Learn how to use the HEAL practice from Rick Hanson’s book Resilient to savor good experiences, strengthen resilience, and shift your mood with a simple five-minute exercise.
When stress takes over, our mood often takes the biggest hit. That’s why mood shifters are an important part of emotional stress management techniques. By learning to savor positive experiences, we can train the brain to naturally lift our mood and restore balance. The HEAL technique offers a simple, structured way to do this, helping us shift our mood, reduce stress, and build greater resilience.
Resilience
Resilience is not only about bouncing back from stress, but also about cultivating an inner strength that helps you pursue opportunities even in the face of challenges. Rick Hanson, in his book Resilient: How to Grow an Unshakable Core of Calm, Strength, and Happiness, defines resilience as the ability to “cope with adversity and push through challenges in the pursuit of opportunities” (p. 2).
Resilience Through Savoring & Neuroplasticity
Hanson explains that resilience and well-being work together in a reinforcing cycle, creating what he calls an upward spiral. The key is that we can proactively shape our brain by turning small, enjoyable moments into lasting inner resources that support both resilience and well-being. In other words, we learn to pay attention and savor the good.
This process is grounded in what scientists call positive neuroplasticity. Our brains change based on what we pay attention to. If we dwell on stress or negativity, those pathways strengthen. On the other hand, if we learn to notice and savor positive experiences, we reinforce the neural circuits that help us feel calm, strong, and motivated. In this way, savoring is both a way to feel good in the moment and train our brains to access inner stability when life gets hard.
Savoring also counters the negativity bias, the brain’s natural tendency to focus more on threats than on safety or pleasure. This bias likely kept our ancestors alive, but in modern life it can leave us wired for stress. The good news is that with practice, even just a few seconds of savoring, you can learn to notice the positive more often and give it the attention it needs to make a difference.
Learning Through Activation & Installation
Hanson explains that lasting changes in the brain come from a simple two-step process he calls activation and installation.
Activation means having a positive experience, either by noticing one as it arises or creating an opportunity for it. These enjoyable moments help calm stress hormones, support the immune system, and bring the body back into balance.
Installation means savoring the experience so it can sink in. When we focus on the positive, we strengthen our ability to handle future struggles, stay motivated, and reinforce the brain’s reward circuits with feel-good chemicals like dopamine and norepinephrine.
The more we categorize certain activities as rewarding, the more we will seek them out in the future. This explains why savoring positive moments can also help us stick to habits we want to build, whether that is exercising, getting outside, or taking time for relaxation. When we focus on the good aspects of a habit when we do them, we are more motivated to repeat the habits in the future.
As Hanson notes, these neurochemicals flag experiences as “keepers,” training the brain to seek them out again. This process is called experience-dependent neuroplasticity, which is a scientific way of saying you become what you pay attention to and enjoy.
How to Savor: The HEAL Technique
HEAL is an acronym for Hanson’s four-step process for savoring the good.
HEAL:
Have
Enrich
Absorb
Link (optional)
Have
The practice begins with activation, which means having a positive experience. These moments can arise naturally, like receiving a kind word from a colleague, noticing the warmth of sunlight, or laughing with a friend.
Other times, we can intentionally create them by listening to music we love, recalling a happy memory, or taking a mindful pause. When we have enjoyable experiences, stress hormones decrease, the nervous system calms, and the immune system is supported. Simply put, this first step opens the door.
The next three steps of the process involve installation, which means savoring the experience in a way that allows it to take root in the brain.
Enrich
The second step is to enrich the experience by giving it more attentional space and depth. Instead of letting it pass quickly, stay with it for a few breaths and pay closer attention.
Notice the details of the moment using your five senses. What do you see, feel, smell, taste, and/or hear? The more vivid and multi-layered you make it, the more likely it will be remembered.
Absorb
Absorption means allowing the positive experience to truly sink in. This step shifts you from noticing to receiving. You might mentally highlight what feels meaningful.
Notice sensations in your body, feelings of ease, or a spark of gratitude. You might place a hand over your heart or smile gently to reinforce the sense of taking it in. This deepening is what helps the experience move from fleeting to lasting, training your brain to hold onto the good.
Link
The final step is optional and best for those with a bit more practice. Linking involves using the positive experience to soothe and replace other painful experiences. We can think of the positive experience as a way to decrease the pain of a negative experience – both sensations can exist at the same time. This is not about forcing positivity or denying difficulties, but about allowing strength and comfort to coexist.
A Five-Minute HEAL Practice
Here is a simple five-minute practice you can try:
- Have: Pause for a moment and either notice a positive experience happening now or create one by thinking of something that brings you comfort or joy.
- Enrich: Stay with the experience and enrich it by paying close attention to the details. It’s helpful to pay attention to your five senses: what do you see, hear, feel, taste, and/or smell?
- Absorb: Breathe slowly and let the feeling sink in, imagine it filling you up like warmth or light. Consider the importance of the experience, how it relates to your values or brings positivity to your life. What positive emotions come to mind?
- Link (optional): If you like, link it by acknowledging how this positive experience can soothe or replace the pain of another experience.
- Take one more slow breath and carry that sense of comfort with you.
Tips for Practicing
Remember, HEAL is about deepening the experience itself, not about clinging to a feeling forever. It may feel awkward at first, but the more you practice, the easier and more natural it becomes. HEAL is a simple way to give your brain the chance to grow stronger, or more resilient, from the good.
Small Changes, Big Transformation
HEAL is one technique we can use to prioritize our health and build resilience. Wellness doesn’t have to feel so overwhelming. Give this practice a try this week and let me know how it goes!
Need help putting this into practice?
When you’re ready to go beyond reading and start applying these tools in your daily life or workplace, I can help. I offer 1-on-1 coaching and customized trainings for organizations. Let’s work on it!
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