Experiential Focusing

What is Experiential Focusing?

Experiential Focusing is a gentle, profound practice of listening inwardly to the wisdom held within your body. It is a natural process, first identified by philosopher and psychotherapist Eugene Gendlin, that offers a direct and tangible way to connect with your inner world.

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Instead of trying to "figure things out" with your mind, Focusing invites you to pause and bring a quiet, compassionate attention to how you are experiencing a situation in your body. By doing so, you create a space for fresh insights, new perspectives, and a natural sense of forward movement to emerge from within. It is a moment-by-moment way of coming home to yourself.

 

The 'Felt Sense': Your Body's Inner Compass

At the heart of Focusing is the 'felt sense'. This isn't just an emotion or a thought, but a subtle, physical sensation in your body—often in your throat, chest, or stomach—that contains a wealth of information about your life.

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It might feel vague at first, like a 'heavy knot', a 'fluttery feeling', or a 'tightness'. The felt sense is your body’s holistic understanding of a situation, person, or problem. By learning to be with this felt sense in a curious and accepting way, we allow its implicit wisdom to unfold, often leading to a physically felt release or shift that brings clarity, relief, and a sense of rightness.

 

How a Session Unfolds: A Gentle Journey Inward

As your Focusing Practitioner, my role is not to analyse or advise, but to provide a gentle and accepting space where I can guide you back into contact with your own inner knowing. Our sessions are built on a foundation of safety and respect for your unique process.

• You Are the Expert: This is your process. You are always in charge of the pace and direction of our session. My role is to support you in listening to your own inner world, not to interpret it for you.

• A Safe & Accepting Space: We create a container of warmth and non-judgment. Every part of your experience is welcome here, without the need to be changed or fixed. This allows even the most challenging feelings to be met with kindness.

• Listening, Not Analysing: Our focus is on compassionate curiosity. You will never be diagnosed or asked to disclose details or history unless you feel it is right for you. The emphasis is always on your direct, present-moment experience.

• A Creative Unfolding: When we approach our inner world with this gentle attention, we are often surprised by what emerges. What felt impossibly stuck can begin to shift, and new, creative possibilities for moving forward in your life can naturally arise.

 

Who Can Benefit from Focusing?

Focusing is for anyone who wishes to cultivate a deeper, more compassionate relationship with themselves and navigate life from a place of inner alignment. It can be particularly supportive if you:

• Feel stuck, overwhelmed, or are walking in circles around a particular issue.

• Are navigating a difficult decision and want to access a deeper sense of what is truly right for you.

• Long to quiet your inner critic and develop a kinder internal climate.

• Struggle to connect with your body or understand your own feelings.

• Wish to unlock your creativity and find a more authentic way of expressing yourself.

 

The Origins of Focusing

In the 1950s, Professor Eugene Gendlin researched a simple but profound question: "Why is psychotherapy helpful for some people, but not for others?" He discovered that success wasn't tied to a specific therapeutic model, but to a client's innate ability to pause and sense into the unclear, bodily-felt dimension of their issue. Gendlin realised this was a natural, learnable skill and developed Focusing as a way to teach anyone how to access this inner resource for growth and change.

 

A Practice of Accompaniment, Not Therapy

It's important to understand that while Focusing is deeply therapeutic and can be life-changing, working with a Focusing Practitioner is distinct from psychotherapy.

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The primary relationship we nurture in a Focusing session is your relationship with yourself. The process empowers you to become your own best companion, to listen to your body's wisdom, and to trust the guidance that emerges from your own being. It is a skill of self-accompaniment that can support you for the rest of your life.

 

Begin Your Journey Inward

If you feel a quiet pull to explore this gentle yet powerful practice, I invite you to book a session. Together, we can create the space for your inner wisdom to be heard.

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