Focusing

Focusing is a psychotherapeutic process developed by psychotherapist Eugene Gendlin. It involves a specific kind of attention to the body's physical sensations, or the "felt sense", which can lead to greater understanding and resolution of psychological issues.

Overview

Focusing is a method for accessing and working with the body's wisdom through the felt sense. The felt sense is a physical sensation that embodies a particular psychological state or situation. Focusing can be used in conjunction with other therapies, such as psychoanalysis and cognitive behavioral therapy.

History

Focusing was developed in the 1960s by Eugene Gendlin, a student of Carl Rogers. Gendlin's research at the University of Chicago identified a specific kind of internal processing that correlated with successful outcomes in psychotherapy. He named this process "focusing".

Method

The focusing process involves several steps:

1. Clearing a space: The individual takes a moment to let go of immediate preoccupations.
2. Felt sense: The individual pays attention to the internal bodily sensation that represents a particular issue.
3. Handle: The individual finds a word, phrase, or image that accurately represents the felt sense.
4. Resonating: The individual checks this handle against the felt sense to see if it resonates.
5. Asking: The individual asks open-ended questions of the felt sense.
6. Receiving: The individual receives whatever comes back from the felt sense, without judgment.

Applications

Focusing has been applied in many different contexts, including psychotherapy, personal growth, decision making, creative process, and conflict resolution.

See also

• Body psychotherapy
• Somatic psychology
• Mindfulness

External links

• The Focusing Institute

Focusing Resources
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