The Profound Upside of Self-Diminishment | George Saunders

Psychiatrist Dr. Mark Epstein, discusses his new book The Zen of Therapy, in which he explores how his decades of studying and practicing Buddhism has influenced his work as a therapist.  In this episode, Dan and Mark discuss: the immense value of developing a clear and warm relationship to your own dysfunction; anger; how much people can actually change; how Buddhism has influenced Mark's practice as a psychotherapist; and Mark’s formative relationship with the legendary spiritual teacher and ex-academic Ram Dass. This interview was recorded live as part of an online benefit for New York Insight Meditation Center and Cambridge Insight Meditation Center – two great institutions, both worth checking out and supporting.  Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/mark-epstein-412

17 Jan 20221h 11min

Why, from an evolutionary perspective, is it so terrifying for many of us to contemplate challenging our own tribe? How comfortable would you be hopping on social media and questioning the deeply held convictions of your closest friends and colleagues? Even if you don’t want to be public about it, are there ways to have more empathy for somebody whose views are different from yours? Robert Wright believes the future of civilization hinges on our ability to get better at this.  Robert Wright is the author of the bestselling book Why Buddhism Is True. He also writes the Nonzero Newsletter, is host of The Wright Show podcast, and his newest mission is something he calls the Apocalypse Aversion Project. This episode explores: how mindfulness meditation can help us overcome our biases; how we are often manipulated by natural selection; the concepts of confirmation bias and attribution error; the pain and joy of pushing back against the conventional wisdom of your own tribe; the difference between cognitive and emotional empathy; why Robert is a big believer in talking to people with whom he disagrees; and the importance of making friendships across ideological lines.  This episode is the second in our weeklong series about bias. If you missed Monday's episode with the excellent journalist Jessica Nordell, you can listen here.  Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/robert-wright-411

12 Jan 202254min

Jessica Nordell is a science and culture journalist who has written for the Atlantic and the New York Times. She earned a B.A. in physics from Harvard and an M.F.A. in poetry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her new book is called The End of Bias, A Beginning: The Science and Practice of Overcoming Unconscious Bias.  This episode explores: why humans evolved to have biases; what happens physiologically when biases are challenged; why some of the most popular personal and institutional strategies for confronting biases do not work; the role mindfulness and loving kindness meditation can play in reducing bias; and the power of studying history. This episode is part one of a weeklong series the TPH podcast is doing about bias. Part two features Bob Wright, author of Why Buddhism is True, who has done some interesting work to challenge his own tribal instincts. Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/jessica-nordell-410

10 Jan 20221h

The final episode of our New Year’s Getting Unstuck Series features Emily and Amelia Nagoski. Our goal with this episode, as it has been with all the episodes throughout the series, is to arm you with new ways of thinking about where you might be stuck in your life and to give you new tools for getting unstuck.  Emily Nagoski has a PhD in Health Behavior and is the author of the hit book Come As You Are: The Surprising New Science That Will Transform Your Sex Life. Her twin sister, Amelia Nagoski, holds a Doctorate in Musical Arts. Together, Emily and Amelia are the co-authors of the New York Times bestselling book Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle.  This episode explores: How Amelia was hospitalized for stress-related illness twice, and how learning the science behind burnout and emotional exhaustion helped save her life.  The three characteristics of burnout, and why women in today’s society are particularly susceptible to one of the characteristics: emotional exhaustion. The “human giver syndrome,” a term created by Emily and Amelia, which they say is very common among women, and why things can be especially hard for women. Why it’s important to understand the difference between addressing stressful circumstances in our lives and dealing with the actual physical experience of stress in our bodies.  A slew of evidence-based, ready-to-try-today interventions that people of all genders can use to “complete the stress cycle.” Content Warning: There are some references to sensitive topics, including sexual trauma, self-harm, domestic abuse, and violence.  January 7th is the last day to join and complete the Getting Unstuck Challenge, a free 14-day meditation challenge from Ten Percent Happier to help you push through whatever is holding you back. Click here to get started. Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/emily-amelia-nagoski-409

