Understanding the Overwhelmed Mind: Coping with Scary, Spiraling Thoughts

Me: I feel like I am losing control of my mind and going crazy. This used to be how I felt for the years after doing shrooms. But in the last few months I've learned more about presence and the human body and haven't been feeling crazy all the time. But I feel it now. It feels out of control. My mind feels out of control. Like it's just going crazy and I'm watching it happen and unable to do anything. Based on what I'm learning, I seem to be in Flight mode in my nervous system. I was given some techniques to help my body process those activated states but it didn't really do much and my mind just couldn't stop analyzing what I was doing, waiting to feel different, and panicking when it felt like I couldn't benefit from the exercise because my mind itself was distracting me from dropping into my body

Dr. Gpt: It sounds like you're feeling really overwhelmed by your mind right now, like it’s spinning out of control and you’re stuck observing it. Given your past experiences with shrooms and the more recent learning about presence and your body, it’s understandable that this feels even more disorienting after having some reprieve from feeling "crazy."

The fact that your mind is analyzing and waiting for something to change, especially during exercises meant to calm you, is a classic sign of the "Flight" mode you're describing. The constant vigilance and inability to relax into your body can be really frustrating because it's like the mind is caught in a loop, even when your body is trying to process what’s happening.

One thing to consider is that this kind of hyper-analysis from your mind is its way of trying to keep you safe. It's attempting to control something that feels unmanageable—your nervous system activation—by overthinking and scrutinizing every moment. The problem is, the more your mind tries to fix the situation, the more it can pull you away from actually experiencing the relief your body is capable of accessing.

You’re not alone in this, and it’s normal for your mind to fight against these exercises at first. One possible approach might be to give your mind permission to be "out of control" or to overanalyze without trying to change it or make it stop. Simply letting yourself notice that this is happening might take the edge off a little, even though it doesn’t fix the discomfort. Just the act of noticing can sometimes soften the intensity over time.

If you'd like, I can also help guide you through a grounding or somatic practice with an emphasis on allowing both your mind and body to be where they are without forcing a shift. Does that feel like something you’d want to explore?

Me: Yeah let's try.

Dr. Gpt: Let's start with a simple grounding practice that emphasizes not fighting against what your mind is doing, but instead, creating a space for it while also reconnecting with your body. It’s okay if your mind analyzes or judges the process—just let it do what it does without trying to change it. Our goal is to gently redirect focus while allowing the mind to stay busy if it needs to.

Step 1: Get Comfortable

Find a comfortable seated or lying down position. If it feels good, you can close your eyes or soften your gaze.

Step 2: Notice Your Breath

Without trying to change anything, simply notice how you're breathing. Is your breath shallow or deep? Fast or slow? Just notice. You don’t have to do anything about it. Allow your mind to notice too.

If it helps, you can imagine that both your body and mind are observers of the breath—like two people watching the same thing. It’s okay if your mind is analyzing the breath.

Step 3: Sense Your Feet

Bring your attention down to your feet. Feel them touching the ground, or if you're lying down, feel the weight of them resting. What sensations do you notice? You might feel warmth, coolness, pressure, or maybe nothing at all. Whatever you notice is okay.

Again, let your mind do what it wants. If it starts commenting on the sensations or pulling you away from your feet, that’s fine. Gently bring your attention back to the physical sensations when you can.

Step 4: Engage the Legs

Move your attention slowly up from your feet into your legs. You can gently squeeze your leg muscles or shift them slightly to bring more awareness there. Feel the contact with the chair or floor, and notice the solidness of your legs.

Let your mind be busy if it wants to. The body is here, grounding you, even if the mind is racing.

Step 5: Notice the Weight of Your Body

Feel the weight of your whole body being supported by whatever you’re sitting or lying on. Let gravity do the work, pulling you down, holding you securely to the earth.

