You Can’t Change Without Breaking The Loop - Dr Rick Hanson

Go see Chris live in America - https://chriswilliamson.live Dr. Rick Hanson is a psychologist, speaker, and an author. How often do you find yourself stuck replaying a situation you wish you could just forget? No matter how much you want to move on, your mind keeps circling back. So what are the practical strategies to break free from rumination, quiet the mental noise, and finally reclaim control of your thoughts? Expect to learn how you can develop more self-compassion, why its so hard for people to let go of obsessive thinking and why we tend to ruminate a lot, how to move on from a breakup, insult, slight or a regret, how to “let go” of of emotionally charged memories, Dr Hanson’s favourite techniques to interrupt repetitive thought spirals, how people can consciously reframe the narrative after rejection, and much more… - 0:00 - Why Is Change so Hard? 17:24 - Is Rumination a Beneficial Process? 33:30 - Why we Fear a Lack of Control 43:19 - Reflecting on the Power of Poetry 45:27 - Why do Emotionally-Charged Memories Often Resurface? 53:09 - The Importance of Everyday Successes 01:04:47 - Being Earnest is Better Than False Projection 01:27:10 - Where Does Courage Come From? 01:33:08 - Find Out More About Rick - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

Dr. Rick HansonguestChris Williamsonhost

Jul 17, 20251h 35mWatch on YouTube ↗

EPISODE INFO

Released: July 17, 2025
Duration: 1h 35m
Channel: Modern Wisdom
Watch on YouTube: ▶ Open ↗

EPISODE DESCRIPTION

Go see Chris live in America - https://chriswilliamson.live Dr. Rick Hanson is a psychologist, speaker, and an author. How often do you find yourself stuck replaying a situation you wish you could just forget? No matter how much you want to move on, your mind keeps circling back. So what are the practical strategies to break free from rumination, quiet the mental noise, and finally reclaim control of your thoughts? Expect to learn how you can develop more self-compassion, why its so hard for people to let go of obsessive thinking and why we tend to ruminate a lot, how to move on from a breakup, insult, slight or a regret, how to “let go” of of emotionally charged memories, Dr Hanson’s favourite techniques to interrupt repetitive thought spirals, how people can consciously reframe the narrative after rejection, and much more… - 0:00 - Why Is Change so Hard? 17:24 - Is Rumination a Beneficial Process? 33:30 - Why we Fear a Lack of Control 43:19 - Reflecting on the Power of Poetry 45:27 - Why do Emotionally-Charged Memories Often Resurface? 53:09 - The Importance of Everyday Successes 01:04:47 - Being Earnest is Better Than False Projection 01:27:10 - Where Does Courage Come From? 01:33:08 - Find Out More About Rick - Get access to every episode 10 hours before YouTube by subscribing for free on Spotify - https://spoti.fi/2LSimPn or Apple Podcasts - https://apple.co/2MNqIgw Get my free Reading List of 100 life-changing books here - https://chriswillx.com/books/ Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic here - https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom - Get in touch in the comments below or head to... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact/

SPEAKERS

Dr. Rick Hanson
guest
Chris Williamson
host

EPISODE SUMMARY

In this episode of Modern Wisdom, featuring Dr. Rick Hanson and Chris Williamson, You Can’t Change Without Breaking The Loop - Dr Rick Hanson explores break the Rumination Loop: Letting Go, Change, and Real Courage Chris Williamson and Dr. Rick Hanson explore why humans struggle with change, letting go, and emotionally charged memories despite living in an impermanent universe. They link our fear of change and clinging—both to possessions and identities—to evolution, culture, and the brain’s ‘ruminator’ that obsessively time-travels through past and future. Hanson explains how rumination reinforces a rigid sense of self, fuels suffering, and blocks genuine emotional processing, then offers practical methods to transform it into productive reflection. They also discuss interpersonal courage, small “mundane victories,” playfulness, and authenticity as pathways to a freer, more resilient relationship with life’s uncertainty.

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