Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time

In my work as a psychotherapist I rarely recommend self-help books, because most of them aren't worth the paper they're printed on. But once in a while a book comes along that really has the power to change our lives for the better. One such book is Just One Thing, by Rick Hanson. Rick is both a neuropsychologist and a meditation teacher, and he uses the new findings of neuroscience to show how very simple mind-training techniques, practiced for just a few minutes daily, can radically improve our well-being.The science behind the practices involves a simple principle: every time you use your mind you alter the structure of your brain. Everything you pay attention to, everything you think, feel and want, every time you react to what happens to you - all of these things sculpt your brain. Busy regions of the brain get more blood flow, and little-used neural connections wither away. "Neurons that fire together wire together" - every time you repeat any mental activity, you strengthen it and make it easier to become a habit.What this means is that if your mind regularly focuses on worries, anger, or self-criticism, then your brain develops neural structures supporting anxiety, low self-esteem, and impatience with others. But if you regularly focus your attention on noticing that you're all right now, not taking life personally, cultivating gratitude, or letting go - then gradually your brain re-shapes itself to support calm strength, self-confidence, and inner peace. So, for instance, regularly taking the time for mindfulness pauses activates the part of the brain that puts the brakes on negative feelings, and thus lifts mood. Other practices, such as taking in the good, feeling safer, relaxing anxiety about imperfection, or filling the hole in your heart, support and increase your sense of security and worth, resilience, effectiveness, and well-being.This book is very user-friendly. Each chapter title names a specific practice, and the rest of the chapter, which is never more than a few pages, tells you why to do it, and then how to do it. The practices themselves usually involve actions you take in your mind, such as reflecting, concentrating, or focusing your attention, and they only take a few minutes to do per day. But doing them regularly gradually re-shapes the brain to reduce stress and unhappiness, and to develop positive qualities. They're exactly like physical exercise; any single time you work out, not much changes, but over time your health and strength improve.We all understand that we have to make effort regularly over time to do things like learning how to drive a car or play basketball, but we typically think the mind should just work fine on its own, without any effort or discipline. Rick Hanson shows us how some very down-to-earth actions can turn an unruly mind into one that is focused, strong, and happy. I recommend this book highly.

This is truly the BEST Self-Help Book Ever Written.....If you are searching for inner peace, deeper acceptance of yourself, and you are hungry to find tools to live everyday with greater understanding and deeper meaning....then buy this book. No kidding. This is the most read book in my house. I read a chapter of it every morning, and I find inspiration and gain deeper acceptance of myself each time I read it. I am forever grateful for the tools this book has provided me, and I am thankful for the priceless gift of understanding and acceptance it has taught me regarding myself.....as well as the new found ability to "tend the causes of life...without getting obsessed with their outcome". I give this book as gifts, and highly recommend it to everyone I know.This book is so good...in fact, that I think it should be required reading for every school age child. It has the power to heal the mind and soul, and inspire new ways to thinking, viewing and understand life. It provides the reader with powerful tools to deal with everyday challenges and the turbulent travels of life.....absolutely everyone could benefit from having these tools.There is so much more I could write about this book, it is very powerful and thought provoking. All I can say is....take the plunge, and READ IT....You will never regret the time you spend reading, and taking to heart, the messages, ideas and suggestions found in each chapter.

Brief chapters. Easy to dip in and out of. Some of these things you probably already do, skip that chapter. You’ll find something else that helps elsewhere.

Rick Hanson, a sensitive, caring human being, obviously loves to work with people, combining psychology, neuroscience and Buddhist philosophy to enable us to feel at home with ourselves despite some opposite messages from the world. Likewise, he infuses a great deal of gentle advice throughout his 52 "practices" garnered from his life, his counseling practice, and professional associations. All this, he has gathered together in a small, concise book that can easily become one's traveling companion of practical reminders.My first read was a "beginning to end" approach, straight through--to learn about the practices. Later, I discovered it was helpful to keep it handy for daily reflections--just opening it up to the table of contents, and seeing what particular practice would "speak to me" about my present situation. Also, with 52 practices, one practice a week can be reread daily to help the brain form new neural pathways. The reinforcement of great ideas and encouragement through difficult times not only builds good mental habits, but makes this book a little treasure chest. The more I think about it, the more ideas for using it come to mind! In any case, for periods of inspiration, and morale boosts, this book is a keeper! (And, according to neuroscience, if we keep applying what we learn, this book changes us!)

Just started reading it

Dr. Hanson discusses 52 practices that could help you become a calmer and happier person in his book “Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time.”While I’ve heard about some of these practices before (like self-compassion or mindfulness), there were other practices (like letting go) that was great to be reminded of. I like having these practices in one volume that I could refer to again in the future. This book is a great reference to have.The book is very practical and wise and written in a warm and down-to-earth way. I appreciated the conciseness of each chapter. Each chapter is self-contained, so that if you had to, you could leave the book and pick it up a few days later and not worry that you haven’t remembered what you read before.I came to this book with a Stoic perspective. Dr. Hanson doesn’t reference Stoicism, but I was reminded of theStoic concept of “dichotomy of control” as something that we can think about for peace of mind. “Dichotomy of control” suggests that we focus on the things that we can control (like our own thoughts and actions) and pay less attention to the things we can’t control (like other people’s behaviour). We can’t control other people’s behaviour, but we can control how we respond to other people’s behaviour.Dr. Hansen’s book expands on the concept of dichotomy of control and provides specific strategies on what we can think about or do for peace of mind, and for that I recommend this book!

Really nice approach to the «simple» details that make a difference on how we feel on a daily basis. It explains clearly why each issue is important and gives tips on how to achieve that.

An excellent self-help book to attain peace and maximize your potential in today's chaotic and stressed world.

Sorry, Mr. Hanson, I have read some of your other books and enjoyed them tremendously and I have been watching some of your online-videos as well - absolutely perfect. But this book, I am very sorry to say, is a total disappointment. It is supposed to be some kind of a workbook but it isn't very good organized after all. If I have a problem I normally do not necessarily know the solution beforehand. So it isn't really useful to structure this book by different solutions. Moreover I found several chapters quite profane all in all. Really sorry, but this time - no recommendation from my side. If you are looking for books by Rick Hanson, stick to the other ones which are excellent.