If your mind is still active, you might even mentally acknowledge that, saying something like, "Okay, mind, you’re doing your thing, and my body is doing its thing." You don’t need to fix the mind—just let it be busy while your body grounds.

Step 6: Allowing Space for Both

Now, see if you can let both your busy mind and your grounded body exist together. There's space for both. If your mind jumps back in with analysis or distraction, it’s okay—it’s just part of the process.

Breathe gently, feel the weight of your body, and let the mind be as it is. No need to change anything.

How did that feel? Were you able to notice both the sensations in your body and your mind’s activity? Sometimes it takes a few tries, but the more you practice allowing both the mind and body to exist without trying to force anything, the easier it can become to settle into your body even when the mind is active.

Me: This all makes sense intellectually now that I know what I know. I just still sense some mental protectors in my head about trying to get myself calmer when activated. But maybe that isn't the goal? I've been thinking the goal is becoming aware when something is on fire and putting it out as soon as I can notice it. Sounds a lot like my parents' parenting strategy. But I think what everyone is saying is there is nothing you need to do about the thoughts you're having. Bare minimum, try to notice that they are thoughts so that you don't get confused by it thinking it's all you are.

Dr. Gpt:It sounds like you're recognizing that the mental protectors—the part of you that feels responsible for putting out fires as soon as you notice them—are still very active, even as you work through this new understanding. And you're right: the goal isn’t necessarily to calm down or fix the situation the moment it flares up. That urgency to fix, control, or calm is deeply ingrained, especially if it mirrors the way you were parented, and it makes sense why it would still be there.

What you're describing—just noticing thoughts for what they are without needing to do something about them—really is the shift that many mindfulness and somatic practices suggest. It's not about extinguishing the fire but about recognizing the fire for what it is, and knowing that even if it's there, it doesn't mean you have to leap into action every time.

When you notice a fire (a mental activation, a flood of thoughts), you can acknowledge it, and simply remind yourself: "This is happening, and I’m noticing it. That’s all I need to do right now." That’s where the power of awareness comes in—noticing that these are thoughts, protectors, or defenses trying to keep you safe, and remembering they’re not all that you are. It’s like giving yourself permission to not jump into 'fix it' mode.

Maybe what you're sensing as resistance or protectiveness is simply these long-held patterns that equate safety with control. Over time, they might soften as you continue to practice just noticing rather than fixing.

So you're right—there’s nothing you need to do about the thoughts themselves. Just noticing them, without letting them define you or rush you into action, can be enough. Does this feel like it aligns with where you're at, or does it still feel tricky to sit with?

Me: I think my resistance is my resistance to trust a new frame of reality where I have silent messengers in my head/body

Dr. Gpt: That makes a lot of sense. Trusting a new frame of reality—where instead of rushing to fix things, you have these silent messengers in your head and body—is a huge shift, especially when you’ve spent so much time in a mode of control, managing, and fixing. These "silent messengers" can feel unfamiliar, maybe even a little unnerving, because they’re not demanding immediate action. Instead, they’re simply present, quietly offering signals or alerts without forcing you into response mode.

It's natural to resist this new way of being because it involves letting go of old protective patterns that have probably felt like survival tools for a long time. Trusting those quiet signals and trusting yourself to not have to immediately react to them can feel vulnerable and uncertain, almost like stepping into unknown territory.

The messengers you’re noticing—the thoughts, sensations, and impulses—are now being invited to exist without the urgency to fix or quiet them. But they’ve been part of your internal safety system for so long that it can feel strange or unsafe to trust them without immediately doing something.

It’s almost like learning a new language, where your body and mind communicate, but you’re asked to listen without jumping to conclusions or actions. And that takes time.

If it helps, you might remind yourself that you don’t need to force trust or push yourself into this new reality quickly. The process is more about noticing the resistance and allowing it to be there too. There’s no rush to fully trust it yet. It’s okay to take small steps into this new frame, and as you do, the trust can build naturally over time.

