Meditations to Change Your Brain: Rewire Your Neural Pathways to Transform Your Life

by Rick Hanson, Richard Mendius

Seven Guided Practices to "Rebuild" Your Brain for Lasting Joy and Fulfillment


The structure of your brain changes constantly in a dynamic, unfolding process that you yourself can help direct to create the life you want. This is the exciting premise of Meditations to Change Your Brain, a breakthrough three-CD program from neuropsychologist Rick Hanson, PhD, and neurologist Richard Mendius, MD.

Course objectives:

Use meditation to rewire the neural pathways in your mind—to change your brain and to change your mind
• Learn the science behind suffering; how our survival instincts have led to our own suffering and how we can change this
• Learn several different meditation techniques to promote concentration, let go of painful past experiences, and promote a more positive outlook
• A scientific overview of the structure of your brain and which areas are responsible for our different skills and emotions
Drawing on a vast body of research spanning more than 30 years, Hanson and Mendius show you how to strengthen the neural circuits that generate happiness, love, and inner peace. Join them to explore fascinating insights about your brain and how you can consciously affect it with good results. Then learn seven guided meditations to reshape your brain, including:

"Steadying Your Mind" to tap the full creative power of your attention
• "Taking in the Good" to maintain a positive emotional landscape
• "Antidote to Stress," a conscious way to activate your body’s relaxation response
• "Healing Painful Experiences" to free yourself from the charge of negative memories
Science has proven what contemplative traditions have taught for centuries: meditation holds a key to a life of balance, peace, and joy.

Whether you’re discovering meditation for the first time or looking for a way to deepen an existing practice, with Meditations to Change Your Brain you have a full spectrum of techniques to make your brain your greatest ally on the path to personal fulfillment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Meditation, Self Help, Spirituality, Psychology, Audiobook, Mental Health

3 pages, Audio CD

First published January 1, 2009

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

[Jamie HB · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am currently in a phase where I have been reading several books on mindfulness, positivity, and the science of happiness. When looking for these types of books, one factor that is very important to me is reading books from authors who are credible in the sense that they are well-educated, and their content is research-based. This short audiobook was written by a psychologist and neurologist who give explanations for the benefits of mindfulness, gratitude, and positive thinking, and the effects such practices have on the brain and memory. Throughout each section, there are 5 to 10 minute pauses where they walk you through a mindfulness exercise. I listened to this audiobook when I woke up one morning, and finished it before noon. I felt relaxed, yet energized, and was ready to go about my day. Mindfulness is a great way to learn how to stay focused on what you are doing. I would recommend this book to anyone who would like to be a little more relaxed, happier, and positive in their day-to-day lives. Alternatively, if you are someone who has heard of mindfulness but do not know where to begin, this book would be a great way to start.

[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that explains how we recircuit/reprogram our brains with our thoughts during mediation. How the brain works differently and more at ease, less flight or fight response actioning and once in that state we can think clearly. When they explain something they go through a practical mediation guide so that you can actually feel the effects.

Take a bad experience and get into a meditative state and it lowers your flight or fight sympathetic system to put down fear and you might see new things and you can think good safe things hand in hand with it to reprogram your brain

In a meditation you can choose a theme like your breathing and focusing on sounds, or you can focus on love, forgiveness, letting go, safety, abundance, gratefulness. When you meditate like this consistently you rewire your brain to think more in that way normally (outside of mediation).

Loved the working exercise mediations!

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a psychiatrist and a neurologist, this offers an explanation for what happens in the brain during meditation and/or contemplative prayer. It also includes some guided meditations, which I found to be very effective for calming and lifting my moods. It's all about the dopamine, it turns out...that and a few other brain functions.

I actually found all of the scientific explanations very comforting. The human brain is an amazing contraption.

[Jed · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt educated by it as well as centered and calmed. The book is and does what it claims. Nothing magic. Just some good teaching and then practice of meditation. I really enjoyed how they helped me to comprehend how meditation can slowly change a person for the better. Very powerful.

[Joanne Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this audio book to be very informative and useful, in spite of the odd layout. The "chapters" don't really conform to anything (it's difficult to find meditations again - the set-up makes no sense, as few people would listen to the entire book in one sitting. Pardon the pun.). The information is top-notch, however, and the meditations are well-guided. Just be prepared fr a little confusion.

