Stress-Proof Your Brain: Meditations to Rewire Neural Pathways for Stress Relief and Unconditional Happiness

by Rick Hanson

Train Your Brain for Happiness and Freedom from Chronic Stress

Our brains have evolved powerful tools for coping with threats and danger—but in the face of modern stresses like information overload, money worries, and interpersonal conflicts, our survival reflexes can do more harm than good.

To help you adapt your nervous system to the challenges of today's world, neuropsychologist Dr. Rick Hanson presents Stress-Proof Your Brain. Join him to learn research-based techniques and meditations that will literally reshape your brain to make you more resilient, confident, and peaceful, including:

How to replace your brain's unhealthy reactions to stress with protective and self-nurturing responses
• Techniques for using memory to soothe and release painful feelings of sadness, guilt, anxiety, inadequacy, or anger
• Guided meditations for calming chronic worries, developing gratitude, building inner strength, and more
• How to rewire your brain away from frustration, heartache, fear, and anger toward contentment, love, and peace
Course objectives:

List some qualities of the affiliating, approaching and avoiding systems
• Describe ways in which survival reflexes can do more harm than good
• Utilize practices that deepen the neurological capacity for happiness and wellness
• Practice guided exercises for calming chronic worries, developing gratitude, building inner strength
• Apply techniques that use memory to soothe and release painful feelings of sadness, guilt, anxiety, inadequacy, or anger
• Plan to use meditation to reshape your brain and be more resilient, confident, and peaceful
Modern brain research has helped us discover which contemplative practices have the most positive impact on our physical and mental health. With Stress-Proof Your Brain, Dr. Rick Hanson brings you scientifically sound tools for finding freedom from irritability, worry, and overwhelm—by deepening your neurological capacity for happiness and wellness.

Genres: Self Help, Nonfiction, Meditation, Brain, Audiobook, Psychology

2 pages, Audio CD

First published October 28, 2010

About the author

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a psychologist, Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center, and New York Times best-selling author. His seven books have been published in 33 languages and include Making Great Relationships, Neurodharma, Resilient, Hardwiring Happiness, Just One Thing, Buddha’s Brain, and Mother Nurture – with over a million copies in English alone. He's the founder of the Global Compassion Coalition and the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom, as well as the co-host of the Being Well podcast – which has been downloaded 23 million times. His free newsletters have 260,000 subscribers, and his online programs have scholarships available for those with financial needs. He’s lectured at NASA, Google, Oxford, and Harvard. An expert on positive neuroplasticity, his work has been featured on CBS, NPR, the BBC, and other major media. He began meditating in 1974 and has taught in meditation centers worldwide. He and his wife live in northern California and have two adult children. He loves the wilderness and taking a break from emails.

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first third of the audio is intro and explanation, the other two-thirds is various guided meditations.

The meditations on the 1st CD (about the first 3 or 4 meditations) were excellent, giving good guidance and just enough silent time to get you there. But the meditations on the second CD were more generalized and vague, and I just couldn't seem to get the same benefit out of them as I did from the earlier ones. For instance, several of the later meditations said to "think of a time when..." with the when condition being something vague like "you were unhappy." Then the meditation would continue with no examples given and no real time to think of an appropriate time. And the other silent pauses, which were in the appropriate places, went on too long, so your mind you start wandering.

All in all, I will repeat the first couple of meditations again, but won't even bother with the later ones. I would not say these will stress proof your brain either, but they will certainly help.

[Maureen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I listened to the audio version of this book which enabled me to practice the guided meditation exercises as well as refresh my understanding of the science behind the theories. I highly recommend listening to this book to anyone who wants to learn more about and develop practices on how to to change the way their brain responds to stress.

[JZ · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title is click-bait for depressives, but the meditation exercises are useful, although just a repeat of many other books. The best thing about it is it's short.
The introduction is boring, necessary to make the book longer. Really, I like the audio, because trying to read the text while practicing is inconvenient. So, meh. I think it was just another way for rick Hanson to make a buck.

[Emil Kraft · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably effective; nothing else like it for anxiety and sleep issues. Better than counseling, drugs, even acupuncture. Note: in my view the target of this is more anxiety than depression. If you have anxiety, buy this and do two hours of meditations per day; you'll be shocked by almost-immediate results. If you have depression, it may help.

[Qamilla Syk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really appreciated his guided meditations, and find them somthing that I will go back to again.

[Rejeana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Valuable info and exercises, but the loud gong between each part will shock you so much the zen feeling nearly dissipates. 🤪

[Mckinley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Guided meditations on gratitude and appreciation for self and others. States at beginning that he comes from a Buddhist perspective.
See: Why Zebras don't get ulcers by Robert Sapolsky for health related.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm trying to get ready for the new school year. I might have to read this one over and over.

[J Crossley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This recording provides meditations to help you to de-stress. I found the narrator to be pleasant to listen to, and when i listed to this repeatedly, i did feel that i was handling my stress better.