On today’s episode, Dr. Rick and I focus on one of the most important skills we can learn: how we can become more aware of all the parts of our experience, avoid being captured by any one of them, and work with those parts more skillfully. One of the key tools we have for accomplishing this is vedanā, or the “feeling tone” of our experience. Author and meditation teacher Dr. Danny Penman joins the show to explore the role of vedanā, how we can help our brain interpret the world more accurately, and practical tools for relaxing suffering and enjoying life. About our Guest: Danny Penman is a meditation teacher, an award-winning writer and journalist, and the co-author of the classic Mindfulness with Dr. Mark Williams. Dr. Williams was one of the original creators of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT). Mark and Danny are back with the new book Deeper Mindfulness: The New Way to Rediscover Calm in a Chaotic World. I am now writing on Substack, check it out here: https://substack.com/@forresthanson Key Topics: 0:00 Introduction 1:30 How a major injury started Danny’s professional relationship with mindfulness practice 11:00 Vedanā, and unpacking the different aspects of our experience 19:00 The sensations that precede our thoughts 24:45 How the brain creates a model of reality, and whether that model is accurate 29:35 How an undisciplined relationship with feeling tone creates unnecessary suffering 34:20 Accepting a feeling vs. approving of a situation 45:15 Practical steps to feeling our feelings 48:30 Finding enjoyment in new habits, especially somatically 58:25 Recap Subscribe to Being Well on: Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/being-well-with-dr-rick-hanson/id1120885936 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5d87ZU1XY0fpdYNSEwXLVQ Who Am I: I'm Forrest, the co-author of Resilient (https://amzn.to/3iXLerD) and host of the Being Well Podcast (https://apple.co/38ufGG0). I'm making videos focused on simplifying psychology, mental health, and personal growth. I'm not a clinician, and anything I say on this channel should not be taken as medical advice. You can follow me here: 🎤 https://apple.co/38ufGG0 🌍 https://www.forresthanson.com/ 📸 https://www.instagram.com/f.hanson