5 Jan 20221h 13min

This is the third episode of our Getting Unstuck Series and we’re kicking off the new year with a giant in the meditation world. Tara Brach holds a PhD in clinical psychology and has been practicing and teaching meditation around the world for more than four decades. She is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and the author of numerous books. She’s here today to talk about her newest, which is called Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness, and features illustrations by Vicky Alvarez. Tara’s argument is that we too often get stuck in what she calls a “trance of unworthiness,” spiraling into negativity about who we are and how we are in the world. That’s the bad news. But the good news is that we all have an inherent goodness – what is sometimes called “Buddha nature,” and what she in this book calls “the gold.”  In this episode, Tara explains that the boundaries around what we are willing to accept in ourselves mirror the boundaries around our own capacity for happiness, and she offers actionable tools for expanding our ability to accept. She also talks very bravely about how she’s done this work on herself.  Join us today for Getting Unstuck – our free 14-day meditation challenge, over on the Ten Percent Happier app. Click here to get started.      Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/tara-brach-408

3 Jan 20221h 9min

It’s the second episode of our Getting Unstuck Series. In this episode, Buddhist teacher and TPH fan favorite Matthew Hepburn offers a Buddhist lens on getting unstuck across many facets of our lives: from our relationship with technology to the difficulty we sometimes experience when asking for help.    Matthew Hepburn is a graduate of the IMS/Spirit Rock four-year teacher training program and the host of the Twenty Percent Happier Podcast. In this episode, Matthew will explain why joining a meditation challenge can be useful for anyone, whether you’re booting up, rebooting, or simply seeking to maintain a meditation practice. We also explore how incorporating simple phrases throughout the day can help us rewire our brains and reimagine our existence.    Join us for Getting Unstuck – our free 14-day meditation challenge, featuring Matthew and other great meditation teachers. The challenge starts on January 3, over on the Ten Percent Happier app. Click here to get started.      Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/matthew-hepburn-407

29 Dec 20211h 4min

This is the first episode of our Getting Unstuck Series. This episode, featuring social worker and NYT bestselling author Nedra Tawwab has some incredibly practical advice for various forms of stuckness, and it basically comes down to one word: boundaries. Nedra is a social worker and the New York Times bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace, which became so popular this past year that she has now followed up with an accompanying workbook. In the book, Nedra lays out a whole taxonomy of boundaries: their levels, their types, and their internal and external manifestations. In this episode, she explains it all, as well as how to summon the bravery to set and maintain boundaries even when it’s difficult and how to respect other people’s boundaries. Over the course of the conversation, she makes the convincing argument that if we can learn to see our world through the lens of boundaries, we can find some of the peace that may be eluding us. In other words, we can get unstuck. Content Warning: This episode includes brief references to sensitive topics such as sexuality, abuse, and neglect, all in the service of exploring the myriad ways in which learning to set boundaries can help us find peace and get unstuck. This episode is the first in the Getting Unstuck Series on the podcast. On Monday, January 3, you can join the Getting Unstuck Challenge, a free 14-day meditation challenge over on the Ten Percent Happier app. Click here to get started.    Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/nedra-tawwab-406

27 Dec 20211h 6min

With the approach of the new year (and perhaps New Year’s resolutions) we’ve decided to replay a very popular episode, featuring one of the most prominent proselytizers for self-love, Karamo from Queer Eye. Karamo was the first openly gay black man on reality TV when he appeared on MTV's The Real World Philadelphia back in 2004. When he left TV and found out he was a dad, he got custody of his son, adopted his son's half-brother and worked for a decade as a social worker before returning to the media world. He's now the culture expert on the blockbuster Netflix reboot of Queer Eye. Karamo also hosts his own podcast and is the author of a memoir, as well as a children's book, which he co-wrote with his son.  In today’s conversation, we talk about why, for Karamo, learning to love himself started with learning to love his first name; how he overcame negative messages inside his abusive childhood home; why men struggle so much with the concept of self-love; and the areas in his own life where he struggles the most to practice what he preaches.  Click here to give a gift subscription of the Ten Percent Happier app.  Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/karamo-repost

22 Dec 202137min