Workshop: Navigating Overthinking and Creating a Supportive Space
Group Type: Workshop
Goals of the group
This is a space where we can explore overthinking rather than suppressing it (as we know, saying “don’t think about it” or “you’re overthinking, stop” rarely works!). We aim to understand what our mind is truly trying to convey, avoid, distract, or notice beneath the guise of overthinking. At the heart of overthinking lies anxiety, which often forms a cloud of overthinking. But what is this cloud really obscuring or trying to communicate?
Our goal is not to provide a 5-step formula to eliminate overthinking. Instead, we seek to understand how our mind works and coexist with this aspect of ourselves. As a group, we will explore various ways to cope with the cloud of overthinking that often hinders decision-making. Sharing similar experiences and situations, we can offer support and understanding to one another.
Workshop Regime
Session 1: Unpacking Overthinking
- What led you to join this workshop?
- How does overthinking affect your sense of self?
- What coping mechanisms have you been using?
- What are your expectations for the group?
Session 2: Getting to Know the Overthinker in You
- What is your relationship with overthinking?
- Exploring sensations, feelings, and needs
- Understanding the functions of overthinking
- Cultivating curiosity and compassion
Session 3: Exploring Pain Points
- Negative bias vs. fantasizing
- Exploring thought patterns
- The balance between indulgence and resistance
- Making informed decisions
Session 4: Building Perspective and Finding Support
- How has your narrative around overthinking evolved?
- Seeking self-validation
- Nurturing facets of support
- Group check-in
Note: The session topics, order, and other details may be subject to change based on the needs and preferences of the group members and facilitators.
Please note that the session topics, order, and other details may be subject to change based on the needs and preferences of the group members and facilitators.
Facilitator Bio:
There are some stories that are spoken out loud. But the others, they stay inside us; waiting to be heard, yet dreading expression- like the ache of being unseen in a relationship, or the confusion of staying when something in us longs to leave. Over the years, in my work as a psychotherapist, I’ve witnessed many such stories-of people holding tension between loyalty and loss, love and loneliness, silence and survival.
My approach is trauma-informed, relational, and grounded in presence. I often draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS), psychodynamic theory, somatic practices, and mindfulness-based listening to help people make contact with parts of themselves they’ve long ignored or dimmed to keep peace. This group is not about fixing what’s broken. It’s about returning to yourself with gentleness. About finding language for what hurts. And about being met there; with care, and without judgment. I hold this space with deep respect for the complexity of marriage, honoring the coexistence of multiple truths and the quiet strength it takes to show up in the midst of uncertainty.
