{"id":196,"date":"2008-12-11T14:33:53","date_gmt":"2008-12-11T18:33:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/?p=196"},"modified":"2008-12-11T14:33:53","modified_gmt":"2008-12-11T18:33:53","slug":"intuitive-focusing-why-practice-focusing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/intuitive-focusing-why-practice-focusing\/","title":{"rendered":"INTUITIVE FOCUSING: “WHY PRACTICE FOCUSING?”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Free Downloads:<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

Complete Focusing Instructions Manual (17 pages)<\/a><\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d Mini-Manual<\/a><\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

\u201cAjas\u201d Instantaneos Mini-Manual<\/a><\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Why Practice Intuitive Focusing?<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

In answering this question, freshly, for today, even after thirty years of practicing Focusing, I am going to do <\/strong>Intuitive Focusing<\/strong><\/a>!<\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Instead of answering the question from my \u201chead,\u201d the \u201calready-known,\u201d I am going to pause, close my eyes, pay attention to my breathing for a while to come in touch with my body, then, turning my attention toward the center of my body, around my solar plexis\/heart area.<\/strong><\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am going to wait, for a LONG, LONG minute or more, for the \u201cintuitive feel,\u201d the \u201cwhole body-sensing\u201d to form in response to the question.<\/strong> <\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Only when I can feel this thickening of vague, preverbal \u201cintuitive knowledge\u201d forming, then I will begin to look for words or an image that begin to \u201cfit,\u201d to capture this whole-body sensing in response to the question.<\/strong> I will go back and forth, \u201cchecking and resonating\u201d any words or images that come against the \u201cbodily feel\u201d until something \u201cshifts\u201d — by body, through a small or large release of tension, says \u201cYes, that fits. You are on the right track\u201d or \u201cAhah! That is exactly it.\u201d<\/font><\/p>\n

So, here I go: \u201cWhy practice Focusing?\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>(long pause for \u201cfelt sensing\u201d) —<\/strong><\/font>\u00a0<\/font><\/o:p><\/p>\n

— And, already, my body says, \u201cChange the question. Make it more personal. This is too intellectual, makes you answer from your head\u201d — So, the new question: \u201cWhy do I practice Focusing?\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>And, again, I pause, waiting for the \u201cintuitive feel\u201d to form, before looking for words\/images to express it — (long pause, eyes closed, paying attention to solar plexis — diaphragm —\u00a0 <\/span>area ) —<\/font><\/p>\n

Big sigh (already tension release!)\u00a0 <\/span>— I practice Intuitive Focusing because I am a \u201ckinesthetic\u201d person — so, now, I pause to look for the \u201cintuitive feel\u201d of those words TO ME :\u201dWhat do I mean by \u2018kinesthetic person\u2019?\u201d —-<\/font>\u00a0<\/font><\/o:p><\/p>\n

I mean that I take things in through my body. I live very close to my body\u2019s experience. So, throughout the day (and often in the night!), it is as if I am \u201chit by\u201d experiences — I have a bodily response, notice my body responding (getting anxious or shut down or overwhelmed or excited or sad or happy or confused —) AND THEN NEED TO USE INTUITIVE FOCUSING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON.<\/font><\/p>\n

(pausing to \u201ccheck inside\u201d again, let my words come freshly from my \u201cpresent felt experiencing,\u201d my \u201cintuitive feel\u201d right now, not what I have always known and said before —-) Big sigh.\u00a0 <\/span>(pause for \u201cfelt sensing\u201d and then finding fresh words) —<\/font>\u00a0<\/font><\/o:p><\/p>\n

Before I knew Focusing, and, now, when I don\u2019t stop and pause to use it, I was simply \u201crun around\u201d by my \u201cfeelings,\u201d by my bodily responses to situations, thoughts, etc.<\/strong> I felt sad\/depressed, I would stay in my bed. I felt happy, elated, I would pursue whatever made me feel that way. I fell in love, I went with those feelings without question. I felt anxious, I suffered sleeplessness. I felt confused, I ran around like a \u201cchicken with its head cut off.\u201d<\/font><\/p>\n

