21. The Focusing Method – for Psychospiritual Growth

“Through therapeutic research, [Eugene Gendline] and his colleagues have indirectly opened an extraordinary doorway into the realm of spiritual awareness.”

P Campbell, E McMahon in ‘Bio-spirituality, Focusing as a way to grow.’

I want to devote a post to Focusing because when I describe experiences coming from a “waking dream” or “kind of meditation” I am using a shorthand for Focusing, a method used in psychotherapy. It seems to be little known. It is not my intention to sell the practice to you, each to their methods, for their way, I say, but I offer an opening to find out about Focusing if you are interested.

Three videos are attached; a roundup of the background and process of Focusing, how it relates to Christianity, and finally Focusing brought to a very common, maybe universal issue, of the unloved within us (starting with the inner child). You may wish to go to one or more of these at the outset. I am sorry they are quite long, but Focusing is not a quick mental thing, it is deeper, more about Being in context.

Here are some features of Focusing; it relies on bodily feelings as a doorway to greater self-understanding, it is based on philosophy with research support, it does not require a therapist, it is a normal human function, it can be done in pairs face to face over video chat or telephone, it can be done alone, what is revealed is specific to the Focuser’s being and life, the benefits endure, healing can be without scars, it is hard to describe, it is used in creativity, problem solving and spirituality as well as psychotherapy, it sounds too good to be true.

In the 1960s in Chicago, Eugene Gendlin working with Carl Rogers, taped thousands of psychotherapy sessions to determine why some patients had successful therapy and others not. The biggest predictor by far was how the successful patients paused and turned inward to grasp an inner sense of what they were trying to say. Based on this he could accurately predict psychotherapeutic success.

So he explored, refined, and researched this inward connection further to teach it to patients who were destined to spend a lot of time, money, and effort on unsuccessful therapy (the majority). He called the method Focusing.

The key to Focusing is the ‘Felt Sense’, that sense of a feeling usually in the abdomen, chest, or throat, in relation to an issue. I think of this as the doorway to a revelation. It may be subtle and difficult to describe at first, maybe a bit like nausea, or excitement, of heaviness, but bringing this vague Felt Sense into sharper focus is the origin of the term Focusing and is the process by which we see beyond this doorway as it were.  

I have found that a Felt Sense can evolve into a conversation with an inner someone or something, a drama, as in my past three blogs, a picture, or words. Then life can move on with better understanding, and a problem solved as I describe in my post; 3. The Death of a Friend and Focusing. The issue can just disappear as a pain relieved. I have found that what comes is always positive, life affirming. It is as though the Felt Sense is a doorway to something we need to know or understand for our lives to move on and it is often more than a thinking, it is a shift in the state of being in relation to something (eg causing fear, anxiety, or worry).

For example, if I am feeling stressed about something at the moment, I can find a felt sense for that, how it feels in my body, and then the root cause of the stress is revealed, and (usually) it is not something to be stressed over, and the stress resolves. Usually, something unfathomable with foresight but obvious in hindsight, after Focusing. There is an example of this in the second video.

Terms such as; intricacy, positive implying, infinite possibilities, empathic listening, Self in Presence and more, come to describe the process in the fullest sense, and are well beyond the limitations of this post; but one can leave the complexity to the experts and teachers, and still get a lot out of practicing Focusing.

I do though want to mention one thing here. When we are consumed by feeling in a certain say unpleasant way, such as anxious or angry for and are consumed by that, there is something very powerful in saying, “Something in me is feeling……” Then we can step out of the feeling, and form a relationship to it, from which understanding and resolution can occur and I think this is one of the things that is going on in Focusing, certainly inner relationship Focusing.

A Basic Method for Focusing

The best way to know Focusing is to do it, and for recognising its benefits is to experience them.

It is about recognising the Felt Sense, and then relating to it in a way that enables it to reveal the message it contains, bringing that into Focus.

