FOCUSING, RESEARCH, AND CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE

TheFolioA JournAl for focusingAnd experientiAl therApy

Volume 23, Number 1, 2012

FOCUSING, RESEARCH, AND CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE

New Movements Forward

Part 1: Crossing ContemPorary sCienCe and FoCusing

3 PROCESSGENERATESSTRUCTURES:StructuresAloneDon’tGenerateProcess

Eugene T. Gendlin

14 ZIGZAGGINGOURWAYTOEXPANDEDPOSSIBILITIESFORFOCUSINGBruce Nayowith M.D.

36 THEATTUNEDBRAIN:CrossingsInFocusing-orientedTherapyandNeuroscience

Leslie Ellis, M.A.

47 ATTACHMENTANDNEUROSCIENCE:TheBenefitsofBeingaFocusingOrientedProfessional

Carol Nickerson, MSW, LICSW, CFT

58 APROCESSMODELSCIENTIST:WhatDoesItReallyMeaninPractice?Dana Ganihar Raz, M.Sc.

66 FOCUSINGINANAGEOFNEUROSCIENCEPeter Afford, M.A.

84 QUANTUMCONSCIOUSNESS:AnExplanatoryModelforLifeForwardMovementinWholebodyFocusingPART1

Karen Whalen, Ph.D. and Glenn Fleisch, Ph.D.

98 QUANTUMCONSCIOUSNESS:AnExplanatoryModelforLifeForwardMovementinWholebodyFocusingPART2

Glenn Fleisch, Ph.D. and Karen Whalen, Ph.D.

TheFolioA JournAl for focusingAnd experientiAl therApy

Volume 23, number 1, 2012

FOCUSING, RESEARCH, AND CONTEMPORARY SCIENCE:New Movements Forward

The Folio (ISSN: 1063-3693) is the Journal of the Focusing Institute, Inc., Spring Valley, N.Y. The Focusing Institute is a world-wide membership organization and a not-for-profit corporation in the state of New York.

ii • The Folio • 2012

Part 2: researChing FoCusing

115 INCORPORATINGRESEARCHINTOYOUREXPERIENTIALANDFOTPRACTICE:MidwifingtheImplicit

Kevin C. Krycka, Psy. D.

130 THOUGHTSABOUTADVANCINGFOCUSINGRELATEDTOTHEBROADERSCIENTIFICCOMMUNITY

Zack Boukydis, Ph.D.

138 RESEARCHONCLEARINGASPACEDoralee Grindler Katonah, Psy.D., M.Div.

155 CLEARINGASPACE:AnEvidence-basedApproachforEnhancingQualityofLifeinWomenwithBreastCancer

Joan Klagsbrun, Ph.D. and Susan L. Lennox, Ph.D.

168 THEBENEFITSOFFOCUSING:AQualitativeAnalysisofThirtyInterviewswithFocusers

Mako Hikasa

Copyright©2012byTheFocusingInstitute,Inc.Allrightsreserved.Reproductionorusofanymaterialwithoutprioragreementandwrittenpermissionfromthepublisherisprohib-ited.PrintedintheU.S.A.

The Folio • 2012 • iii

PUBLISHERTheFocusingInstitutePOBox539SpringValley,NY10977U.S.A.Phone:(845)362-5222Fax:(845)704-0461e-mail:[email protected]:http://www.focusing.org

EDITORSBalaJaison,Ph.D.Toronto,[email protected]

PaulaNowick,Ed.D.Springfield,[email protected]

COVERART:MaryLB,www.istockphoto.com

LAYOUTANDPRODUCTIONCarolynKasperMarlboro,Vt.U.S.A.

INFORMATIONHard-boundcopiesoftheFolioareavailableatareducedrateformembersoftheFocusingInstitutewhoseduesarefullypaid

ORDERINGTHEFOLIOToorderhardcopiesofthiseditionoftheFoliopleasegoto:http://www.focusing.org/research-sciencefolio2012

the FoLioAJournalforFocusingandExperientialTherapy

iv • The Folio • 2012

Letter From the editors

BeforeweembarkuponeachFolio,itisourcustomtopostalettertotheFocusingcommunitytogeta‘feel’forwhattopicsareofcurrentinteresttoourverydiversegroup.Needlesstosay,weneverknowwhatthecurrentareasofinterestorrequestswillbe,andasEditors,getsomethingofathrillaswewatchtheresponsescomein.

