The History of Focusing
Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D., working with Dr. Carl Rogers (founder of client-centered psychology) in the 1960s at the University of Chicago, began asking why some people were successful in therapy and some were not. Through research he found it had nothing to do with what the therapist said or did or what the client talked about. He noticed that successful clients took time to slow down and naturally connect with something in the body that was below the conscious mind. He called this “getting a felt sense”. Dr. Gendlin named it Focusing because it brings our unconscious knowing into clearer focus. Feeling the importance of making this accessible to everyone he developed teachable steps and began teaching Focusing. There are now Focusing professionals/trainers in 42 countries worldwide. For more information, see www.focusing.org.
What Makes Focusing So Unique?
- You’ve probably heard that human beings only use a small fraction of our minds. How do you access more? Your full intelligence rests in your whole body, not just your mind. Focusing teaches you how to access your embodied wisdom. With focusing you reconnect with parts of yourself, getting to know yourself better and ultimately living your life more fully alive and present.
- Focusing is at the core of what brings change. By just talking about problems or having the same emotions about them, we stay stuck. But by listening to yourself in a special way, a shift will occur, leading to your unique answers and your next right steps forward.
- Focusing, a gentle and natural transformative technique, helps you go to the “felt sense” that is deeper than thoughts and emotions. By creating a safe environment in that place, you learn to trust your inner voice and wisdom.
How is Focusing Used?
Since its inception, Focusing has expanded to all areas of life.
Here are a few benefits and applications:
- Reconnect to your inner voice – the center of:
- Clear decisions
- Self-trust
- What you want, need and feel in any situation
- Your unique answers to life issues, including relationships and work
- Self-acceptance
- Be more fully alive and present
- Access your creativity
- Release action blocks
- Learn to be with overwhelming emotions without their consuming you
- Move forward from a stuck place
- Move forward in psychotherapy
I want to Focus. How do I do it?
A one-to-one guided session is the best way to begin experiencing and benefitting from the Focusing process.
In a one-to-one session, I will give you gentle suggestions to guide you through the process. You will not be expected to share anything you’re not comfortable sharing, nor will you be analyzed. You will feel completely heard and you will hear yourself more deeply.
For information on Focusing sessions and fees, please see About Sessions and Fees.
You can also learn to Focus on your own through a series of workshops that I offer. See Workshops and Classes.
If you have questions, feel free to contact me by email at ann.marie.knox@gmail.com or by phone at
808-672-5350 or 281-770-9309.
I also offer a free 20-minute phone consultation. If you would like to schedule one, email me with 2 or 3 days/times that work for you.
The Focusing Institute (www.focusing.org) is a not-for-profit 501C3 organization founded in 1986 by Dr. Eugene Gendlin. Its mission is to make Focusing available to the academic and scholarly communities and to the public at large. It is an international community with members and trainers in 42 countries. The Focusing Institute received the Charlotte Buehler award from Division 32 of the American Psychological Association for its work in developing resources and training for psychotherapists and bringing self-help and community development skills to the public.
The greatest gift one can give another is Presence...listening and hearing without judging or fixing...unbiased listening with compassion. That kind of Presence is at the heart of Focusing - whether with another or with oneself.
-Ann Knox