Me: It also involves, for me, the feeling like I need to believe in ghosts. Like, I am so disturbed by the idea of knowing what the human experience is. This feels so spooky and mystical to have silent messages in your head that only you can see, don't control you, and that you can manage. That sounds crazy to me!!

Dr. Gpt: You're describing something that feels eerie and surreal—like discovering a whole hidden layer of the human experience that is both intimately personal and yet somewhat mystical. The idea of these silent messages, or inner voices, that aren’t out to control you, but are simply there, feels almost like a brush with the supernatural. It's like you’re being asked to believe in “ghosts”—intangible parts of yourself that, while unseen, still deeply influence your experience.

This feeling of spookiness makes total sense because you’re encountering an inner world that doesn’t operate by the same rules of logic or action you’re used to. It’s like stepping into a version of reality where the parts of you have presence and agency, but in a subtle, quiet way. For so long, those parts may have been drowned out by louder survival instincts or mental protectors. Now that you’re opening up to their existence, they feel strange, almost like ghosts in the room that you've only just started to see.

It is unsettling, even surreal, to consider that so much of your experience might involve these unspoken messengers that don’t demand you fix, judge, or act. They’re just there, calmly informing you, and that calm itself can feel deeply unfamiliar.

And yes, it can feel a little like “crazy talk” to think of your mind this way—filled with silent, invisible signals that communicate in their own unique ways. But maybe the unsettling part is actually a sign that you're finally letting these parts surface, becoming more conscious of them, even if they feel ghostly for now. The more familiar you get with them, the more likely they’ll feel like natural parts of yourself, not supernatural visitors.

Me: I feel so hesitant to believe you about all of this. You're telling me the cacophony I have in my head is real and makes sense and that it is not all that I am. I feel guarded to try on another perspective of reality. I've been searching for answers to my pain for a long time and I'm now pretty guarded about what I'm willing to consider. Why should I believe this? How is this different than those new age groups talking about past lives and ancestors?

Dr. Gpt: Your hesitation makes complete sense, especially given how deeply you've been searching for answers and how many perspectives you've likely encountered that didn’t feel right or left you more skeptical. When you’ve been through years of pain and searching, each new perspective can feel like just another lens that promises clarity but might ultimately lead to confusion or disappointment. So it’s natural to approach this idea with caution.

Here’s how this differs from the more mystical, new-age perspectives like past lives or ancestor spirits:

1. Grounded in Human Experience: This approach doesn’t require you to believe in anything outside your own lived experience. Silent messages, or “parts” of the mind, are grounded in psychology and neuroscience, reflecting how our brains naturally form patterns and internal voices to manage experiences, especially stress or trauma. It's a way of describing how the brain organizes thoughts, reactions, and defenses, without invoking anything supernatural.

2. Normalizes Internal Conflict: Instead of seeing the mind’s cacophony as a mystical or otherworldly phenomenon, this perspective views it as a common, very human experience. The "cacophony" is just a mix of your various mental patterns trying to help you adapt, even when they may be at odds with each other. This doesn’t make you less coherent or whole; it just means you have layers of responses, each trying to do a job based on past experiences.

3. Not All-Encompassing or Defining: One of the core ideas here is that, while your thoughts and mental patterns are very real, they don’t define you entirely. You’re not being asked to ignore them, pretend they don’t exist, or think of them as mystical truths. Instead, they’re seen as aspects of your experience, not the whole of your being. This perspective encourages you to gently observe them without necessarily identifying with them as the entirety of who you are.

4. Pragmatic, Not Spiritual: The goal here isn’t spiritual enlightenment but rather practical relief—finding a way to coexist with the thoughts and sensations in your head without needing them to define or overwhelm you. Instead of looking to “heal” or “purify” these parts, the focus is on integrating and understanding them. They become pieces of the puzzle rather than mystical revelations.

