Contemplative Focusing
Ongoing, direct reference to the phenomenologically intricate
“Your physically felt body is in fact part of a gigantic system of here and other places, now and other times, you and other people – in fact, the whole universe. This sense of being bodily alive in a vast system is the body as it is felt from inside.”
Eugene Gendlin, Focusing, 1978
My life has been influenced, impacted, shifted, and expanded by different worldviews, philosophies, and practices. Today I want to write about Focusing, which I have been training in and falling in love with more and more. In my experience, Focusing is a transformative practice of self-understanding, self-exploration, and self-actualization, among other things.
I have wanted to write about this for some time, and finally writing about this has helped me clarify and articulate some things about this practice. I’m happy to share this with you. I have expanded and refined this essay (the original is here), and have incorporated some feedback received from Focusing friends and colleagues. Thank you!
INTRODUCTION
Perhaps a good starting point for thinking or talking about Focusing is to begin with what it is. Focusing is a practice started by Eugene Gendlin, a philosopher with a long experience of working in psychology and psychotherapy. He studied and worked with Carl Rogers, the creator of person-centered psychotherapy (1), at the University of Chicago. Gendlin was curious about why some people make progress in therapy while others don’t, and discovered that some folks —the ones who got good results in therapy— naturally engage in a process Gendlin later called Focusing, which includes referring to something he called “the felt sense.” While Gendlin formulated “steps” to the process (2) of Focusing, and we usually teach those steps to beginners, in practice the steps are just a little conceptual scaffolding that we can use, or not, as the practice unfolds.
I think of Focusing as something akin to meditative therapy or therapeutic meditation: although strictly speaking it’s neither meditation or therapy, it has elements familiar to both modalities. Basically, simply, Focusing is training the lens of awareness on what’s “inside” —putting your attention on what’s going on in your inner world, on a more subtle dimension, by setting aside stories and interpretations and engaging what’s present, now. All our creativity, decision-making, thinking, action, expression, and insights arise from the overall feeling of what we sense but don’t yet know. Focusing is a way to tap into that.
Usually, for Focusing, I will sit facing the person I’m practicing with (my Listener), if I’m Focusing with a partner. Personally, I almost always Focus with my eyes closed, because it helps me get to my “Focusing Space” and tune in, listen in, feel in to what’s there. And as I pay attention inside, things unfold, shift, and evolve; nothing is static or stuck, and no problem is fully intractable.
Another way to approach the question of “what is Focusing” is with a definition. Definitions tend to narrow our attention in the attempt to grasp the what of a thing, in order to define it. A verbal definition will necessarily be exclusive, in the way language always is: a word means what it means by virtue of excluding everything else from the scope of its definition. As an entry point for dialogue, I’ll be using a classic definition of Focusing for this essay.
Let’s start by looking at the brief definition given on The International Focusing Institute's website: "Focusing is an experiential, embodied, and evidence-based practice of self-reflection." This seems like a good starting point. There are five important elements to consider here: experiential, embodied, evidence-based, practice, and self-reflection. Let’s go one by one.
1. FOCUSING IS EXPERIENTIAL
First, Focusing is an inherently experiential thing. We can think of “experience” as bodily-felt, rather than cognitive, verbal, or purely imaginative. And, Focusing is also experiential in that it is, itself, an experience from which we learn, and it is an experience that, itself, feeds back into our ongoing experiencing or living. For instance, I recently brought an issue to a Focusing session, and based on the insights from the session, I took an action step related to the issue. The next time this issue came up for me in Focusing, it was different: there is ongoing feedback between my Focusing experience and my life. Focusing on the issue changed my relationship with that issue, which led me to change something around the issue, which, in turn, changed how I could relate to the issue. It’s an ongoing experiential dance!
Another thing to consider regarding the experientiality of Focusing is that we experience our present moment implicitly, viscerally, prior to words, thoughts, or concepts; these all come later, informed (consciously or not) by the direct experience of the ever-present now. (3) Our concepts, abstractions, or generalizations arise from experience and can help us more fully “understand” or give meaning to experience, but experience itself is always immediate (unmediated) and implicitly rich.
This is what we’re getting at with the felt sense. In Focusing, we orient internally and go beyond what we already know that we know, to something inchoate which arises freshly in our subjective landscape. It’s sort of like when you have a funny feeling, and you don’t quite know what it is; then you realize you’ve forgotten to bring something with you when you left the house (what was it?). Then there’s that feeling of forgetting something, a feeling that will resolve when you remember: ah, it’s supposed to rain this evening and you’ve forgotten the umbrella! There was something implicit and experiential happening, that you couldn’t quite label or explain until it began to sort itself out.
