The Neurodharma of Love

On the whole, we experience our greatest joys and sorrows in our relationships. Supported by both Buddhism and Western psychology, the keys to healthy relationships include empathy, compassion, and kindness. These states of mind are based on underlying states of your brain. The emerging integration of modern neuroscience and ancient contemplative wisdom offers increasingly skillful means for activating those brain states – and thus for cultivating an open and caring heart, and more fulfilling relationships.This experiential workshop will offer user-friendly information with lots of practical methods. We’ll cover:

• The primacy of relationships in evolution, and the deep capacities for both loving altruism and fearful aggression
• The deep neurological circuits of virtue, empathy, and caring – the foundation of healthy relationships
• Unilateral virtue in relationships
• Strengthening empathy
• Moving beyond “us and them” to extend lovingkindness to the whole wide world

Slides: https://rickhanson.net/CoreSlides/Love.ppt

PDF – https://rickhanson.net/CoreSlides/Love.pdf