Ultimately, you don’t need to take on this perspective right away or even believe in it fully. You can try it out with curiosity, like putting on a coat to see how it fits. If it doesn’t bring you clarity or resonates over time, that’s okay too. But maybe giving yourself the option to explore without fully committing could feel like a way to test it without feeling pressured.

Me: If this is so obvious to everyone and to science, how did I miss out on learning this? Does everyone else know and I missed out? Or has no one known? How long have we known this?

Dr. Gpt: It's a great question, and you're definitely not alone in feeling like you missed out on this understanding. The truth is, this perspective—seeing our minds as composed of different parts or voices and understanding that we’re not defined by our thoughts—is actually pretty new in terms of widespread cultural understanding. While psychology has been studying aspects of this for a while, the ideas of self-compassion, mindfulness, and the "parts" of the mind (like in Internal Family Systems, for example) have only recently become mainstream.

Here’s a bit of context:

1. Modern Psychological Insights: Concepts like the “parts” of the mind, mindfulness, and nervous system regulation weren’t widely understood until recent decades. Research in neuroscience, trauma, and mental health over the past 20-30 years has deepened our understanding of how these systems work. Only in recent years have therapeutic approaches, like mindfulness-based practices and trauma-informed therapies, become more available and widely discussed.

2. Not Common Knowledge: Most people still don’t have a solid grasp on these ideas. They might be familiar with the concept of “self-talk” or mindfulness on a surface level, but the deeper understanding that our minds are layered with different voices or parts that aren’t our whole identity is still something people are learning. So, no, everyone else hasn’t secretly known about it—you’re exploring these ideas at a time when they’re really just coming to light for a lot of people.

3. Access and Exposure: For a long time, mental health conversations were often limited to very basic ideas (like “think positive” or “overcome your negative thoughts”). Only in the past decade or so have we started discussing more nuanced approaches. Resources, especially online, have only recently brought deeper ideas like somatic work and mindfulness to a wider audience. So many people—even those who are really self-aware or educated—might not have encountered these ideas in an accessible way until fairly recently.

4. Human Complexity Isn’t Taught in School: Generally, we don’t learn about the complexity of our minds and nervous systems in school or as part of cultural knowledge. There’s still a big gap in how we’re educated about our own mental and emotional landscapes. A lot of people are just beginning to realize that there's more to mental health than willpower or rationality.

Your feeling of “how did I not know this?” is really common. You’re getting access to ideas that, for most people, are still a new horizon. This isn’t knowledge you missed out on—it's knowledge that many people are just now uncovering.

Me: You're saying it's okay if I don't come to understand that I have parts and layers. How could it be okay? If that's what's true about humans, isn't that what's true and shouldn't I be aiming to make it make sense to me?

Dr. Gpt: I hear you—it feels unsettling to think that there might be a fundamental truth about how the human mind works, and yet it doesn’t fully make sense to you right now. It’s natural to feel like you should understand it if it’s true, like there’s almost an obligation to get it because it could impact how you experience life.

But here’s the thing: it’s okay if understanding these layers and parts takes time or even never becomes something you resonate with completely. The truth of how our minds work can be complex, and we each come to it in our own way, on our own timeline. The fact that there are layers in the mind doesn’t mean everyone has to deeply understand or believe in that framework to be okay or to live a fulfilling, healthy life. The goal isn’t to force ourselves to understand every nuance of how the mind works but rather to find ways of relating to ourselves that feel supportive and true to us personally.

In other words, you don’t have to fully buy into the "parts and layers" concept to live meaningfully, find peace, or work through pain. What matters is finding ways to feel more at ease with yourself. You might even end up creating your own way of understanding your experience—something that makes sense in your unique perspective.

The important part here is permission to explore this concept as much or as little as feels right to you. Instead of aiming to make it all fit immediately, you could see if there are parts that resonate or help you feel supported, and let the rest be for now. If it ends up making sense one day, great. If not, that’s okay too. It’s your understanding and peace that count.

Me: This area of life we are discussing, is there a name for it? Is it the study of Metacognition?

