In this Dharma Lab episode, we pick up where we left off—moving from why our minds get so restless to what we can actually do about it, exploring three strategies from Buddhist psychology for working skillfully with overthinking: Remove, Transform, and Transcend.
See chapter list below.
In case you missed it, check out a written contextual summary of this podcast here:
Podcast Chapter List
0:00 - Intro
2:30 - Cort & Richie share personal experiences with rumination
8:41 - Overview of the three Buddhist psychology strategies
9:50 - Remove: Notice triggers & redirect attention
20:52 - Transform: Observe thoughts as just thoughts—this loosens their grip and can turn them into sources of insight or compassion
31:16 - Transcend: Learn to see the vast field of awareness within which thoughts arise and dissolve
40:08 - Closing reflections: flourishing is infectious
If you’d like to begin with Overthinking and Rumination (Part 1), you can find it here:
DL Ep.8: Overthinking and Rumination (Part 1)
In this week’s podcast, Cort and Richie explore why the mind so often gets stuck in rumination, how our evolutionary wiring and contrast-detecting brains fuel it, and what contemplative practices can do to shift us from anxious loops into clarity and balance.
