Founders

Rick Hanson Ph.D.

Rick Hanson, Ph.D., is a neuropsychologist and author of Hardwiring Happiness (coming in October 2013), Buddha’s Brain: The Practical Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom (with Rick Mendius, M.D.; Foreword by Dan Siegel, M.D. and Preface by Jack Kornfield, Ph.D.), published in 24 languages and Just One Thing: Developing a Buddha Brain One Simple Practice at a Time (in 12 languages). Founder of the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom and Affiliate of the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley, he’s been an invited speaker at Oxford, Stanford, and Harvard, and taught in meditation centers worldwide.

An authority on self-directed neuroplasticity, Dr. Hanson’s work has been featured on the BBC, NPR, FoxBusiness, Consumer Reports Health,  U.S. News and World Report, and O Magazine. He edits the Wise Brain Bulletin, and his weekly e-newsletter – Just One Thing – has over 73,000 subscribers, and also appears on Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and other major websites. He has several audio programs with Sounds True, and his first book was Mother Nurture: A Mother’s Guide to Health in Body, Mind, and Intimate Relationships (Penguin, 2002).

A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, Dr. Hanson is a trustee of Saybrook University. He also served on the board of Spirit Rock Meditation Center for nine years, and was President of the Board of FamilyWorks, a community agency. He began meditating in 1974, trained in several traditions, and leads a weekly meditation gathering in San Rafael, CA. He enjoys rock-climbing and taking a break from emails. He and his wife have two adult children.

For more information, please see his full profile at www.RickHanson.net.

Rick Mendius, M.D., is a neurologist, author, and teacher. He trained at UCLA as an epileptologist under Jerome Engel and as a neurobehaviorist under Frank Benson and Jeff Cummings. He has been on the teaching faculty of UCLA, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Stanford University. His meditation practice began in the 1980s with Shinzen Young in Los Angeles, and continues at Spirit Rock with Jack Kornfield, Phillip Moffitt, Ajahn Amaro, and Ajahn Sumedho.

Rick leads a weekly meditation class at San Quentin Prison, and teaches daylongs at Spirit Rock, Sati Center, and other organizations. He has authored numerous articles for the Wise Brain Bulletin, and he has a particular interest in the long-term effects of meditation on aging, and in longitudinal research on contemplative practice. He played an instrumental role in Buddha’s Brain, and co-authored Meditations to Change Your Brain.

With Dr. Hanson, he co-founded the Wellspring Institute for Neuroscience and Contemplative Wisdom. Rick’s daughters, Courtney and Taryn, and his son, Ian, are three of his main teachers and companions on the path.

You can contact Rick at jrichardmendius@aol.com