . While meditation, mindfulness and other spiritual practices, including those in his Neurodharma, are truly transformational, the goal is to move from passing states of peace and calm into lasting change in our everyday, waking life."--Elevated Existence Magazine

"Rick Hanson has a rare ability to inspire us to our fullest potential while giving us practical, actionable tools for our everyday lives."--Marie Forleo, author of Everything Is Figureoutable

"A brilliant and unprecedented offering, Neurodharma will guide you to the upper reaches of your potential as a human being."--Deepak Chopra, MD, New York Times bestselling author of You Are the Universe and Metahuman

"Rick Hanson's seven steps of awakening are a remarkable presentation of how the brain, mindfulness, and meditation are interconnected. There is a surprise perhaps for some in his take on nirvana but you have to read the book to find out what it is!"--Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World

"The Dalai Lama once told me that he loves neuroscience, but that western psychology is still in kindergarten. With this brilliant synthesis, psychology just took a giant leap forward!"--Joan Z. Borysenko, PhD, author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind

"Rick Hanson has done a remarkable job weaving together the teachings of the Buddha, the insights of neuroscience, and the wisdom of his many years of practice. With great lucidity, this impressive work offers a wide range of teaching instructions that help us realize our highest aspirations."--Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening

"Rick Hanson's brilliance is the capacity to offer practical, powerful, scientifically grounded practices that lead to true happiness and a loving heart. This is an illuminating and transformational book!"--Tara Brach, PhD, author of Radical Acceptance and Radical Compassion

"Combining a deep understanding of both neuroscience and Buddhist practice and philosophy, Rick Hanson has beautifully created a fascinating synthesis that shows how to train the mind to transform the brain toward health and flourishing."--Daniel J. Siegel, MD, New York Times bestselling author of Aware: The Science and Practice of Presence and Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human; executive director, Mindsight Institute

"The book has a nice structure, presenting both science and classical spiritual approaches to awakening. [Hanson]'s set the book up to feel like a retreat, presenting concepts in chunks and following them up with guided meditations . . . The more we learn about how our brains work, Hanson shares, the more assuredly we can travel up the path toward the mountain of enlightenment."--Spirituality & Health

About the Author

Rick Hanson, PhD, is a psychologist, senior fellow of UC Berkeley's Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times bestselling author. His books have been published in twenty-nine languages and include Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Buddha's Brain, Just One Thing, and Mother Nurture, with 900,000 copies in English alone. His free weekly newsletter has 150,000 subscribers and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial need. He's lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard and taught in meditation centers worldwide. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on the BBC, CBS, NPR, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and is the founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. He loves wilderness and taking a break from emails.