When You Go Away: Working with Numbing, Distraction, and Escape
Understanding and meeting the parts of you that pull you away
Scrolling. Overthinking. Shutting down. Staying busy.
These patterns aren’t failures—they are protective responses that developed for a reason.
In this workshop, we’ll slow down enough to notice how and when you go away, and begin to relate differently to the parts of you that take you there.
Rather than trying to eliminate these patterns, we’ll explore how to recognize and meet them in real time.
What you'll gain...
What you’ll experience
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Understanding what makes a ritual feel meaningful (vs. forced or performative)
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Creating simple rituals to mark transitions, endings, beginnings, and important moments
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Exploring how ritual can help you move through emotional states and stuck places
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Guided exercises to experiment with your own forms of ritual
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Reflection and optional sharing in a small group setting
When You Go Away: Working with Numbing, Distraction, and Escape
The Nitty Gritty...
Who This Is For
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You notice yourself checking out, numbing, or getting pulled into distraction more than you’d like
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You find yourself overthinking, staying busy, or avoiding what’s actually happening inside
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You want to understand why you go away, not just try to stop it
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You’re interested in relating to these patterns with more awareness and less judgment
What to Expect
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A small, intimate group (limited to 8 people)
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A guided exploration of how and when you go away from yourself
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Experiential exercises to slow down and notice the moment disconnection begins
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Opportunities to meet and understand the parts of you that pull you away
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Practice gently returning to yourself in real time
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Time for reflection, journaling, and optional sharing
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A grounded, non-performative space—no pressure to share more than you want
You don’t need any prior experience—just a willingness to slow down and engage with your own experience
Workshop Date & Time
Saturday, May 30th, 2026
10:00am–12:30pm
Held at 5249 College Ave, Oakland CA
Snacks and tea will be provided
$20 suggested donation, no one turned away for
lack of funds
What You’ll Walk Away With
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A clearer understanding of your patterns of numbing, distraction, or escape
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Increased awareness of when you begin to go away in real time
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A different relationship to these patterns—less judgment, more understanding
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Practical ways to return to yourself without forcing or overriding your experience
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A sense of how these patterns are trying to help, not just get in the way
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More steadiness in staying with what’s actually happening inside
Cost + Registration
$20 suggested donation—no one turned away for lack of funds
Space is limited to 8 participants
About the Facilitators
Grady M Fort, LMFT
I’ve spent over 20 years immersed in group work, both as a participant and facilitator. What continues to move me is how powerful it is to step out of isolation and into shared space—where experience can be witnessed, felt, and explored together.
This offering grows out of that foundation, with a focus on something most of us know well: the ways we leave ourselves.
Checking out.
Numbing.
Staying busy.
Getting pulled into thought.
These aren’t random habits—they are meaningful, protective responses that developed for a reason. Rather than trying to eliminate them, this work creates space to slow down and begin to understand what’s happening underneath.
My background in parts work shapes how I approach this. Instead of pushing through or trying to fix these patterns, we learn to relate to the parts of us that pull away—with curiosity, respect, and a willingness to listen. Often, what looks like avoidance is actually an attempt to protect something more vulnerable.
In these spaces, you can expect something grounded and experiential. Less about ideas, more about direct contact—with your own experience, and at times, with others in the room. My role is to help create a container that feels steady enough to stay with what’s here, without needing to force change.
This work isn’t about getting rid of distraction or numbing. It’s about learning how to recognize when you’re going away—and developing a more conscious, compassionate way of returning.