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David R Hamilton PhD

Using Science to Inspire

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Recent posts

  • You are made of stardust
  • Three ways that kindness impacts the brain and body
  • The most contagious thing is kindness
  • 20 ways to self love
  • As you give, so you receive

Welcome

Channel 4, Sunday Brunch, August 13th 2017

Some #TuesdayThoughts from @DrDRHamilton who tells us exactly how being kind to other people can literally improve your health! pic.twitter.com/4ofZOjE5KB

— Sunday Brunch (@SundayBrunchC4) August 15, 2017

A few of my books

iheartme200pxthe-5-side-effects-of-kindness-jacket

Twitter

Dr David R HamiltonFollow

Dr David R Hamilton
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PsychologiesMagPsychologies@PsychologiesMag·
13 Jul

Don’t miss @DrDRHamilton - scientist and bestselling author, talking LIVE on our Facebook page at 1 pm tomorrow about 'The Opposite of Stress' - how to counteract the impact of stress on the body.
#psychologiesmagazine #psychologies #wisdom #selfcare #kindness #mindfulliving

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DrDRHamiltonDr David R Hamilton@DrDRHamilton·
13 Jul

Hairdressing skills of @E_Caproni are improving... apparently the ‘disconnect’ is the look.😂

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DrDRHamiltonDr David R Hamilton@DrDRHamilton·
13 Jul

Trying to rock the novelty face mask. Face masks are mandatory in shops in Scotland, which I think is a great idea. On a trip out earlier, I was the only person wearing a novelty one, but at least it got a few smiles and some laughter.😆

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relaxkidsRelax Kids@relaxkids·
13 Jul

FREE Family Mental Health and Wellness summit.
July 20th- 24th Over 30 experts including @_NatashaDevon @DrDRHamilton @PookyH @janeparenting2 @SueAtkins @TheBabyExpert #relaxyourchildsummit

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charliemorley1Charlie Morley@charliemorley1·
10 Jul

The brilliant @drdrhamilton talks about why he thinks the #luciddreamingsummit is so important 🙏🏼🤓

Want to listen to his interview about the potential of lucid dream healing?
Register for the FREE summit today!… https://www.instagram.com/p/CCdyWcnn1x1/?igshid=1d4kvx0zmg0qw