Tooursurprise—anddelight—manypeoplerequested/suggestedthetopicofNeuro-science,andhowtherecentfindingsinthatfieldmightcontributetotheFocusingprocess,asweknowit.Further,wereceivedsuggestionsthatweviewFocusingfromtheperspectiveofContemporaryScienceandQuantamPhysicsandGenetics,addinghighqualityempiricalresearchontheimplicationsofvariousapplicationstoFocusing.WehopethatthisissueonFocusing, Research, and Contemporary Science: New Movements ForwardbeginstotouchuponwhatweseeasthecuttingedgeofFocusing.

Weareinaperiodwherescience,especiallyareassuchasneuroplasticityandpsy-chology—inparticularprocess-orientedmodelssuchasFocusing—arebeginningto‘find’each other. For example, when we experience a felt-shift in the body, a process is alsotakingplaceinthebrain.WhenFocusing,wedon’ttendtothinkthatmuchaboutwhatisactuallyhappeninginourbrainsgiventhatourattentionissonaturallyfocusedinthebody,butindeed,‘something’inthebrainis,infact,getting‘rewired’witheachshiftorahha.Alternatively, we can study what exactly happens in a brain when we experience a felt-shiftinconsciousness,andcanevengetthebraintomemorizewhatthefelt-shifthasgivenus—and—whenwedo,weareactually‘crossing’ascientificprocesswithanexperientialprocess.

Saidanotherway,andinthecontextofactuallycrossingFocusingandScience,nomatterhowhardwetrytochangeourbrains,e.g.howwe‘think’aboutsomething(orthings,orpointsofview)unlessthebodyactually‘buys’it,thechangewillnotlast—soweseethemarriagebetweenFocusingandScienceasaboth/andprocess—andindeedverytimely.

Our writers for this issue each have their own distinctive understandings of thesecrossingsthatutilizetwodifferentareasofthebrain,aswellastheirresearchonthetopic.

Inouropeningarticle,Process Generates Structure: Structures Alone Do Not Gen-erate Process, GeneGendlinexpandsourunderstandingofhowthings“are”moreintricatethanthecurrentmodelsfavoredbyscience,whereinanobject’sstructuredeterminesitspro-cess.Gendlinsuggeststhatsciencecanbelimitedbecauseitoftendefinestheworldintermsofobjectsratherthanprocess.Butinstead,heproposesamuchbiggerpicture:thatthewaylifeunfoldsisthatprocessesinteractingwitheachotherimplicateendlesspossibilities.

BruceNayowith, authorofFolio’sZigzagging Our Way to Expanded Possibilities for Focusing,outlineshowcertainunexpecteddiscoveriesinphysicsandepigeneticsmaybeappliedtoFocusing,allowingustoexpandourunderstandingofthe‘more’thatmaybeaheadforFocusingpractices.Forexample,youwillreadabouthowstartlingfindings inrecentscientificexperimentsmayencourageustoexplorethepossibilitythatthroughthe

leTTer From The ediTors • 2012 • v

combinationofintentionandbodily-feltconnection,wecaninfluencemuchsmaller(cel-lular)andmuchlarger(social)systemsthanwemayhaveimagined.

The relatively new field of affective neuroscience affirms Gene Gendlin’s revolu-tionaryinsightthathumanbeings(andalllivingorganisms)areprocessesthatcannotbeunderstoodasdiscrete,staticunits,norapartfromeachotherortheirenvironment.LeslieEllis,aFocusing-Orientedpsychotherapist,presentsfascinatingdataexploringcurrentneu-roscientificresearchaboutthebrainininteraction,particularlyFocusingonmutualemo-tionalregulation,attachment,andempathy.Herarticle,The Attuned Brain: Crossings in Focusing-Oriented Therapy and Neuroscience, isrichwithspecificexamplesdemonstrat-inghowcertainFocusing-Oriented-Therapyprocesses,canfacilitateemotionalhealing.

In a reversal from theprevious articles which described how science might influ-enceFocusing,CarolNickerson’s, Attachment and Neuroscience: The Benefits of Being a Focusing-Oriented Professional, arguesthatneuroscienceisfinallycatchingupwithFocus-ing. She discusses how the fundamental philosophy and practices of Focusing-OrientedTherapyareinaccordwithrecentfindingsaboutbrainplasticityandcorticalexecutivefunc-tion.Includedinherdiscussionisanextendedtherapysessionwithanotherpsychotherapist,demonstratinghowaFocusing-Oriented therapist’spresence, attunement andacceptanceprovidethekindofsupportthatneuroscientistsarediscoveringintegratesunderdevelopedneuralcircuits.

