When Your Mind Won’t Let Go: Understanding Intrusive Thoughts with Curiosity, Not Fear
 
This class is a space to understand intrusive thoughts (including OCD-style thoughts) and why they tend to latch onto the things we care about most. Instead of teaching you how to control your mind or “think more positively,” we’ll slow things down and look at what happens when we get curious about these thoughts rather than battling them.
We’ll talk about why your brain does this, what actually keeps the cycle going, and how learning to respond differently—without fear or urgency—can change everything.
No fixing. No forcing. Just a different relationship with your thoughts.
 
This class is for:
Anyone who has intrusive thoughts and secretly worries, “Does this mean something about me?”
Parents (especially during pregnancy or postpartum) who feel shaken by unexpected thoughts
Partners or loved ones trying to understand what intrusive thoughts are really like
Helpers, educators, and mental health professionals who want more human language around this topic
Anyone tired of fighting their own brain
 
In this class, you can expect to:
Understand what intrusive thoughts are—and why they show up without meaning you want, believe, or will act on them.
Spot the parts of you that rush in to “fix,” argue with, or get rid of the thoughts—and learn why those parts are trying to help (even when it backfires).
Practice a calmer, more grounded way of responding when intrusive thoughts pop up, so they don’t run the show or hijack your nervous system.
 
Speaker Bio
Hi, My name is Jessica Selby, I am an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist who has been working in the mental health field since 2020 and I’m also a parent who has personally navigated OCD-related intrusive thoughts. I understand how scary and isolating these thoughts can feel, especially when they clash with our values. Through my own experience and clinical work, I’ve learned that change doesn’t come from getting rid of thoughts, but from relating to them differently. My work today focuses on helping people step out of the fight with their thoughts and into a more compassionate, grounded relationship with themselves. I bring a very human, real-life approach to this work, one that honors both the science and the emotional experience of living with a busy mind. This class is something I genuinely wish I had access to earlier, and I’m grateful to get to offer it now.