A felt sense can be something a bit like that feeling of forgetting something. (We’ll look more at the felt sense below.) A felt sense is often “fuzzy” or vague when we try to put it into words: the edge of experience is a less-articulate, fully-felt, non-explicit realm. (4) It is through connecting with this direct experience, this felt sense, that we are able to truly carry forward any insights that may arise: by shining awareness on them, we can more consciously integrate what those experiences and insights are telling us.
full-body listening
2. FOCUSING IS EMBODIED
Second, Focusing is embodied, because it takes place in and via the body; we are embodied beings and our experience is contingent on that reality. We have what Gendlin called “situational bodies” (5) which are in ongoing interaction with what’s around us. In Focusing, we get in touch with a felt sense, which is something we do not create or find, but must wait for, as it will emerge or arise freshly if we give it space. For most of us, it arises within the body; though, as Gendlin says the body is the universe, so the felt sense can extend beyond our physical body, or even be located outside of the body; it can involve more than “just” the body and its sensations. Nonetheless, our embodied nature is the basis for our experiencing.
From a physiological standpoint, there may be a correlation between where practitioners feel the felt sense and how our human nervous systems are wired. Our nervous system includes our brain and sensory nerves, of course, and also includes the enteric nervous system, which is all the nerves in the “gut” — there’s a there’s a reason it’s called the second brain! Think of a time when you got a sinking feeling, or butterflies in your stomach: that physical and emotional sensation is happening as different parts of your nervous system “talk” to each other.
The felt sense might start out like a vague “feeling” of something not-quite-nameable, like when a word is on the tip of your tongue. Here, there are sub-perceptual and barely-perceptible levels of experience. This is part of what we learn to pay attention to in Focusing. Depending on what’s called for, we use both wide and narrow attentional scopes in the practice: a wide open attention to see “what’s there” inside, and a more honed attention to go into details.
wider focus on the field; narrower focus on relevant details.
In a Focusing session, there may also arise fresh images, memories, or words that seem relevant somehow — and that feeling of relevance is an embodied feeling: maybe in the solar plexus, or the throat, or a sense of “yeah, that’s the right word…” and something clicks into place — like when the word on the tip of the tongue comes, at last, to be said. All of this is happening freshly in an embodied way: in and through the whole body-mind.
Often, for me, the felt sense manifests as something sensed and “visual” that feels akin to an arising imagination, but tangibly inside the body. Recent examples include a waterfall flowing down from the heart; a beam of light through the vertical center of my body, which is also felt as the universe; a seed blooming in the rich earth of my heart-space; an obsidian-like floating meteor which is also a soft ball of gray yarn. These were not imagination; these were image-senses, felt-visuals, that arose in my awareness. The felt sense can show up differently for different people at different moments, and it can have all kinds of aspects: color, movement, shape, size, and more. Some people are quite visual; others more gestural; others more verbal. The felt sense will come in whatever way it comes for you: visual metaphors, gestural indications, memories, colors, emotions, and so forth —all might be part of any given felt sense.
Sometimes the “meaning” of the felt sense might be clear, or come in a word or two. I know, somehow, what this felt sense is “about” —it might be about that part of a project I’ve been putting off; or something about a particular relationship or interaction; or that upcoming trip. Other times, I have a felt sense that’s much more vague, with no specific image, and the word for it that comes to me might not be a real word but something like “scrangly”, and that word resonates with the particular sensation/feeling happening at that moment. Or I might get an image of a ball of tangled yarn, of a specific color and texture, in a specific light, etc, with the feeling of gently tugging on a loose end and feeling the whole ball of yarn spin through my hands, unraveling. As I let that image, feeling, or almost scene unfold, the knowledge of what it means in my life is there: ah, this tangled ball of yarn which is also a meteorite relates to different facets of a particular project; or, this seed blooming in my heart is related to my creativity; or whatever it is. This knowing what it’s about is implicit, and comes in an embodied way, whether through color, gesture, sensation, or word.
3. FOCUSING IS EVIDENCE-BASED
For me, the evidence for the power of Focusing comes directly from the practice. For anyone who wants a little science- and research-based evidence, there is increasingly more research being done on the “gut-brain” connection, demonstrating how important it is for us to take seriously notions of “a gut feeling” and pay attention to the way the body speaks. There is also research into the felt sense and well-being, Focusing and group dynamics, and much more. Furthermore, TIFI’s website links to many articles that cover Focusing as a practice, as a philosophy, as an element in psychotherapeutic work, as a way of working with trauma, in working with children and Focusing, and more. And, Focusing empirically works to increase the practitioner’s awareness of and connection to themselves, their life direction, particular issues, and so forth. Focusing proves itself to be relevant to practitioners through the actual practice itself, which can empirically provide a sense of connection, fresh insights, and intricate experience. This practice can powerfully effect change, and the best way to “prove” this to yourself is to try it.