Steps

1. Focusing is usually done with a partner, who feeds back what the Focuser says (a description of what they are experiencing), usually verbatim. Focusing can be done alone, which is more difficult.
2. Settling in. This is about getting into a comfortable, calm, and open state. Some perform a quick body scan to settle in. If there are multiple problematic issues they can be set aside.
3. We can choose an issue, and describe it to a Focusing partner if we wish. Sometimes we just go in to receive whatever wants to come. My experience is that what comes in Focusing is often what we need to know to make the next step in our lives and trying to force or control that can stop the process.
4. The felt sense described above is usually there, or comes, and may only be a very slight feeling at first. This feeling can be related to as one would a timid vulnerable animal, it easily disappears, but its presence can be enhanced by appropriate language, usually around recognition, kindness and acceptance. So this becomes an inner relationship. We try to get a very clear description of the sensation. Sometimes we need to be with it for a while.
5. Then somehow the sensation evolves into a scene, or a dreamlike drama, or a voice, which may reveal something or help with an issue. (As though a door opens.) We can ask a question and maybe it will be answered. When that happens there may be a felt change within us, as though the bodily experience has changed maybe as described in the third video clip as the release of tears that have been waiting to be cried.
6. There is a process of closure when the time feels right, which involves some steps, including gratitude for what has come.
7. It is important to try to act on what comes out of Focusing, maybe just a small step, bringing it to a physical manifestation in the world in some appropriate way.

This is a very basic idea of the process of Focusing. I know people who can be Focusing while walking their dog. The stages can be compressed, and answers to long standing issues can come very quickly, and sometimes it takes much longer.

Ann Weiser Cornell describes Focusing: Introduction, 00:50 Background, 06:35 Example of Inner Transformation in her, 11:38 Describing the Focusing process with a guided exercise for the listener.

Though I am not a teacher or a therapist I am not aware of any particular dangers with Focusing as a method. I think there are some precautions for all spiritual work though, such as staying grounded, and not handing control of anything over to entities that come, as I have mentioned in past posts.

My Experience with Focusing

I came to Focusing by chance 12 years ago and was taught by Buddhists in Manchester and London (Manjudeva and Jutika) and then Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin amongst others. I entered into it in a similar way to Meditation, wanting to find my way through inner turmoil, settle myself down and become better adjusted to life. My early experience came from weekend courses and focusing by myself, and latterly with focusing companions via video link.

I find Focusing experiences more vivid than most dreams because I am fully conscious, and as a result, they are fully memorable. When Focusing alone, I have been able to type a dialogue as it went along. I have conscious control of my reactions, and choices, though I cannot control what comes, if I try to do that it disappears and is lost, a relationship is called for.

Spirituality and Focusing

When observing Quaker meetings Gendline thought they were Focusing. Somehow Meditation is said to enhance Focusing, and Focusing enhance Meditation and that is consistent with my experience.  

My experience with Focusing has been unambiguously spiritual, whether playing with Anubis on a beach, encountering inner guides, Luciferian spirits, or conversing with Yahweh. What gave it the spiritual sense has been the gravitas and cleverness of the revelations which have been well beyond my usual logical calculated brain functioning.

I have found the Focusing community to have essentially a psychological emphasis and not a spiritual one. For me, though they are the same, a new psychological adjustment being another step along the spiritual path.

Rev. Edwin McMahon gives a Christian Spiritual View on Focusing

This has been a very simple outline of Focusing. I cannot say that your experience of Focusing would be the same as mine. I would say that what you encounter would be better for you, it would be what is needed by your whole at the time of the Focusing.

If you are interested in taking it further, find a course or a one to one teacher, maybe over a video call. If there are serious psychological issues, see a doctor and seek help that way because there might be issues better addressed in other ways (such as a physical issue with psychological effects).

I include this final video clip because I think it is so important at many levels. Loving the Unlovable: –

I hope this is helpful.

Thank you for visiting this post.

Resources

Two teachers;

Manjudeva – an experienced teacher in Britain. http://www.livingfocusing.co.uk

Ann Weiser Cornell – based in the USA but with a worldwide reach. www.focusingresources.com/our-library/

Book: Focusing. By Eugene Gendlin. Bantam Books 1981