HavingbeenattheforefrontofFocusingsinceitsinceptioninChicago,ZackBoukydis’article,Thoughts about Advancing Focusing Related to the Broader Scientific Community,offersreadersinnovativestrategiesonwaystointegrateFocusingresearchmoresolidlyonthemapoftraditionalscientificinquiryandscientificendeavor.Itistime,hewrites,thatFocusingpresentsitselfasaparadigmworthyofscientificattentionanddevelopsresearchnetworksandcollaborationswiththebroaderscientificcommunity.HisthoughtfularticlecontainsawealthofpracticalsuggestionsforfurtherFocusingresearch.

KevinKrykaencouragesreaderstoconceptualizetheirownuniquecontributionstoFocusingresearchasawaytocreate‘inspiredknowledge’whichoffersscienceawaytomidwifethebirthofnewthoughtrelevanttoitsownfocus.Titlinghisarticle,Incorporating Research into Your Experiential and FOT Practice,Krykabrilliantlydetailshowthepro-cessofImplicitInquirycanlegitimatizebody-sensinginmanyaspectsofscientificresearch,leadingtodeeperexplorationofhumanlife.

Doralee Grindler Katonah has undertaken a comprehensive literature review ofresearchstudies thathave investigated theeffectsofClearingaSpaceonphysical,emo-tional,spiritual,andeducationalwell-being.Herarticle,Research on Clearing a Space,hasasitsinspirationGendlin’s‘modelofprocesses’, wherethehuman‘self-reflexivedimensionofliving’becomesthecontentofscientificinvestigation.HerthoroughreviewclarifiesthenatureoftheprocessofClearingaSpaceandunderwhatcircumstancesitmaybeofpar-ticularvalueforfacilitatingchange,healing,learningandtransformation.

InClearing a Space: An Evidence-based Approach for Enhancing Quality of Life in Women with Breast Cancer, Joan Klagsbrun and Susan Lennox demonstrate how a

vi • The Folio • 2012

rigorously designed, executed, and evaluated research can quantify measurable positivechanges in women during all stages of cancer treatment and recovery. This meticulousstudy,supportedbyresearchinneuroscience,isanexampleofthehighstandardsthatmustbemetbeforethemedicalcommunityacceptsandincorporatesFocusingaspartoftheirmulti-modaltreatmentplans.

Whatdopeoplenew-to-FocusingsayaboutthespecificbenefitsofFocusingastheyfirstexperiencetheprocessforthefirsttime?AnddoveryexperiencedFocuserssharethosesameideasasnovices?MakoHikasawritesaboutheryear-longinternationalresearchinordertoempiricallydifferentiatethesurprisingsimilaritiesanddifferences.Theresultsofherstudy,The Benefits of Focusing: A Qualitative Analysis of 30 Interviews with Focusers, willprovetobebothenlighteningandinvaluableforallwhoteachFocusing.

Inhermostinterestingandpersonalarticle,A Process Model Scientist: What Does It Really Mean in Practice? DanaGaniharRaztellsusamostcompellingstory.Afterwant-ingtobeascientistsinceshewasayoungchild,andaftercompletingherMaster’sdegreeinNeurotheology,shefelt(asshewelldescribesit)thatshewasinthewrongfield.Intheinterim, she learned Focusing, and through the process decided—17 years later!—to gobacktoscience,nowusingandintegratingthefelt-experiencewithherworkinthelab.DanatakesthetimefromworkingonherPh.D.proposaltosharehermostunusualstory.

PeterAfford’sfirstline:“Ourexperiencetellsusthatourheadsarefullofthoughtsandourbodiesarefulloffeelings”setsthefoundationforhisarticle,Focusing inanAge of Neuroscience. HecompilesscientificresearchthataddressesthecomplexityofwhatoccursinthebrainduringaFocusingsession,usingscientificdatatoillustratehispoints.You’llbefascinatedwithhisstimulatingconclusionthattheFocusingprocessintegratesbothhemi-spheresofthebrainbyliberatingthelefthemispherefromthetrapofthevirtualworldithascreatedforitself,andactuatingtherighthemisphere,whenceallourexperienceoriginatedinthefirstplace.