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davidrhamiltonphd

Dr David R Hamilton
Face masks are mandatory in shops in Scotland now, Face masks are mandatory in shops in Scotland now, which I think is a great idea. Now I see everyone wearing them, I seem to be the only with wearing a novelty one. 😆 At least it’s brought a few smiles and laughter, which I’m pleased about. Trying to do my bit to cheer people up. Mask was made by @silkeroenspies 🌟💫😊
You never do know what people are going through un You never do know what people are going through unless they tell you. I was inspired to post this after my friend, @chris_ferri published his “34 Life Lessons so far” on his page. He wrote, “Don’t judge people just because they are a douche bag. They might be going through their own shit and you might have met them at the wrong time.” We’ve probably all been judged for our attitude, actions or behaviour at one time or another. Many of us at those times likely offered a silent prayer wishing ‘if only they understood what shit I’m working through right now.’ Generally speaking, kindness asks us to cut people some slack. Of course, there are often repeat offenders and there’s only so much most people can take. Self-kindness then asks us to say no, no more, or walk away. In Chris’s own light-hearted fashion, he addressed this, by adding, “Then again, they might just be a wanker.” But we should extend this kind sentiment to ourselves, because we DO know what we’re going through. These past few months have been a very tough time for many people. There’s been heartwarming outpourings of kindness, but there’s also been pain. Self kindness is something most people find harder to practice than the natural tendency to be kind to others. Self kindness can be practiced in many different ways, each according to your personal needs at the time. Self compassion is part of it - understanding your own humanness, granting yourself permission to make mistakes, to feel however you feel, to be gentle with yourself regarding your past misjudgements or gentle with yourself in the present because of what you’re dealing with. It can be forgiveness of yourself. Self kindness can also be saying no, or not yet, or taking time out, or indulging in some self care. There’s lots of ways to practice it, and I’d invite you to try, to find a way that works for you, that addresses your personal needs. A simple way to start is with the Buddhist Loving Kindness Meditation: May I be happy. May I be well. May I be safe. May I be at peace. And repeat those words as many times and as often as you wish, occasionally extending the sentiment to others when you feel inspired.🦋🌸😊
Here’s a potentially very useful scientific stud Here’s a potentially very useful scientific study - a randomised controlled trial - on the use of nature based sounds to help reduce agitation, anxiety and stress in patients receiving ventilation. It wasn’t done with Covid-19 patients as it was a few years ago, but I wonder if it might be useful info for any medical staff who are treating people who are currently receiving ventilation. Basically, 60 patients in the intensive care unit receiving mechanical ventilation were either played nature sounds (birds tweeting etc) through headphones for 90 minutes, or were in a control group, where they wore the same kind of headphones but just rested in silence. Compared with the control group, those listening to the nature based sounds had significantly lower blood pressure, anxiety and agitation levels, which improved progressively through 30 to 60 to 90 minutes. Nature sounds, especially savannah type sounds, have a powerful impact on us because our ancient ancestors evolved in the African Savannah, so the human nervous system is adapted for nature sounds. Copious research shows that nature sounds have a relaxing effect on our nervous system. I felt this study to be particularly important because there are currently patients all around the world who are receiving mechanical ventilation who may benefit from nature sounds. Maybe this is already done in many hospitals. I honestly don’t know. But I thought I’d share it anyway in case it’s of use. Please share with anyone who you think may find it interesting.🦋🐝🐞🐜🐧🦒🌿🌸🌼
I’m just back from a lunchtime run. I try to run I’m just back from a lunchtime run. I try to run a couple of times a week and play tennis on other days. Physical exercise is so very good for our overall mental and physical health. Among the well-known benefits of exercise, there are some really important less well-known ones too. For example, exercise (especially intense exercise) stimulates the release of sirtuins, natural anti-ageing enzymes that help to clear away the epigenetic ‘noise’ that obscures reading of DNA. According to the Information Theory of Ageing, put forward by Harvard professor, @davidsinclairphd in his excellent book, ‘Lifespan’, ageing is the accumulation of epigenetic noise at a rate faster than our bodies can clear it up. Exercise helps speed up the rate of cleaning, in part, by stimulating the activity of sirtuins. In a sense, they act like wee sweeping brushes. It is also really beneficial to exercise in natural surroundings, although this is not always possible depending on where people live. The human species are adapted to natural environments because our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors spent most of their time in natural surroundings during the Palaeolithic period. Studies indeed show that the human nervous system responds positively within 1-2 seconds when even shown images of natural environments (trees, mountains, lakes, etc). The human nervous system calms in natural environments. But it generally spikes when we’re shown human-made environments. Although some people nowadays do have a preference for city environments and have built up positive associations that are calming for them, we are innately adapted to natural surroundings. And of course, let’s not forget the amazing benefits that exercise has for the cardiovascular system, the immune system, and the lymph system. But I thought it might be nice to share the other stuff too. I know I am a bit of a nerd, but I love knowing the extra bits.🤓 . . . #exercise #ageing #antiaging #running
