More Than Your Story: A Deep Inner Journey of Healing, Joy, and True Freedom | Br. Pham Hanh

What if you could be free from the story you’ve been telling yourself? In this warm and personal Dharma talk, Br. Pham Hanh invites us on a deep inner journey—one of healing, joy, and true freedom. Drawing from his own lived experience with burnout, trauma, and recovery, he gently shows how the stories we tell ourselves—shaped by habit, hurt, or family inheritance—can keep us stuck. With mindfulness practices and practical reflections, you’ll learn how to: • Recognize limiting stories and inner voices • Return to the present moment with kindness • Let go of old patterns with compassion and clarity 🧘 This talk was recorded on 13 May 2025 in Upper Hamlet, Plum Village, France during our Addiction Recovery Retreat. 🕒 Chapters: 00:00 – Introduction: Why Stories Matter Setting the tone: the role of stories in human life and how they shape our reality. 01:35 – A Journey Back in Time An imagined story of ancient storytellers — connecting past and present human experience. 05:44 – Bart’s Turning Point: Burnout & Awakening Personal story of burnout, self-worth struggles, and the first major insight: “You feel you’re not good enough.” 10:50 – The Story of Alcohol and Inner Conflict Facing the habit of drinking, the internal voice of escape, and choosing mindful presence. 17:55 – Relationships, Rejection, and Realization Learning to understand others’ responses, emotional needs, and the art of taking responsibility for our inner world. 22:00 – Trauma, Inheritance & Compassion Understanding trauma, generational pain, and developing compassion for ourselves and others. 33:30 – How to Free Yourself from the Story Mindful tools, songs, embodiment, and the path to freedom from limiting narratives. 1:05:00 – Letting Go: “The Best Story is No Story” Closing insight from the Buddha and Bart’s reflection on truth, choice, and transformation. Take Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village teachings wherever you go with The Plum Village App: a completely free app with guided meditations, deep relaxations and other practices offered by Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh and his monastic community ➛ https://plumvillage.app Enjoy! 🙏 Discover more about us at https://plumvillage.org/ , dive deeper into the practice of mindfulness by practicing with us on a retreat https://plumvillage.org/retreats/ or connect with us by supporting Thich Nhat Hanh’s community and legacy at: https://plumvillage.org/donate Help us caption and translate our videos: https://plumvillage.app/subtitles/ What is the story i tell myself ? tell myself, tell myself What is the story i tell myself over and over and over ...? This is the story i tell myself, tell myself, tell myself This is the story i tell myself over and over and over ...! 'Hello' to the story i tell myself I treasure the story i tell myself I cling to the story i tell myself I'm caught i the story i tell myself It's only a story i tell myself I smile to the story i tell myself I'm dropping the story i tell myself Bye bye to the story i tell myself I'm free from the story i tell myself tell myself, tell myself I'm free from the story i tell myself Embracing the Present Moment :-) Written by Eveline Beumkes and given free permission to use in dharma context