Sharon Salzberg – Metta Hour – Ep. 64 – Real Love Series: Dr. Dan Siegel

Sharon Salzberg - Metta Hour - Ep. 64 - Real Love Series: Dr. Dan Siegel

For episode 14 of the Real Love Podcast Series, Sharon speaks to Dr. Dan Siegel about the neuroscience behind love, relationships and awareness.

Dr. Dan Siegel is a clinical professor of psychiatry at the UCLA School of Medicine and the founding co-director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. He is also the Executive Director of the Mindsight Institute which focuses on the development of mindsight, which teaches insight, empathy, and integration in individuals, families and communities. His New York Times bestsellers include Mind: A Journey to the Heart of Being Human, The Whole-Brain Child and the upcoming The Yes Brain (2018).

The Real Love Podcast Series is a special series on the Metta Hour featuring a variety of conversations with some of the world’s finest thinkers and teachers exploring Sharon’s new book “Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection“. Real Love a field guide for anyone seeking awakened living in the 21st century – regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity or status. The book explores love is three different areas in life: love of oneself, love of an other, and love for all of life. Real Love is now available to order in hardcover, ebook and audiobook format.

Show Notes

The Science of Relationships (Opening) – Dan and Sharon look at the science involved in the brain when we are in relationships of any kind. They discuss the role of attachment in these relationships.

“Interpersonal experience shapes the mind as it continues to develop throughout the lifespan. Interactions with the environment, especially relationships with other people, directly shape the development of the brain’s structure and function.” – Dr. Dan Siegel

Discover More: Sharon further explores the science behind love and compassion with Dr. Emma Seppälä on this episode of Metta Hour Podcast

Dropping into Awareness (10:25) – Our reception to love is affected by our state of awareness. Dan talks about this connection and how to cultivate a mind capable of dropping down into deeper realms of awareness.

“What I think love is very much overlaps with awareness itself. When you drop into the spaciousness of where knowing arises what comes is joy and gratitude and love. So when people drop into that, they let go of all this other stuff; particular ideas of self or ideas of clinging and controlling. You drop into pure awareness, which I think is the source of love.” – Dr. Dan Siegel

Discover More: Chris Grosso interviews scientist and mindfulness teacher, Shinzen Young, about the power of mindfulness practice on this episode of the Indie Spiritualist Podcast.

Getting Used to It (22:55) – Sharon and Dan talk about how we can integrate impactful meditation experiences into our lives.

Toxicity of Self (28:50) – Dan talks about the word “self” and why it can be dangerous to our development.

“I think one of the most toxic things we have in our modern society is the four letter word self. We raise children with all good intentions and say, ‘Danny, little Sharron, you are in that body.’ Yourself is like a noun and it lives in the body.” – Dr. Dan Siegel

Myths About Love (38:05) Sharon and Dan speak more about the myths we are told about love and other emotions.

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