I heard Jane Elliot say this on a TV chat show (Re I heard Jane Elliot say this on a TV chat show (Red Table Chat) with Jada Pinket Smith and others. It was quite enlightening and it is factually true. Every single human on this Earth descended from a black person. Humans migrated from Africa sometime between 50,000 and 70,000 years ago, although the exact time is still debated. But regardless of exactly when the migration took place, we ALL descended from black people. Every single person on this planet!! All of us. No exceptions. As Jane said, there’s only one race - The human race. As Jane also said in the conversation, “There were black people living in this country (USA), 4,000 years before Columbus was even born.” Any white person who feels somehow superior to a black person has simply learned to feel that way. Racism is not genetic. It is learned. That’s what research shows. And if it is learned then it can be unlearned and we can learn something new, perhaps that we’re all members of the same family. Let us treat each other as such. Like many white people, I am still learning and determined to keep on learning about racism. I recently watched the Netflix documentary about the Central Park 5 (When They See Us), a group of 5 black kids who were rounded up, pressured by police, lied to, and had confessions forced out of them just because the prosecutor wanted to secure a conviction. They suffered terribly in prison over the next several years before new evidence completely exonerated them and they were released. I have spoken about and written about kindness for years now. Everyone deserves kindness and to be treated with respect, regardless of race, religion, sexuality or the colour of their skin. Racism has been highlighted now because it needs to be highlighted now, otherwise it carries on. The bottom line is that every person on this Earth owes their heritage to black people, because we all descended from the same ancestors. We’re all members of the same family. I would like to see that idea, that fact, shape our politics, our corporations, our systems. Maybe all that is happening right now is helping us to move in that direction.🙏🏻 . . . #love #instagood #blacklivesmatter #kindness
This is the idea of my friend, Fiona, @fkmunro She This is the idea of my friend, Fiona, @fkmunro She’s 35 and has been living with stage 4 ovarian cancer since 2016 and has had a rough time lately. She wants to help spread more kindness.🙏 She said, “As my health declines now I want more than ever(!) to leave this precious world a better place than I found it 35 years ago!” Here’s what she says: Posted @withregram • @fkmunro Have you heard of ‘Random Act of Kindness Monday’? . No? . Me neither. . So...I just invented it 💜🥰🙌🏻💜🙈 . On Monday (tomorrow), and every Monday afterwards, I’m asking you precious human to do a random act of kindness in my name! . It doesn’t have to involve money! . Smile at a stranger (from a distance 🙈) . Phone a pal. . Leave flowers on a bench. . Send someone a letter. . Write happy chalk messages on the pavement. . Do whatever makes you (and someone else) smile. . I’ve been handing out random acts of kindness envelopes, that each contain £20, since my diagnosis with stage four ovarian cancer in 2016 when I was just 30 years old. . As my health declines now I want more than ever(!) to leave this precious world a better place than I found it 35 years ago! . Can you help spread the kindness? . Trust me when I say you will never regret an act of kindness...it makes you feel amazing! . With all my love and gratitude, Fi Munro xxx . More info, including where the money came from -> fkmunro.com/kindness
I had a chat with my friend, Janet, this morning. I had a chat with my friend, Janet, this morning. She lost her son, Murray, in a tragic climbing accident just under a year ago. She interviewed me this morning for a new podcast she recently started called, @thegoodgriefconversation The interview will be Live next month. 💛 Janet and I have been friends for years. Like myself, she writes and teaches in the self-help field. At one point we talked about ‘The Law of Attraction’ and how life is not always as simple as just setting an intention and attracting the things you want. Life can be more complex. 💛 We talked about how life is a bit like being in a small canoe on a wide river. You have a paddle, so you can paddle where you wish, ‘attracting’ things you want. That’s fine when the river is calm as we can shape and mould our lives. 💛 But for most people, the river has a current. Sometimes it twists and turns and often flows in a particular direction, towards certain people and events. At other times, we’re in the rapids and it’s all about just getting through intact. Then there are times, like Janet experienced, when you smack into a large rock. It absolutely shatters your canoe. This is where life is all about survival. 💛 This is how Janet described losing her son. Life, from then onwards, is about about keeping your head above the water. It’s swimming with all your strength so not to drown. 💛 Janet told me that, at these times, we need to stop trying to ‘do’ things and just ‘be’. Life is just about being in the moment, experiencing what it brings ... and sometimes just getting through, just breathing, just swimming. 💛 I can imagine that George Floyd’s family are going through something similar. 💛 It’s the most emotional interview I’ve ever done. We both cried a couple of times. I’m sharing this today for a couple of reasons. First, because I know many people can relate to this in one way or another, perhaps through loss or even trauma of another kind. And second, because I want to tell the world about Janet’s new podcast. She’s just starting out and trying to find her feet. She said the podcast is helping to give extra meaning to Murray’s life and purpose to her own.🙏 . #grief #thegoodgriefconversation
#blackouttuesday #blackouttuesday
I feel deeply saddened about the death of George F I feel deeply saddened about the death of George Floyd.🙏 And I feel for his family, those who loved him deeply. Their loss must be unbearable. But I hope it stands for something. 💛 For change, maybe, for a change in general attitudes. I hope it brings more equality. 💛 Even saying the word equality ... feels like we shouldn’t even have to say we need equality. Equality should be a given, a sacred assumption, not something that needs to be campaigned for. Yet it is easier for me to say this, sitting on my sofa as a relatively privileged white male, where I’ve never faced any discrimination for the colour of my skin, my race or sexuality. 💛 I dream of a day when we look at each other and we don’t see skin colour, nor race, religion, sexuality. We just SEE each other - family, brothers and sisters. For that is what we are, even if we sometimes forget it or haven’t yet realised it. 💛 I think that the sooner we truly SEE each other, as family, the faster we will have peace in our communities, in our cultures, between nations, and the faster we will learn to live in harmony with each other. We can start right now by extending our hands in compassion and kindness. 💛 I pray that this might also open new doors to ensuring the there is enough for everyone - enough food, enough money, enough healthcare, education. Where everyone is treated fairly, honestly, with respect, and with compassion and kindness. We deserve that kind of world. It is the birthright of each of us, regardless of race, skin colour, religion, sexuality. I also pray that we can usher in this kind of world peacefully.🙏 💛 Image: @nikkolas_smith
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“David Hamilton is an expert on how our thoughts and minds can physically change our bodies.” Daily Express

“David Hamilton displays natural communication skills and adaptability in successfully engaging with business audiences.”  Drew Pryde, Chairman of the Scottish Institute of Business Leaders

“Very Impressive!” Red Magazine

Kindred Spirit Magazine, “Best MBS Writer Award 2016”

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