WhenKarenWhalenandGlennFleischsubmittedtheirarticle,Quantum Conscious-ness: An Explanatory Model for Life Forward Movement in Wholebody Focusing,wefoundourselveswithabitofadilemma.Thearticlewasexcellent,butitwasalso30pluspages!Soaftersomesoul-searchingand‘process-contemplation’betweenus(!!)wedecided—forthefirsttimeeverintheFolio—tobreakupthearticleintoaPart1and2.InPart1,KarenandGlennhavepooledtheirinnumerableresourcestowriteabouthowQuantumFieldTheoryinterfaceswithGendlin’sProcessModel of the Implicit. Part 2, develops this ‘crossing’usingclinicalexamplestoillustratetheintegrationofQuantamConcsiousness,QuantamMechanics,andGendlin’sProcessModelwithclients.

WithregardsfromyourEditors,

BalaJaison,Ph.D.SeniorEditor

PaulaNowick,Ed.D.ManagingEditor

AcknowledgmenTs • 2012 •vii

aCKnoWLedgments

Threeyears agoweasked thosemembersofour communitywhohadwell-honedwritingskillstovolunteerasGuestEditorstoassistour Foliowritersinthepreparationoftheirarticles.ThecontributionsoftheseGuestEditorswerebeyondourexpectations—andoften beyond the expectations of the writerswho told us how much they came to valuethe Guest Editors’ companionship, listening, organizational assistance, and grammaticalexpertise.ThelonelytaskofthewriterwasoftenmadefarlesssowithaListener’ssupportthroughoutthearticle’sdevelopment.ThuswhatstartedthreeyearsagoasanexperimenthasbecomeanintegralpartoftheFolioprocess,enhancingthequalityofourarticles.

Soitiswithheartfeltthanksthatwewouldliketoacknowledge:FransDespestele,MarieGiannetti,LarryHurst,JoanKlagsbrun,KevinKyrcka,JudyMoore,CarolNicker-son,ClivePerratonMountford,PatOliver,andChrisWilson,

CoverArt:We’lladdress theCoverArt for this issue inFocusing language:Afterwe’veeditedallthearticlesandgetafeelforthe whole of it,oneofourfavoriteormorecreativedelightsissearchingforcoverartthatmatchesorfitsthewhole thing . . . Wethinkthatthepicturewe’vechosenforthisissuequiteclearlyspeaksforitself.Welovedtheideaofshowingtwodifferentkindsofbrainsthatspeaktoboththeconcreteandcreativeaspectsof theSelf,andwhat is impliedas the twoareasof thebrainfaceeachother,creatingasenseofbalance.Nodoubt,asyoureadthisissue,youwilleachhaveyourownfelt-senseofwhattheimageandaccompanyingarticlesconveytoyou—enjoy!

LayoutandDesign:Forthoseofyouwhohavenevereditedajournal,itishardtodescribetherolethatCarolynKasperplays.ItisshewhotakesalltheWorddocsandmakesThe Folio lookprofessionalandinviting.Butmorethanthat,wesendherwhatwethinkareverywelleditedarticles,andshemiraculouslyfindsallthetinybitswe’vemissed,frompunctuationerrorstominisculetyposandlayoutissues.Carolyn,you’reamiraclewomanandwesendyouheartfeltthanksforyourwonderfulwork—andpatience!

Onceagain,weextendoursincerethanksandappreciationtotheFocusingInstituteforyourconsistentsupportandencouragementinproducingThe Folio.

Part 1

Crossing ContemPorary sCienCe

and FoCusing

O

Process generATes sTrucTures • �

ProCess generates struCtures structures alone don’t generate Process

E.T. Gendlin, Ph.D.

abstraCt

In this article I refer to written works (see the section on “Philosophy” at www.focusing.org)inaverybriefargument.Howprocessproducesstructureisdiscussedinfoursections:

I.Processmakesstructure,andcanchangeandexpandit.Aprocessalwayshasmanyimplicitpossibilitiesthatarenotstructures.Exactlyinwhatwaysomethingimplicitexistsisdiscussed.Processimplies andmakesthenextevents.

