TLDR: In this retreat, we will practice three popular methods: Focusing, Downward Arrow (a Cognitive Behavior Therapy technique), and Internal Double Crux to resolve the internal conflicts that are holding you back from pursuing your EA goals. We will do this in pairs to allow for direct feedback to improve those skills and make it less likely to fool yourself. Fill out this Google Form to register for the retreat.
Do you feel constrained in your ability to pursue your Effective Altruism goals effectively because anxiety is holding you back, you're struggling with procrastination, have recurring negative thoughts or other unhelpful behavior, and standard therapy or meditation doesn't seem to give you much progress?
These feelings, thoughts, or behaviors that are holding you back come from internal conflict. For example, you may wish you could apply for that job but also feel scared and don't like doing it. You can't both want to do and not want it simultaneously, so there is a conflict somewhere.
Often, both perspectives, in this case, of wanting to apply for a job and feeling scared, have something useful to offer. Uncovering the true motivations behind these feelings and bringing this to our attention is important for resolving the internal conflict and integrating it into a coherent set of behaviors with which we are fully on board.
This retreat will give you the time and space to go much deeper than usual in investigating what is driving these internal conflicts. This can be a difficult process to master, so practicing it deliberately with a facilitator and other like-minded people who can give you direct feedback can make the learning of these skills much more effective.
On this day, we focus on three popular methods to resolve these internal conflicts: Focusing, a Cognitive Behavior Therapy technique called the Downward arrow, and Internal Double Crux. Those techniques complement each other well and help us investigate our feelings, behavior, and beliefs from different angles and perspectives.
The first technique we will practice is Focusing (audiobook); this method helps you bring more clarity to something you're aware of on some level but isn't entirely clear what it is. For example, tensing up when someone specifically walks into a room, but you do not exactly know why you are tensing up. The second technique is a specific Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) method and a variant of the Downward arrow technique explained in this podcast (start at 1:48:06) to investigate whether your unconscious beliefs make sense. The third technique is Internal Double Crux, which investigates contradictory beliefs as contradictory beliefs can't both be true (by definition).
All these methods will be practiced in pairs. While most of these methods can be done alone, my experience is that they can be considerably more effective with another person as the listener. The methods seem relatively simple, but many pitfalls can prevent them from working effectively. I will explain them and help you make sense of the method during your practice time, as direct feedback while practicing the method is one of the core ways to learn a skill.
Towards the evening, we will do a breathwork session, which can be a powerful experience for many people to process the emotions we worked on during the rest of the day. This is optional and totally fine if you don't feel comfortable with it.
At the end of the day, we will do a sharing round and make an action plan for how you can best integrate these practices into your daily life to continue getting benefits out of them.
This retreat is suitable for you
This retreat might not be suitable if you have severe depression, severe anxiety disorder, or any other heavy mental health issue. In that case, this retreat might be too overwhelming, and seeking professional support might be more helpful.
Note that there will be a lot of sharing. I will create a safe and non-judgemental space where all sharing will be respected and optional, you don't have to share more than you want to but you might still feel uncomfortable.
If that's the case, or if you have any other uncertainties or doubts you'd like to discuss, don't hesitate to book a call with me or reach out on Meetup or in any other way.
This is an independently organized event (not an official EA Netherlands event) by me, Raymond Koopmanschap. I have been engaged in effective altruism for more than 5 years now. I have run several mental health-related workshops at the EA Summer camp and the LessWrong Community weekend, managed a four-day event for CFAR alums, and organized a day retreat like this in Amsterdam, which was well-received and excited me to organize another retreat.
Note that we will not dive into EA-specific content. The target audience is people who are already trying or want to bring EA into practice but experience psychological barriers to doing so.
The retreat is self-contained, and all necessary material to practice the techniques will be explained during the retreat. Nevertheless, some good sources can already give you a solid introduction and additional perspectives to help you absorb the content covered on the retreat more quickly.
Focusing
Team-CBT Downward arrow technique
Internal Double Crux
Belief updating
