The Shift Network – Top Speakers From The Psychology of True Happiness

Join the founder of the Metta Institute and co-founder of the Zen Hospice Project, Frank Ostaseski, as he enlightens you about why death is a good companion on the road to living well and dying without regret. We can harness the awareness of death to appreciate the fact that we are alive, to encourage self-exploration, to clarify our values, to find meaning and happiness and to generate positive action. It’s the impermanence of life that can give you a powerful perspective: Don’t waste a single minute!

As a species, humans are hardwired for compassion. Join James R. Doty, MD, founder and director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford University, as he reviews the neuroscience of compassion. Recognizing and relieving another’s suffering results in the stimulation of our pleasure and reward centers. Unlike hedonic pleasure, the pleasure one receives from practicing compassion is long lasting and gives a sense of meaning and contentment.

Join author and professor of Clinical Psychiatry at UCLA, Dr. Dan Siegel, as he describes the nature of mind as a flow of energy and information that exists within us… and between us. The integration of this energy flow, or mind, is what creates health and wellbeing. Dr. Siegel shows how we can create integration in the mind through practicing the “Wheel of Awareness.” When the flow is integrated, within and between us, there’s a sense of belonging — which is foundational to happiness.

We all want to be happy but often we are not. We chase success, material goods and awards. We run ourselves ragged and operate at a high level of stress. Join Emma Seppälä, author of The Happiness Track and psychologist at Stanford and Yale universities, as she offers up research that shows how pursuing meaning and making compassionate choices result in happiness, success and a fulfilling life.

Trauma and stress restrict the natural flow of our emotions and body awareness. Through the ancient wisdom traditions of Buddhist-embodied meditation practices and somatic therapy techniques, you can restore your basic sanity and wellbeing. Join Manuela Mischke-Reeds, co-director of the Hakomi Institute of California, as she focuses on how to use key dharma teachings and somatic practices for healing trauma and stress.

Join one of the world’s foremost experts on lovingkindness meditation, Sharon Salzberg, as she provides a field guide for anyone seeking awakened living in the 21st century — regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity or status. Sharon offers a timely, creative tool kit of mindfulness exercises and meditation techniques that encourage you to strip away layers of negative habits and obstacles.

Join psychologist, author and senior editor at Noba, Robert Biswas-Diener, as he reveals studies that show how happiness not only feels good… but that it’s also widely beneficial. Robert poses the question: Can a person have too much happiness? And the surprising answer is a qualified yes.

Join one of the founders and chief theoreticians of transpersonal psychology, Stanislav Grof, as he sheds light on how expanded states of consciousness, and connecting to the transpersonal, are necessary for our happiness, fulfillment & wellbeing.

The chakra system is a profound formula for wholeness. When we find our way back to wholeness — balancing each of the seven elements associated with the chakras — happiness occurs naturally. Join Anodea Judith, a groundbreaking thought leader and bestselling author, as she illuminates how this profound map connects us to the divine and honors the body as its temple.