II.Onewayhumanbeingsmakethingsisbyfirstmakingstableseparateparts.Thenwearrange themtogether.Sowecaneasilyviewnatural thingsas if theyweremadeofstableparts.Butmostlivingthingsdon’tdoit thatway.Theyconstantlyregeneratetheirparts.Thesearetwodifferentwaysofmakingsomething.Withseparablepartscomesthekindof“space”and“time”thatisusuallyassumed.Thatkindcoversuptheimplicitprocesssothatmostofourexperienceseemsimpossible.

III. Isayhowtheimplicit ismoreprecisewithmorerelationships thananexplicitstructurecanprovide. It interrelates innumerablepossibilities thatarepreciseandunfin-ishedbecausetheyalsoimplyfurther.Theyimplyonesequenceofnexteventswhichcan“explicate” the generativeprecision.What actually occurs explicates the implying. Eachexplicationbringsafreshfurtherimplying.

IV. The findings of science seem to deny our own experiencing, and vice versa.Althoughthetwoseemsodifferent,wecanthinkwithbothlogicalandexperientialpreci-sionbecausetheyhaveaninherentrelationship.

i. ProCess generates and regenerates its struCtures

Whenonepartofthebrainisdamaged,itsfunctioncanoftenbetakenupbyotherpartsthatdon’tusuallyperformthatfunction.Weknowthischangeispossiblebecausewefindithappening,butscienceneedstoaddanewkindofconceptthatcanexplainhowitispossible.

Notonlyinspecialcases,butalsoinmanyordinaryways,how we function createsor changes the structures.Ordinary thinkinggeneratesbraincells andnewconnections.Constantstresscanbringphysicalchanges.Psychosomaticeffectsareonlypuzzlingwhen

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oneassumesthatsomaticstructuresnormallyexistapartfromthe“psycho”.Buttheyarenottwothings,ratheraprocessthatgeneratesandregeneratesstructures.

Ifpatientsonlythinktheyaretakingadrug,40%improve.Withthedrug,60%do.Theconceptofa“placebo”splits“psycho”utterlyawayfrom“somatic”,asifitwerenothingorganismic.Wecanrecognizeandstudythebody’sowninternallyarisinghealingprocess.Weneedtostudythatprocess,sinceallmedicalinterventionultimatelydependsonit.

Theseseemingpuzzlesarisebecausetheprocesscannotbethoughtaboutinthecur-rentconcepts.Iwanttoshowthatwecanaddanotherkindofconcept.

Ifweconsideronlyastructure,itseemsimpossiblethatitsfunctioncanpersistwhenthestructureisdestroyed.Doesn’tthefunctionalsodisappear?Thepuzzlecanbeexplained(andresearched)ifweconsiderallstructureasongoingly generated.Structures are always being generated by a much wider implicit process of the organism.Thereisneveronlywhatisalreadystructured,alwaysalso,aprocesswithmanymorepossibilitiesthatareimplicit.

Letmeintroducethe“implicit”.

Here is an example from a familiar human process: Consider how you ordinarilyspeak.Whenyouarereadytosaysomething,yousayitinafewsentences.Butifothersinviteyoufurther,oryouthinkfurtheralone,“it”canexpandonandon.Thenit(whatyouwerereadytosay)turnsouttohavehadagreatmanystrandsandparts.Someofwhatcomessurprisesyou.Didthatallalreadyexistinyourreadinesstospeak?Surelynot,andyetinsomewayitwasthere.TheincompletewayitwasthereIcall“implicit”.

Letusseeinwhatwayallthatexistedinyourreadinesstospeak.Thesemanystrandsand developments were not separate structures. There were not hidden structures there,waiting.Asstructurestheyarenew.Theydevelopedasyouwenton.Buttheyarenotjustnew.Theyareneitherjustnew,norweretheyalreadystructured.This“neithernor”leadstoanewconcept:The“implicit”consistsofamultitudeofunseparatedpossibilitieswhichallfunctiontoenacttheonespecificnextsentenceyouactuallysay.

Whatdoyoudotomakethewordscome?Youkeepsensingwhatyouhadreadytosayandyouopenyourmouth.Thewordscomeout.Youdidnotalreadyhavewordsforwhatyouwantedtosay.Youhaditinabodilyway.Thereadinesstospeakisanimplying.Itimpliessomethingthatcomesnext.Ifyougiveitpermission,itwillmakeactualsentences.Speakingisonewayof“explicating”.Actualeventscanexplicatetheimplicit.

