Calm Can Be Contagious
Dan Harris, ABC News correspondent and host of Ten Percent Happier, shares his journey from skeptic to meditator after a live TV panic attack. He discusses how simple meditation can help manage anxiety and stress, particularly during a crisis, with Dr. Laurie Santos offering a guided practice.
Deep Dive Analysis
18 Topic Outline
Introduction: Collective Anxiety and Rumination During Crisis
Meditation as a Solution to Quiet Racing Minds
Dan Harris's On-Air Panic Attack Experience
Post-Panic Attack: Doctor's Visit and Drug Use Connection
Covering Faith and Spirituality; Encountering Eckhart Tolle
Discovering Meditation as a Practical Path Through Buddha's Teachings
First Meditation Experience and the Influence of Science
Long-Term Impact of Daily Meditation: 10% Happier
Meditation's Role in Reducing Anxiety and Depression
How Meditation Can Improve Sleep Quality
Overcoming Barriers to Meditation: The 'One Minute Counts' Approach
Integrating Mindfulness into Daily Activities: Free-Range Meditation
Addressing Lack of Privacy and Quiet for Meditation
Facing Difficult Emotions and Trauma in Meditation
The RAIN Method for Processing Challenging Feelings
The Power of Loving Kindness Meditation and Redefining Love
Hope for Collective Calm Through Individual Practice
Guided One-Minute Meditation Practice
8 Key Concepts
Voice in the Head
This refers to the constant internal monologue that drives desires, judgments, comparisons, and worries about the past or future, often distracting from the present moment. Dan Harris realized this voice was a key factor in his panic attack.
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction
Pioneered by former MIT scientist Jon Kabat-Zinn, this is a secularized form of Buddhist meditation. It focuses on paying attention to the present moment to reduce stress and improve well-being.
Meditation-Enhanced Self-Awareness
Through repeated practice of observing one's breath and noticing distractions, meditation increases an individual's visibility into their inner life. This heightened self-awareness allows one to clearly see anxiety loops and thought patterns, reducing their power.
Impermanence
This Buddhist concept, also a fundamental truth revealed by meditation, refers to the fact that everything in the universe is constantly changing. Recognizing impermanence can be both scary and liberating, as it highlights the transient nature of all experiences.
Free-Range Meditation
This term describes informal mindfulness practices integrated into daily activities, such as washing dishes or hands, by simply paying attention to the sensory details of the present moment. It's a way to practice mindfulness 'on the go' outside of formal sitting meditation.
RAIN (for difficult emotions)
A four-step acronym (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) for processing difficult emotions. It involves recognizing the emotion, allowing it to be present without fighting or feeding it, investigating its physical sensations, and nurturing a friendly attitude towards it.
Love (Meditation Context)
In the context of meditation, 'love' is redefined as the innate human capacity to care or 'give a shit' about others and oneself. It's described as a deeply wired social instinct that can be tapped into to foster compassion and connection.
Loving Kindness Meditation
This meditation involves silently repeating four phrases ('May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.') while envisioning a series of beings, starting with oneself, then moving to close friends, neutral persons, difficult persons, and finally, everyone. It aims to cultivate compassion and warmth.
10 Questions Answered
Modern science and ancient traditions converge on meditation as an effective and free way to quiet racing minds, reduce rumination, and foster mental well-being.
The 'voice in our heads' is a constant internal monologue that drives desires, judgments, comparisons, and worries about the past or future, often distracting from the present moment and causing distress like panic attacks.
Meditation boosts self-awareness by repeatedly observing one's breath and noticing distractions, giving more visibility into inner life. This allows individuals to clearly see anxiety loops and thought patterns, reducing their power over them.
Yes, meditation can help calm the mind and act as a circuit breaker for repetitive inner loops, which can facilitate the process of falling asleep, even though its original purpose was to 'wake you up.'
Even one minute of meditation counts and provides real benefits, making it an eminently doable practice that can lead to deeper engagement over time.
