Gendlin's Focusing: Complete Session -- "How Am I Today?

Summary

Dr. Cathy McGuire's video offers a guided focusing exercise as part of a free eCourse on self-help skills. She breaks down Eugene Gendlin's six-step focusing process into simpler steps, teaching viewers how to relax, access their body's wisdom, and address life experiences. The exercise involves relaxation, asking open-ended questions, and finding words or images that resonate with one's felt sense to facilitate personal growth and behavioral change.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Dr. Cathy McGuire introduces a series and a free eCourse on empathic listening and experiential focusing as self-help skills.
• 📚 The course breaks down Carl Rogers' six-step focusing process into smaller steps for easier learning.
• 🧘 The basis of focusing is the discovery that our bodies hold a wealth of wisdom and knowledge about our life experiences in a pre-verbal, bodily felt way.
• 🔄 To change repetitive behaviors, one should pay attention to the body's felt sense of those situations.
• 💡 Focusing allows for the creation of new words, images, or gestures that can lead to a paradigm shift or a 'felt shift' in understanding.
• 🤔 The exercise involves a relaxation technique and asking open-ended questions to access the body's intuitive responses.
• 🔍 The process includes finding words or images that resonate with the felt sense and checking them against the body's wisdom until they fit.
• 🔄 It encourages a back-and-forth exploration between the felt sense and the words or images until an 'aha' moment of understanding occurs.
• 🛑 The exercise guides the participant to identify what's in the way of resolving an issue by accessing a subtle, pre-verbal knowing.
• 🚶‍♂️ It suggests identifying small steps that can be taken towards resolving the issue, even if it's not a complete solution.
• 🌱 The script emphasizes the importance of appreciating the insights gained through focusing and being open to new ideas or solutions that may arise.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Cathy McGuire and what is the focus of her video?

Dr. Cathy McGuire is a professional from Creative Edge, and her video focuses on teaching Carl Rogers' empathic listening and Eugene Gendlin's experiential focusing as self-help skills.

What is the purpose of the free eCourse mentioned in the video?

The free eCourse is designed to teach individuals how to practice empathic listening and experiential focusing, which can help them relax, explore their inner feelings, and find solutions to personal issues.

What is the 'felt sense' as described by Dr. McGuire?

The 'felt sense' is a concept from Eugene Gendlin's focusing, which refers to the intuitive, pre-verbal, bodily awareness of a situation or issue that can provide wisdom and insight into one's life experiences.

How does the focusing process help with changing repetitive behaviors or reactions?

The focusing process helps by encouraging individuals to pay attention to their body's felt sense of situations, allowing them to form new words, images, and understandings that can lead to a shift in behavior patterns or reactions.

What is the significance of the 'focal shift' or 'paradigm shift' in the focusing process?

A 'focal shift' or 'paradigm shift' is a transformative change in one's perspective on a problem or issue, opening up new possibilities for emotions, actions, and solutions that were not previously considered.

What is the first step in the focusing exercise Dr. McGuire guides the viewer through?

The first step is a relaxation exercise where the viewer tenses and relaxes various parts of their body to bring awareness to their physical presence.

What type of question should one ask during the focusing exercise?

One should ask an open-ended question, such as 'How am I today?' or 'What's going on for me?', to facilitate the exploration of the felt sense without relying on preconceived answers.

How does the process of finding words or images for the felt sense work in the focusing exercise?

After identifying a felt sense, the individual looks for words, images, or gestures that resonate with and capture that sense. They then check these against the body's felt sense until they find a match that the body confirms as 'exactly right'.

What is the purpose of the 'small step' Dr. McGuire asks the viewer to consider at the end of the exercise?

The 'small step' is an actionable, achievable action that the individual can take to move towards resolving or improving the situation or feeling they have been focusing on.

How does Dr. McGuire suggest grounding oneself after the focusing exercise?

Dr. McGuire suggests using a technique called 'present time focusing' where one looks around the environment and notices specific details, such as all the circles in the room, to bring their attention back to the present reality.

Where can one sign up for Dr. McGuire's free eCourse on focusing and empathic listening?

Interested individuals can sign up for Dr. McGuire's free eCourse at www.focusing.com.