Yes,awholeensuingsequenceisimpliedfromthestart,buttheimplyingismuchmorethanfinishedstructures,anditcarriesitselffurtherasitenactsonenextstructuredevent, and then another and another. What is implicit explicates itself in enacting whatactuallyoccurs.

Youcannothelpknowingwhenyou lose trackofsomething thatyouare ready tosay,becausethenyoucannolongerspeakorthinkfromit.Butsometimesthereisanotherdifficulty.Wetrytospeakfromthat,butwhatwesaydoesnotsucceed.Itdoesnotopenitandcarryitfurther.Theimplicitisverypreciseandstubbornlydemanding.Youcansayand


thinkalotforyears,knowingallthewhilethatyouaren’ttouchingwhatisimplied.Iftherewereonlyfinishedstructuresthiswouldbeapuzzle:Youwouldonlyhavewhatyouarethinking.Howcanyouknowitisnotwhatisimplied,sinceyoudon’tknowwhatisimplied?Butweobservethatweoftenhaveastubborndiscomfortwithwhatwecansay.Wehaveanunsatisfiedimplyingdirectly.

Speakingisonlyoneexample.Manyothersmightoccurtoyou.Theimplicitistotallyfamiliartoeveryone.Theword“implicit”iswidelyusedtoday,butwiththeusualassump-tions it seems tobe aparadox,“was there, and yet was not”.Theparadoxopens ifwewidenwhatwemeanby“was”and“is”or“exists”.What exists is not only structures,notjuststructuresornothing.There“is”alwaysalsoanimplying.Butofcourse,tochangeournotionofexistenceisnotasmallmove.

Theconceptsof“implicit”and“explicating”canclarifyourunderstandingofmostevents.Everythingwedoandsayexplicatesanimplyingthatismorethanwhatisthereasstructures.

Somethingcanbeutterlyfamiliarandyetverypuzzling.Lettheword“implicit”refertothisfamiliarbutpuzzlingwaywehavewhatwewanttosay.Aswesayit,itexpands.Ifyoulettheword“implicit”referdirectlytothatfamiliarreadinesstosaysomething,thenyoucandecideaswegoalongwhetherornottoaccepttheconceptsIpresent.Ifyouletthewordmeanthat,thenyoumightalsothinkofsomethingfurtherandbetterthanwhatIsay.

Iwanttoemphasizethatwecanletwordsrefer to “that” which we experience.Evenifthewordbringsaconcept,thewordcanalsorefertothefamiliarway“that”is.Thesearetwodifferentusesoflanguage.Wecanhavethegoodofboth.

Theconceptoftheimplicitisnotonlyindividual;itappliesalsotoallhappenings,includinghistory.Social events explicate earlier social events. The later events separate and emphasize characteristics which the earlier events implied. Only now do we see some of what the event “was”.Thefurthereventsexplicatetheprevious.

Theactualeventsbringfreshimplyings,butthesearein a certain way continuouswithwhathasalreadyhappened.What“part”isnew?Wecannotdivideanewpartfromtheoldbecauseinexplicationstheparts(units,structures)areneitherjustnewnorjustold.Andeachbringsafreshfurtherimplying.Icallthiskindofcontinuity“carrying forward”.

Everyhappeningisstructuredandfreshlyimpliesagreatmanyfurthereventsthatarenotstructured.

Ourdifficultsituationsbecomemorehopefulifwerecognizethateventsareneveronlywhatisexplicitlyformed.Ifwedealwitheventsashavingverymanymorepossibili-ties,andifweunderstandthatthepossibilitiescanemergeonlygraduallyasactualeventsbringnewimplying,thenwemayfindafewstepsthatnowbeginsomethingnew.

Whatactuallyhappensisaprocessofexplicating.Theinnumerableimplicitpossibili-tiesimplyasequenceofnextevents,andtheyimplyonenexteventwhichcanchangethesequence.


ii. tWo diFFerent Ways oF maKing something

Humanbeingsare“homo faber”;wemakethings.Onewaywedothatistomakepartsseparatelyfirst.We make each part as a separate structure.Afactorymakesnothingbutthatpart.Thenweputthepartstogethertomakethefinalthing.Sowetendtoassumethateverythingnaturallyconsistsofseparableparts:bricksandboltsandmicrochips.Weassumethatthelivingthings(includingourselves)alsoconsistofseparableparts:legs,andfingers,skin,andbones.Wethinkofanimalsintermsofseparate“systems”:thedigestiveandthereproductive.Weseparatenervesandcells.Wefindchemical“factories”makingcertainproteins.