In the midst of one of these emotional crises, I met Eugene Gendlin and his Experiential Focusing technique (Focusing<\/em>, Bantam, 1981, 1984, 2007. Order at <\/strong>The Focusing Institute Website Store<\/strong><\/a>).<\/strong> NOW I have something I can do other than just run around, \u201cfollowing my feelings.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>I can stop, pause, go quietly inside, and ASK MY BODY, \u201cWhat is this all about?\u201d, wait quietly for a minute or more for the \u201cfelt sense,\u201d the \u201cintuitive feel\u201d to form in response, then carefully go back-and-forth until I find words\/images\/gestures that are \u201cjust right,\u201d and the \u201cwhole thing\u201d releases and shifts. <\/font><\/p>\n

You can learn all about Focusing\u00a0at The Focusing Institute, www.focusing.org<\/a> as well as at Creative Edge Focusing, www.cefocusing.com<\/a> . You can read many free articles by Gendlin in the online library\u00a0at www.focusing.org\/gendlin<\/a> .<\/font><\/p>\n

(so I am pausing to \u201csense into\u201d \u201cWhat do I mean by this \u2018shift\u2019? What is the positive point of Focusing?\u201d)\u00a0 <\/span>—- (pause for \u201cfelt sensing,\u201d checking with the \u201cintuitive feel\u201d —)<\/strong><\/font>\u00a0<\/font><\/o:p> <\/strong><\/p>\n

Well, we call it going from \u201csheer emotion,\u201d those reactive, emotional \u201cresponses,\u201d to finding the \u201cfelt meaning\u201d under the emotional response.<\/strong> The \u201cfelt meaning\u201d holds within it everything about the situation, past, present, and implicit future.\u00a0 <\/span>Finding words\/images for the \u201cfelt meaning\u201d lets you know WHAT THIS WHOLE THING IS ABOUT. And, then, instead of just running around reacting, you can choose action steps that will really change the situation.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

You can try out Intuitive Focusing here, at <\/strong>Instant “Ahah” #1: Focusing: Find Out What Is Bothering You<\/strong><\/a>.<\/font><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Click here to subscribe to\u00a0Creative Edge Focusing(TM)\u2019s \u00a0Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d e-newsletter and get the latest exercises first!!!<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

Click here for a free Intuitive Focusing Mini-E-course<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0See\u00a0Core Concept: Conflict Resolution<\/font><\/a><\/strong>\u00a0to find a complete mini-course on Interpersonal Focusing and Conflict Resolution, including Rosenberg\u2019s Non-Violent Communication, Blanchard\u2019s \u201cOne Minute Apology,\u201d Patricia Evan\u2019s books on Verbally Abuse and Controlling Relationships, McMahon\u2019s Beyond The Myth Of Dominance, <\/em>and much more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

See Core Concept: Intimate Relationship<\/font><\/a> to find a complete mini-course on increasing intimacy and sexuality, including the \u201cSharing Your Day\u201d exercise, Listening\/Focusing Partnerships for The Way of Relationship, untangling and equalizing desire, tantric sexuality, and much more.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Download complete Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d Mini-Manual, in <\/strong>English<\/strong><\/font><\/a> and <\/strong>Spanish<\/strong><\/font><\/a>, from CEF Website, or download from links at top of this blog.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Find links to <\/strong>free articles, personality tests, multi-media\u00a0Self-Help training, Classes and workshops<\/strong><\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Kathy McGuire<\/font><\/a>, Director<\/p>\n

Creative Edge Focusing (TM)<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n

www.cefocusing.com<\/font><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Free Downloads: Complete Focusing Instructions Manual (17 pages) Instant \u201cAhah!\u201d Mini-Manual \u201cAjas\u201d Instantaneos Mini-Manual     Why Practice Intuitive Focusing?   In answering this question, freshly, for today, even after thirty years of practicing Focusing, I am going to do Intuitive Focusing!   Instead of answering the question from my \u201chead,\u201d the \u201calready-known,\u201d I am […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[481,480,482,83,51,81,52,744,747,479,745,85,756],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=196"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/196\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=196"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=196"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cefocusing.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=196"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}