Episode 31: What's Behind the Stories We Tell Ourselves? - a podcast by Frank Anderson MD MPH and Lisa Barry

Episode 31: What's Behind the Stories We Tell Ourselves?

Exploring awareness of thoughts goes beyond just single thoughts to the sometimes elaborate stories we create in our own mind. In this episode, we explore awareness of what drives our need to create stories and figure things out. 

Clearly, we use our brains to solve problems but sometimes we think we have to figure things out with stories that may have no grounding in truth. Sometimes, these stories have a flavor of competition or defensiveness- told to ourselves to gain an advantage, and leads to thinking our version of the story has to be right or to "win”.  In some ways, It may be an inherited survival technique or perhaps a learned practice.  The compelling thing about these stories is that you think they are true- thus creating a false narrative that has implications.

By exploring awareness, we have an opportunity to see all of this happening from the awareness space, investigate it and see where it comes from and evaluate if it's helpful. Are these stories serving our innate qualities of peace, joy love and generosity, or are they creating a small world, closing off opportunities for a freer and more open expansive life.

Consider this Buddhist quote- “The winner sows hatred because the loser suffers. Let go of winning and losing and find joy.”

Enjoy the discussion and the guided meditation. Perhaps you will discover a “silent sense of knowing”, a realization that in the awareness of these stories, a transformation occurs and the world becomes a much bigger, expansive and more wonderful place.

Further episodes of Exploring Awareness

Further podcasts by Frank Anderson MD MPH and Lisa Barry

Website of Frank Anderson MD MPH and Lisa Barry