The Essence of Focusing

״Through Focusing we can unlock doors and move into dimensions that cannot be entered through the intellect alone.״

- Eugene Gendlin

What is Focusing?

Focusing is a learnable process of inner awareness that helps you tune into the body’s reactions to life. It’s subtle, intuitive, and surprisingly familiar.

You’ve probably felt it before—the unease in your stomach when something’s off, or the warmth in your chest during a beautiful moment. These body signals carry meaning. In Focusing, we learn to listen to them.

Rather than analyzing or trying to fix our emotions, we relate to them gently. They have messages. We’re simply making space to hear them.

Understanding The Felt Sense

A felt sense is a body sensation that carries emotional weight.

It’s more than a fleeting feeling—it’s vague, whole-bodied, and meaningful.
Like the stomach tension as you wait to speak in a crowded room.

Or the warm expansion in your chest when you see a rainbow after rain.

Focusing teaches us how to stay with these sensations without rushing to interpret. The body knows the way—if we let it speak.

How the Focusing Process Works

Focusing is different from how we usually handle emotions.
Instead of being swept away or pushed aside, emotions are met with interested curiosity.

You learn to:

Slow down.
Notice what’s there.
Stay present without judgment.
Listen for the meaning beneath the surface.

This creates space for gentle transformation—one small step at a time.

Where Focusing Shows Up

Focusing can infuse your life, quietly and powerfully.

It supports:

Emotional resilience
Intuitive decision-making
Creative processes
Relationship clarity
Spiritual deepening

You might find yourself using it in daily rituals: walking, writing, working, resting.
It’s not a technique you perform—it’s a way you relate.

A Different Kind of Intelligence

Our culture often celebrates cognitive smarts.
Focusing reconnects us to a quieter wisdom—body-based intelligence.

This kind of knowing is trustworthy, rooted, and deeply attuned.
It draws attention where it’s needed most.
And it helps you live from the inside out.

References:

Gendlin, Eugene T. Focusing, Everest House, 1978
Leijssen, Mia. Manuscript MOOC Existential Wellbeing Counseling, KU Leuven, 2016
Ann Weiser Cornell. The Power of Focusing, New Harbinger, 1996
The International Focusing Institute — focusing.org

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