Listen on Apple Podcast | Listen on Spotify
#349: What if the reason your gratitude practice isn't changing your life is that you're not actually feeling grateful? In November's Monthly Curriculum, Josie explores the fascinating neuroscience and spirituality of deep gratitude—and why there's a huge difference between knowing you have things to be thankful for and genuinely experiencing appreciation. From the surprising ways gratitude affects the brain to how it can strengthen relationships, shift your perspective, and help you connect with abundance, this episode goes far beyond the typical gratitude journal advice. Plus, Josie guides you through two powerful exercises designed to help you actually feel gratitude in real time. Whether you're trying to manifest your dream life, find more joy in your everyday routine, or feel grateful during a difficult season, this month's curriculum will change the way you experience your life.
You'll learn:
What actually is gratitude (an emotion, a state of consciousness, a neurological process?) and why your gratitude journal might not be working
What happens in our brains and bodies when we feel genuine gratitude
Why we can logically know that we have an amazing life and still not feel grateful
How we can actually train our brains to experience gratitude more deeply and more frequently through neuroplasticity
What practices reliably cultivate the feeling of gratitude, rather than simply getting us to think grateful thoughts
What happens when gratitude becomes our default way of relating to life, rather than something we remember to practice for five minutes in the morning
CHAPTERS:
00:20 - Introduction: Why Your Gratitude Practice Isn't Working
04:15 - Lesson 1: Gratitude Is a Feeling, Not a Thought
07:30 - The Neuroscience of Gratitude
11:00 - Gratitude, Manifestation, and Abundance
16:30 - Lesson 2: How to Train Your Brain to Feel More Grateful
19:00 - Negativity Bias, Hedonic Adaptation, and Neuroplasticity
24:00 - Lesson 3: Four Ways to Experience Deep Gratitude
25:30 - Exercise 1: Seeing Your Life Through Your 100-Year-Old Self
29:30 - Exercise 2: Using Emotional Memory to Access Gratitude
34:00 - How Expressing Gratitude Strengthens Relationships
38:00 - Finding Gratitude During Difficult Seasons
42:30 - November's Homework: The Deep Gratitude Experiment
44:00 - Monthly Recommendations and Final Thoughts
RESOURCES & MENTIONS:
The Effects of Gratitude Expression on Neural Activity (2016)
Reminiscing About Positive Memories Buffers Acute Stress Responses (2017)
CONNECT WITH JOSIE:
Follow @josie.santi
WANT MORE LIKE THIS?
Listen to…