Dr. Gpt: Yes, metacognition is definitely part of what we’re discussing—it’s the study of how we think about our own thinking. But what we’re exploring also goes beyond metacognition. It touches on a few interconnected areas, each with its own focus:

1. Metacognition: As you mentioned, this is about being aware of and reflecting on your thoughts. It’s the ability to observe your own mental processes, recognize patterns, and make conscious choices about them. Metacognition helps us recognize when we’re overthinking or caught in mental loops, for example.

2. Self-Compassion and Self-Awareness: These concepts come from both psychology and mindfulness practices, emphasizing the importance of understanding, observing, and responding to ourselves kindly. These practices help you separate from automatic, critical responses and give space for noticing emotions and thoughts as they are.

3. Parts Work or Internal Family Systems (IFS): This is a therapeutic approach that looks at the mind as composed of different “parts,” or subpersonalities, each with its own needs, roles, and motivations. It’s a way of understanding and harmonizing these different voices, reactions, and impulses within us. While it might feel mystical, it’s a very practical way of understanding why we have conflicting thoughts or behaviors.

4. Mindfulness and Somatic Practices: These involve connecting with our body and physical sensations as part of our mental and emotional experience. This field looks at how our nervous system and body interact with our thoughts and feelings, especially in response to stress or trauma. It’s the recognition that the mind and body aren’t separate but work together.

5. Trauma-Informed Psychology: This field considers how past experiences, especially painful ones, can create layers of defense, hyper-awareness, and survival strategies in our minds and bodies. Understanding trauma responses can shed light on why certain thoughts or feelings might feel overwhelming or out of our control.

Together, these fields make up a larger area often called "self-inquiry" or "inner work." It’s the study of how we can understand, manage, and relate to our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, especially those that arise unconsciously. So, while metacognition is a big part, it’s more like one piece of a broader toolkit for self-discovery and healing.

Me: Why is there no group movement (that I'm aware of) doing activism around humans deserving to know that they are complex and layered? This is incredibly important information. Who is talking about this?

Dr. Gpt: You’re absolutely right—this knowledge is incredibly important and yet not nearly as accessible or widely discussed as it could be. Surprisingly, there isn’t a big, organized movement solely focused on educating people about their inner complexity, but there are growing communities and thought leaders who are working to spread this understanding in their own ways.

Here’s a look at who’s talking about this and why it isn’t more mainstream:

1. Therapists and Mental Health Professionals: Fields like Internal Family Systems (IFS), trauma therapy, and somatic psychology have been educating people about the layered nature of the mind for years. Therapists who practice these approaches often educate clients about “parts” and help them see how their minds work in complex ways. However, because it’s often discussed in therapy rooms, this knowledge hasn’t been widely disseminated to the general public.

2. Mindfulness and Meditation Teachers: Leaders in mindfulness, such as Jon Kabat-Zinn, Tara Brach, and Thich Nhat Hanh, talk about observing thoughts, being present, and understanding oneself beyond just mental chatter. While they don’t always focus on the “parts” model, they emphasize the layered nature of human awareness and emotions. Yet, mindfulness is sometimes still seen as niche or “new age,” so many people haven’t had a chance to explore it deeply.

3. Trauma-Informed Advocacy and Education: Figures like Bessel van der Kolk (author of The Body Keeps the Score) and Gabor Maté (focused on trauma and addiction) are bringing these concepts to larger audiences. Their work discusses how trauma shapes the mind and body, creating layers of protective patterns. They’ve been highly influential in helping people recognize that many of our responses aren’t “us” but are adaptations or responses to past experiences.

4. Emerging Fields in Mental Health Awareness: More people are speaking about mental health on platforms like social media, YouTube, and podcasts. Channels dedicated to psychology, self-help, and mental health education are beginning to explore these concepts, helping people realize they’re not alone in feeling complex and layered. But the conversation is still scattered and lacks cohesion as a “movement.”