4. FOCUSING IS A PRACTICE
All of this points us to the practice of Focusing. It can be done by a solitary practitioner, someone who knows Focusing and does it on their own. However, there is a qualitative, felt difference when Focusing alone as compared to Focusing with a partner, and often, it’s more powerful with a Focusing partner: the space between you both changes the field of possibility. The listener can act as an amplifier to help you listen and hear more clearly that which arises. Something might emerge in the implicit space between you and your listener that would not emerge if you practiced alone. I recommend trying both ways!
You can do Focusing with a trained Focusing professional, or with a peer in an exchange-based partnership. The traditional Focusing partnership comprises two people who take turns, sharing the time, to listen to each other while the other Focuses. These relationships are non-hierarchical, non-directive, and become increasingly meaningful over time. The listener does not have to listen in any particular way, although good listening is a true skill that can be improved with study and practice. And listening for Focusing, in particular, is a special skill which greatly enhances the experience of the Focuser as compared with a non-Focusing listener. Focusing can also be done in group contexts or therapeutic environments.
All these are modalities of practice, and it is a practice because it is something one “improves” at over time. The ability to distinguish, as needed, between thoughts, emotions, and the felt sense; the ability to connect with the felt sense and follow it; and the ability to gain insights and implement them: these are all skills that improve with more Focusing practice.
letting light reflect
5. FOCUSING IS SELF REFLECTION
Finally, Focusing is about self-reflection, on a possibly very deep level. This is based on an attitude of unconditional positive regard, meaning that whatever is going on in your embodied experience is accepted for what it is, without judgment, so the process can carry forward. (6) (Acceptance does not imply liking or approval!) This attitude of grace can be difficult to access sometimes, and a Focusing partner —especially one practiced in unconditional positive regard— can help hold the space in this way for you and model this attitude for you.
Only when we can meet whatever is present, with grace and without judgment, can we truly listen to it and learn from it, which is one of the main purposes of Focusing: to gain insights into oneself, one’s problems, challenges in one’s life or work or relationships, and so on. From this open attitude of welcoming, we can see and engage with whatever comes up, and have it reflected back to us by a listening partner (Focusing partner, therapist, or yourself). In this reflection, we can gain powerful insights that truly get us unstuck and allow life to move forward. We are able to reflect rather than getting caught, for instance, in habitual loops or patterns of negative thinking, which are so common and often so subtle we don’t notice them anymore. We are able to access the life-giving, carrying-forward energy of embodied creativity, and this can inspire, nourish, and empower us.
CONCLUSION
Ultimately, Focusing is a practice of directly referring to the ongoing, ever-present, and ever-changing bodily felt experience. We’ve seen that Focusing itself is a phenomenological skill which improves with practice and which involves looking at or being with what’s vague or fuzzy at the edge of your experience; connecting with the implicit intricacy of being alive in your given situation; and “focusing” the attention to allow new insights to carry forward. This attention is, at times, broad and open to allow into awareness that which is as yet only implicit. Then our attention may “narrow” or “spotlight” for a time on something arising freshly, before opening out again to allow new implicit intricacies to present. Focusing is being with our subjective flow of experience in a way that “carries forward” to new insights and next steps in life. By holding space for what’s arising in experience, with unconditional positive regard, we make way for the light of the self to shine freely.
uncover something new
Special thanks to my main trainer/mentor, Annette Dubreuil, and my wonderful friends and colleagues for helping to make Focusing such a beautiful, important part of my life.
1. There are four basic characteristics required of a person-centered therapist for facilitating the greatest growth: unconditional positive regard, empathy, congruence, and attitude over technique. Unconditional positive regard, briefly, means “I care for you and accept you, even if I disagree with your words or actions.” Empathy is essential to connecting with the other person and creating safety. Congruence means being authentic in your accompaniment, expressing yourself with the other person in a way that’s aligned with your values and your self. “Attitude over technique” can be understood as a relationship-first focus: whenever necessary, in order to maintain connection and relationship with the other person in this context, forget the steps, the rules, the technique, and regain connection with the client. Everything proceeds from there.
2. The classic steps are, in order: clearing a space, getting a felt sense, finding a handle, resonating/checking, asking/getting curious, and receiving.
3. “There is indeed interaction prior to linguistic communication, and this too still continues to exceed language, even with and after language. But I will argue that it is not only prior to language; it is also prior to perception.” From Gendlin, E.T. (1992). “The primacy of the body, not the primacy of perception.” Man and World, 25(3-4), 341-353. https://www.focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2220.html
4. For instance,“...bodily interaction functions in language and precedes perception and interpretation.” From Gendlin, E.T. (1997). “The responsive order: A new empiricism.” Man and World, 30 (3), 383-411. https://www.focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2157.html
5. See: Gendlin, E.T. (1993). “Three assertions about the body.” The Folio, 12(1), 21-33. https://www.focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2064.html
6. Gendlin, E.T. (2004). The new phenomenology of carrying forward. Continental Philosophy Review, 37(1), 127-151. https://www.focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2228.html