Break Up With Your Phone, A 4-week Attention Builder
This 4-week Olio Circle, led by LMSW Jaclyn Thomas, encourages us to work as a group in order to free ourselves from the stronghold our phones seem to have on us—or at least to change our relationship with them so that we can use them, rather than being used by them.
We will meet at the Olio Lighthouse on bi-weekly Sundays from 3:00–5:00 PM starting January 11th. Join the fun! Restore your attention, build your mindfulness, and make some friends along the way.
Our heads are down at a time when we desperately need to be looking up and ahead.
This disconnection from ourselves is leading to greater division with other humans, animals, plants, and the world around us. As a meditation teacher once said: How will you know yourself if you’re constantly being distracted by your phone?
This program invites you to know yourself and reconnect with parts of yourself that you may have lost to your device.
How It Works
We are using the 30-day phone-breakup challenge from the book How to Break Up With Your Phone by Catherine Price.
In this group, we will explore why phones are so addictive, learn strategies to break the cycle of addiction, and develop a healthier relationship with our phones through the 30-day breakup challenge.
In our four group sessions, therapist and mindfulness practitioner Jaclyn Thomas will lead us through meditations and exercises (some from the book, some not) that foster deeper connection with ourselves, others, and the world around us.
The Process
Session 1
We will assess our past and current relationship to our phones through reflections and exercises. Since we aren’t looking to villainize our devices, but rather shift our relationship to them, we will take stock of what we want to continue using our phones for.
Session 2
We will reflect on what we currently pay attention to in our lives, what we’ve stopped paying attention to, and what we want to pay more attention to. We’ll do this through reflective discussion and a “Mindful Tech” exercise, noticing the impact our phones have on our mind, body, and heart.
Session 3
We will celebrate the progress we’ve made so far and discuss our experience with the 24-hour phone detox. We will also engage in a deep focus and listening exercise to continue flexing our focus and attention muscles.
Session 4
We made it! This is our time to look back at all the work we’ve done—the hardest parts, the best parts, and the most surprising parts. We will end by writing a letter to ourselves about what we’ve learned, what we’re proud of, and what we want to continue practicing. Since we’ve become close-knit as a group, we’ll leave with accountability buddies to help us stay committed to our goals.
Your Facilitator: Jaclyn Thomas, LMSW
“When not leading groups on topics I’m passionate about, you can find me working as a therapist and mindfulness director at a NYC-based private practice.
In my spare time, I attend meditation groups, take yoga classes, and try to enjoy nature as much as I can.”
The Value
By assembling in groups, we are able to offer dedicated time with a highly engaged therapist for much less than normal.
4 weeks at our lower-income level is $200, which comes out to $25/hour.
Each session is 2 hours long, including group time and optional individual focus.
If you are able to support us at the suggested level, you are ensuring that our therapist is paid well and that future attendees can access this experience at an affordable cost.
Details
This skills and support group will be a 4-week series that meets every other week on Sundays from 3:00–5:00 PM. Meeting every other week gives you time between sessions to do the reading and exercises from the 30-day phone-breakup challenge.
We know a 4-week group every other week is a commitment, so we understand if you need to miss a session. However, we ask that you do your best to attend all sessions for the cohesiveness and community of the group.
When: Sundays — Jan 11th, Jan 25th, Feb 1st, Feb 15th
Time: 3:00–5:00 PM
Where: The Olio Lighthouse (Bergen St between Carlton and Vanderbilt Avenues)
What Are OlioCircles?
Led by a therapist and supported by a dedicated group of 10–12 people, these Circles can be thought of as a complement to your existing therapy, or as a new approach to healing done in a group setting rather than one-on-one.
Group processing and peer support have been central to non-Western approaches to healing for thousands of years. At Olio, we are committed to creating spaces where you can find purpose and belonging, helping to usher in a new vision of society.
This Circle will be 4 weeks long and meet on bi-weekly Sundays in October and November.
Traditional therapy is valuable, but it often mirrors the isolating systems that contribute to our distress. As Patricia Kim says, many so-called “mental illnesses” may be more accurately understood as social illnesses, caused by societal and environmental factors such as perceived isolation, competition, and diminishing community spaces.
What Is Expected of You
An open mind, a willingness to participate (at your own pace and depth, of course), and the desire to support others and be supported.
Some Words of Inspiration We Align With
“We face an unheavenly host of challenges as a species. But the constancy of attempts to ‘look inward’ obscures a more scandalous idea: that the self is not ‘inside’ per se, but between. I sense, like my dear colleague Professor Wendy Hollway, that ‘psychology is the policeman of capitalism.’ I think that the therapeutic rituals of care that now dominate the globe are materially implicated in the preservation of a kind of war against the world around us.
We are good at looking inward, but not very good at looking around.”
— Bayo Akomolafe