Yes, daily activities like washing hands or doing dishes can be turned into 'free-range meditation' by paying close attention to the sensory details of the present moment, though formal practice is also highly valuable.
Practical tips include stealing a minute or two after putting children to bed, using a comfy chair, locking oneself in the bathroom, or meditating with noise-canceling headphones early in the morning before others are awake.
While difficult things may surface, meditation offers a choice to face them forthrightly and investigate them non-judgmentally, allowing for a wise response instead of blind reaction, ultimately leading to greater calm and effectiveness.
RAIN stands for Recognize what's happening, Allow it to be there without fighting or feeding it, Investigate its physical sensations, and Nurture a friendly attitude towards the emotion.
Loving kindness meditation involves silently repeating phrases like 'May you be happy, safe, healthy, and live with ease' while envisioning oneself and others. It taps into the innate human capacity to care, fostering compassion and elevating one out of self-centered neuroses.
21 Actionable Insights
1. Practice Meditation to Quiet Mind
Engage in the practice of meditation to quiet a racing mind and keep ruminative thoughts under control, as it’s an effective, free, and scientifically supported method.
2. Recognize Inner Voice’s Impact
Become aware of the constant ‘voice in your head’ that drives rumination, judgment, and future/past thinking, as recognizing its influence is a crucial first step to managing it.
3. Boost Self-Awareness Through Meditation
Use breath-focused meditation to boost self-awareness and gain visibility into anxiety loops and thought patterns, which allows you to see them clearly and reduces their power over you.
4. Practice Breath-Focused Meditation
To meditate, sit comfortably and focus on the sensation of your breath coming in and going out; when your mind inevitably wanders, gently bring your attention back to your breath and start again.
5. Use RAIN for Difficult Emotions
When experiencing difficult emotions, use the RAIN protocol: Recognize what’s happening, Allow it to be present without fighting or feeding it, Investigate how it manifests in your body non-judgmentally, and Nurture a friendly, compassionate attitude towards the emotion.
6. Practice Loving Kindness Meditation
Engage in loving kindness meditation by picturing a series of individuals (yourself, a friend, a neutral person, a difficult person, then everyone) and silently repeating the phrases: ‘May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.’
7. Cultivate Skill with Inner Voice
View meditation as a skill to develop a different, more balanced relationship with your inner monologue, understanding that improvement and resilience compound over time.
8. Start Meditation with One Minute
Begin your meditation practice with just one minute, as even this short duration provides real benefits and can serve as a stepping stone to a deeper practice over time.
9. Combine Formal and Informal Mindfulness
While on-the-go mindfulness is beneficial, also engage in formal meditation practice, even if just for a minute or five minutes, as it can significantly enhance and ’turbo charge’ your daily mindfulness.
10. Practice On-the-Go Mindfulness
Integrate mindfulness into daily activities by paying full attention to them, such as washing dishes or hands, to cultivate presence and awareness throughout your day.
11. Mindful Hand Washing Practice
During routine activities like washing hands, focus on the sensory details (water temperature, soap texture, sounds, sights) and gently return your attention to these sensations whenever your mind wanders.
12. Meditate Before Bed for Sleep
Meditate before bed to calm your mind and break repetitive inner thought loops, which can help you fall asleep more easily.
13. Find Hidden Meditation Time
Utilize small, often overlooked pockets of time for meditation, such as the minute or two after putting children to bed, or by using strategies like locking yourself in the bathroom or using noise-canceling headphones early in the morning.
14. Face Difficult Emotions Wisely
Instead of letting difficult emotions or past traumas drive you blindly, use meditation to bring them into conscious awareness and investigate them non-judgmentally, allowing you to respond wisely rather than react impulsively.
15. Employ Holistic Well-being Strategies
Supplement meditation with other well-being practices such as seeking professional therapy, taking prescribed medication, prioritizing sleep, exercising, eating well, maintaining social connections, and helping others.
