An antidote to overthinking

Joseph Goldstein's "cowboy dharma"

Overthinking may be the psychological pandemic of our era. My longtime friend and meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein has a technique to address it, using his unique mix of contemplative skill and mischievous wit. He calls it “cowboy dharma.”

Here’s how it works:

Next time you’re in a “think-hole,” imagine yourself playfully pulling a toy gun out of a holster and taking shots at the intrusive thoughts. Pew, pew, pew.

This is a gamified version of the Buddhist concept of sampajanna, or “clear seeing.” Perhaps the most powerful way to counteract overthinking is to see thoughts for what they are: quantum bursts of energy in the mind that are, in Joseph's words, “little more than nothing.”

Once you recognize that you are not your thoughts, they don’t own you as much. As Sam Harris, a mutual friend of mine and Joseph’s recently explained: Unexamined, thoughts can become everything; examined, they lose their power.

One last thing to say about cowboy dharma: It is absolutely crucial that you retain a sense of humor as you take potshots at your thoughts. If you’re firing from a place of aversion, the whole thing can backfire.

Cowboy dharma came up during today’s episode of the 10% Happier podcast, in which I chatted with my senior producer Marissa Schneiderman about what it’s like to go on a meditation retreat. 

I opened a chat thread this morning to discuss all things retreats, and ask for your opinion about a possibly useful—possibly not—idea I have to help you find the right retreat.

Last but not at all least - this afternoon I am doing a live video AMA (Ask Me Anything) at 4:30PM ET, via the Substack app (you do need to download the app to access it). We can talk meditation, my podcast, my cats. Anything. Hope to see you there.

Below, paid subscribers get a cheatsheet of the episode with a list of key takeaways, time-coded highlights, and a full transcript. If you sign up, you’ll also get access to the chat, monthly AMAs, and more.