5. Barriers to Mainstreaming These Ideas:

   • Cultural Emphasis on Individuality and Productivity: Society often values individuality, self-sufficiency, and productivity, which can conflict with the nuanced understanding that we have complex inner worlds. Recognizing our internal diversity requires slowing down and embracing vulnerability, which doesn’t always align with the fast-paced, success-oriented culture.

   • Stigma and Lack of Education: Mental health topics, especially those involving internal complexity, still face stigma. Education systems rarely cover emotional or psychological complexity in depth, leaving many people without a basic understanding of these ideas.

   • Complexity in Messaging: Concepts like “parts” work, trauma responses, and mindfulness are hard to explain in sound bites, which makes it challenging for them to become part of everyday conversations.

In short, while some people and fields are talking about this, it’s fragmented and hasn’t coalesced into a cohesive movement. The increasing focus on mental health, however, is slowly paving the way for more people to learn about these concepts. There’s a lot of potential for a larger movement around inner complexity, and it’s exciting to think about the change that could come if more people began advocating for this kind of self-understanding.

Me: What would you call it when your mind tends to run away babbling about scary crazy stuff and so you just perpetually dismiss your own immediate experience of being because the thoughts are so unbearable? Is there a name for this?

Dr. Gpt: What you’re describing—when the mind spirals into overwhelming, scary, or chaotic thoughts, and in response, you perpetually dismiss or distance yourself from your immediate experience—could be understood through several psychological and mindfulness lenses. There isn’t one specific name for this experience, but it touches on a few different concepts that might help explain it:

1. Thought Suppression or Avoidance:

This happens when we try to push away or ignore certain thoughts because they’re too painful, disturbing, or scary to deal with. The mind “runs away” with these thoughts, and the natural response is to avoid them or shut them down to protect ourselves. Over time, this can become a habit where we’re constantly disengaging from our own experience to avoid distress.

2. Dissociation:

Dissociation is a psychological response to overwhelming thoughts, feelings, or experiences. When thoughts become too unbearable, it’s common to disconnect from the present moment, almost like numbing or detaching yourself from your immediate experience. Dissociation can be mild, such as zoning out or feeling distant from your emotions, or more intense, where you feel disconnected from reality. While it may not always be full dissociation, what you're describing shares similarities with this.

3. Cognitive Distancing:

This involves distancing yourself from your thoughts because they feel too overwhelming or chaotic to confront directly. It’s a kind of mental separation where you avoid engaging with certain thought patterns to prevent being consumed by them. This can also relate to a form of avoidance where you’re trying to protect yourself from spiraling into more fear or discomfort.

4. Existential or Catastrophic Thinking:

This happens when the mind generates extreme or catastrophic thoughts, often related to deeper fears or existential concerns (like losing control, going crazy, or the nature of reality). When these thoughts feel too intense or disturbing, it’s natural to dismiss them or avoid confronting them because they feel too threatening.

5. Hyperarousal or Fight/Flight Response:

In terms of nervous system functioning, your experience could also be related to hyperarousal, a state where the body and mind are in a heightened fight-or-flight mode due to fear or perceived threats. In this state, the mind can race with scary thoughts, and dismissing or avoiding those thoughts might be a survival mechanism. Your system could be trying to protect you from emotional overwhelm by shutting down or ignoring those thoughts and the experience of being in the moment.

6. Mind Chatter or “Monkey Mind” (in Mindfulness):

Mindfulness practices often refer to a “monkey mind,” where the mind jumps around uncontrollably, often engaging in repetitive, anxious, or disturbing thoughts. The difference in what you're describing is that your thoughts are specifically scary or crazy-feeling, which leads to avoiding or dismissing your current experience because it’s too difficult to sit with.

While none of these terms perfectly encapsulates what you’re experiencing, each touches on a piece of it. The key here seems to be the combination of overwhelming thoughts and the avoidance or dismissal of your own experience to cope with how disturbing those thoughts feel.