16. Cultivate Compassion and Helpfulness
Tap into your innate capacity to care for others and yourself, defining love as ’the capacity to give a shit’ and compassion as empathy combined with a desire to help, which can elevate you from self-obsession.
17. Actively Support Others and Community
Actively demonstrate compassion by checking in on elderly neighbors, supporting those you live with, and contributing to your community, such as by supporting local businesses.
18. Be a Calming Influence
Understand that your personal meditation practice can make you a calmer presence, and this calm can be contagious, positively influencing the atmosphere for those around you without needing to force them to meditate.
19. Perform a One-Minute Breath Meditation
Find a comfortable seat, close your eyes, and take three long, deep breaths, filling your belly each time. Then, allow your breath to return to normal and gently follow its sensations in your body, non-judgmentally returning your focus to it whenever your mind wanders.
20. Quit Drugs & Seek Therapy
If struggling with drug use, quit doing drugs and seek professional help from a doctor or therapist regularly, as it can be crucial for addressing underlying issues and brain chemistry changes.
21. Seek Evidence-Based Answers
When confused or fearful, seek answers in evidence-based science as it is presented as the best approach.
7 Key Quotes
My entire brain is like zip, zip, zip, zip, zip from one stressful thing to another.
Laurie Santos
The continued uncertainty of this awful situation has made it nearly impossible for me to switch my thoughts off.
Laurie Santos
And I just couldn't breathe, which is a prerequisite for being a news anchor.
Dan Harris
If you can't do cheesy, you can't be free.
Meditation Teacher (quoted by Dan Harris)
Love has been pounded, pulverized into meaninglessness through rote repetition and Hollywood cliche and bad Bon Jovi songs.
Dan Harris
It's just the capacity to give a shit.
Dan Harris
One calm person on that boat can change the atmosphere dramatically.
Thich Nhat Hanh (quoted by Dan Harris)
5 Protocols
Dan Harris's First Meditation Practice
Dan Harris- Set an alarm for five minutes.
- Sit on the floor (not necessarily cross-legged), leaning against a bed with legs splayed.
- Try to feel your breath coming in and going out.
- When distracted, notice the distraction and gently start again, returning focus to the breath.
Mindful Handwashing (Free-Range Meditation)
Dan Harris- As you wash your hands for 20 seconds, pay attention to the raw data of your senses.
- Notice the feeling of water (hot, cold, warm) hitting your hands.
- Observe the sensation as your fingers intertwine and as soap is applied and washes off.
- Pay attention to any noises you hear and what you see.
- Whenever your mind gets distracted by to-do lists or worries, gently catch yourself and return to the physical sensations of handwashing.
RAIN Method for Difficult Emotions
Tara Brock (as quoted by Dan Harris)- R - Recognize: Acknowledge what emotion is happening right now.
- A - Allow: Permit the emotion to be present without fighting it or giving into it.
- I - Investigate: Explore how the feeling manifests in your body (e.g., chest tightening, head thrumming, nervous energy), observing it non-judgmentally.
- N - Nurture: Adopt a friendly or warm attitude towards the emotion, understanding it might be your mind's way of trying to protect you.
Loving Kindness Meditation
Dan Harris- Picture a series of beings, often starting with yourself, then a close friend, a mentor, a neutral person, a difficult person, and finally, everybody.
- As you envision each person, silently repeat four phrases: 'May you be happy. May you be safe. May you be healthy. May you live with ease.'
One-Minute Guided Meditation
Laurie Santos- Find a comfortable seat and close your eyes.
- Pay attention to how your body is feeling.
- Take a long, deep breath in, then breathe out smoothly.
- Take another long, deep breath in, filling your belly, then breathe it out.
- Take one more deep breath in, filling your belly, then breathe it out.
- Allow your breath to return to normal and follow where it feels like it's moving in your body (e.g., nose, lips, chest, belly).
- For a few seconds, just pay attention to your breath without trying to change it.
- If your mind wanders, non-judgmentally bring it back to focusing on your breath.
- End with one big deep breath in and a big sigh out.