Focusing

What is going on with you? What is your body-mind trying to tell you? How might you get in touch with these messages as a way of healing and relieving stress? One method developed in the 1960s by Eugene Gendlin, at the University of Chicago, is called Focusing. Here is a Focusing process defined by two of Gendlin's students, Peter Campbell and Edwin McMahon. There's no way to get all the nuances or to practice it effectively from this outline, but it will give you a sense of how the process works:

1. Get quiet inside.
2. Ask yourself, "What feels like it most needs listening to inside me right now?" Take time to notice what that is. Notice where you feel it and how it feels in your body.
3. Ask yourself, "Is it OK to be with this right now?" If the answer is YES, continue with 4 and 5. If the answer is NO, ask yourself, "Can I be with my feeling of not wanting to be with this?" If that is still not acceptable, then ask yourself, "What can I be with?"
4. If the issue is one that doesn't feel good, sense whether you can give it some caring-presence. Notice how it feels to be with it this way. Then, ask yourself:
5. "Can I let myself feel the whole thing in an open, gentle way, waiting for something to come -- a word, a feeling, an image, a memory -- that fits the way it feels?" If the answer is YES, go to 6. If the answer is NO, ask yourself, "Is it OK to be with the feeling of not wanting to get near it?"
6. If something comes, notice how this feels in your body (don't just try to figure it out with your head). If it's OK to continue, stay with the body-feel of whatever came, allowing your inner story to unfold until it feels right to stop.
7. If nothing comes, or you have to stop before finishing, always promise this unfinished place that you will come back to listen again. If it helps, ask whatever feels incomplete inside: "How do you need me to be with you until you are ready to tell me your story?"
8. If something has unfolded, take time to notice the difference in how it feels now as contrasted with how it felt when you started. Allow time to savor and especially note the body-feel of that change. Finally, you might want to linger in gratitude with the feel of this gifted movement before stopping.

Would you like to learn more? You can read their book: Bio-Spirituality: Focusing As A Way To Grow, read a description of the process at Focusing.org, or work directly with a Focusing Trainer.

Coaching Inquiries: When has your body spoken to you? What would assist you to get quiet enough to listen? Is there anything pressing that you want to focus on? Is there anything vague or subtle that may be stirring? How could you integrate these sensations into your personality and consciousness? What would assist you to move forward with joy?

If you would like to learn more about our Coaching Programs and to arrange for a complementary coaching session, Click Here or Email Us.