[Amy Gray Rawlinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meditation is my 2022 goal and this book is helping with that. It gave good background on the value of meditation as well as some guided practice

[Ida · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good scientific explanation on how and why meditation works.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to the audiobook and had a terrible time with the sound at the end of each meditation. It was apparently at a frequency that disturbed my nervous system. I found that I would get distracted from a perfectly lovely meditation and wonder/dread when that sound would assault me. Even when I was waiting for it, I would still jump when it occurred. Yes it's my own little quirk but I couldn't bring myself to repeat any of the meditations because of that dreaded sound.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written by a psychiatrist and a neurologist, this offers an explanation for what happens in the brain during meditation. I have a fascination with the brain since sustaining a TBI myself. I now read a lot of this kind of thing to better understand what I went through and to aid in my continuing recovery. I am listening to the audio version.

[Clare Kirwan · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 This audiobook explains the neurology and psychology behind meditation and includes a range of guided meditations. Narrated by the well-qualified authors, it was informative and there are useful lessons I will take away from it. However it is frustrating to navigate due to illogical chapter markers and, with the long silences within some meditations, it’s very hard to find a particular place again so make sure you pop your own bookmarks at parts you might want to revisit.

[Renee Guidry · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book had a lot of interesting information about brain research and how it relates to meditation. I wish they would have gone more in depth. It is one that I would have to read a second time for everything to sink in, but several things throughout the book made me think about myself (and my brain) in different ways. As someone who gets caught up in their thoughts and who frequently ruminates, this was a good reminder to still my mind on a regular basis and how to do that.

[Catherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is deceptively simple and straightforward. I’m rating it 5 stars for being efficient in explaining the neuroscience of how meditation affects the thought process, how thought patterns can be rewired by creating new associations and then quickly getting the listener to practice a few exercises. Some “better” books can start to over complicate the process, especially for beginners.

[Shelly Marino · Rating 4 out of 5]

The neurological and behavioral explanations were very clear, and cast an interesting light on how memory is stored and recalled, and why at some point in our evolution the monkey mind was critical to our survival, yet how we can create opportunities to focus and hold attention. I found most of the meditations very helpful; all were very thoughtful. I listened to most of them more than once.

[Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to mindfulness and meditation. I enjoyed the first half of the book a lot and participated in the meditations. I had trouble getting into the second half of the book, though. Just personally lost interest in the topic, I think.

[Faye · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+. I've listened to a lot of audiobooks on Mindfulness and Meditation lately. This one is a standout. It really spoke to me in a way that was easy to relate to, held my interest from the start, and the meditations were excellent.

[victoria pistone · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent audio book for either beginners or experienced meditators. There is always something to learn and I love how this book describes why and how meditation works with your brain. The various guided meditations offers something for everyone.

[Jack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the meditations and will continue to revisit them. Enjoyed some of the tips with scientific backing. I did not think that it was hard to follow.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. I really enjoyed the scientific insights, and they kept me grounded throughout. If I actually give meditation a chance, this could be really useful

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing introduction or refresher to meditation, along with a Western science perspective.

[MaterialAmbition · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good facts and guided meditations. audiobook is narrated by the authors👌🏽

[Megan Rosol · Rating 5 out of 5]

On Hoopla! Worth re-listening.

[Tamara Bartlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this book. The visualizations for some of the meditations were new and refreshing

[Jayme · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book for beginning meditation or to get back into meditation.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read lots of good meditation s would read again

[Jenna Citrus · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was some what hard to distinguish the meditations from the content of the book. I wish this was easier to navigate.

[Tisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I need to read this as well as listen. I did appreciate a couple of the meditations but a couple were also beyond my ability right now.

[Aubrey Nekvinda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read a lot of books like this and this one wasn't my favorite, but I liked hearing the medical perspective on meditation.

[Bryen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good to listen to this book instead of reading. The meditation guidances are lovely, the explanation of the science is great.

[Kaitlyn Whitten · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 🌟

An interesting read with some great meditations included.

[Horace · Rating 4 out of 5]

quick, easy listen. breaks down the science in a very easy to understand way. liked the science/meditations on rewiring traumatic memories. has sample meditations. could be good resource for clients.