Butlivingthingsdon’tdoitthatway.Theydon’tmakeonlyskinorproteinsseparately,apart from the process of the whole organism.The “factory” thatmakes thoseproteinsdoesn’tfirstdoitalone.Alivingthingremakesitselfandits“parts”freshlyallthetime.Thefactory isconstantlybeingregenerated freshly.So theseproteinskeephavingmanyimplicitlychangingcharacteristics,manymorethanproteinshaveseparately.Theyaremorepreciselyimpliedandoccurinmoreprecisewaysthanisassumedintheseparablepartsandparticlesthatourcurrentconceptsrepresent.

We make the parts of a machine first. We don’t turn it on until we put the partstogether.Butalivingthingisalready“turnedon”whenitmakesitsparts,forexampleintheembryo.Anditisalwaysremakingthem.Thisdifferentkindofmakingishardforustounderstand,butitisactuallymore“natural”thanmakingandcombiningseparableparts.

Living things do seem to repeat “the same” forms and patterns for millions of years,buteach“same”isalsonewanddifferent.Weseemtohave“thesame”organsandcells,butthedoctorsalwaystellus“eachbodyisdifferent”.Howthesesupposedly“same”partswillrespondtoaparticulardrugisnotquitepredictable.Thedoctorhastodealwiththelivingbodyanditsliving“parts”,butaccordingtocurrentassumptionswearemadeoutofinanimatefullystructuredstructures.Itisasimilarmistaketosaythat“thebody”iswhatweleaveherewhenwedie.No,thatwillbeadeadbody;thisoneisalivingbody,engagedinimplyingandexplicating,whichbringsfurtherimplying.

Livingbodies consist of ongoingbody-environment interactions, notfirst separatestructureswhichthenalsointeractwiththeirenvironment.

Theconceptsofstructuresareirreplaceablyuseful.Knowingsomethingaboutwhatapartproducesenablesustointervenetoimproveorrestoreit.Itisonlyfoolishtodenigratescience.(Andtowritethatonacomputer?)Anystructuredpatternthatstaysreliablythe“same”forawhileis precious and invaluable.Butthemedicallyclassifiedillnessesarenotseparateentitiesinthebody.Thatkindofconceptcannotincludehowanythingimplicitlyis.Animplicitlyintricateprocessgeneratesnotjustthatpatternbutalsomuchmore.

We are contrasting two kinds of making. Let us now more closely examine thisonehumanway.Howdowemakethingswithseparateparts?Wedoitwithpatterns.1Weimposeapatternonthingsthatdon’thaveitfromthemselves.Wemakefurnitureby moving patterns onto the wood. The wood has a much more intricate organization but it doesn’t


have this furniture pattern.Wemakescientificpatternsofthecharacteristicsofwoodtoo,andofitsmoleculesandparticles.Wemovethepatternfromourdesignacrosstothethings.Ourpatternsstaythesameasweapplyandmovethem.Weseem(onlyseem)toworkinaspacewhichdoesn’taffectthepatterns.Thereforethespaceseemsobviouslyemptyexceptfortheobjectsinit.

Themany“samethings”madeinafactoryaredistinguishedonlyinsofarasthisoneishere,whereasthoseothersarethereandthere.Theirpositionsareallthatdistinguishonefromanother.Thisparticlehereisthe one that wasearlieroverthere.Positionsdependonsomeobserverwhorelatesa“here”toan“over there”.Thepositionsdon’trelate toeachother.Aperceiver’s“there”from“here”mustrelatethem.

Thepatternsweusearenotthething’sown;theyareourpatterns,butmadeininter-actionwiththethings.Wemakethembyplayingwiththethingsonourinstrumentsinthelaboratory,tryingoutallsortsofmovesuntilwefindanoperationthatalways(ornearlyalways)produces the same result.The results are trulypossibilitiesof the things, but inresponsetous(seeGendlin1997b).Thethingswouldhavehadtheseresponsesinancienttimes,butonlyifourinstrumentsandpatternshadbeenapplied.Onourpatternstheyshowmorethantheyotherwisehave,butonlywhatfitsourcurrentpatterns.Whatweconsidertheirpatternsaretheirs on ours.

Althoughcurrentscientificpatternsareofmanykinds,theymostlyassumestructuresalone, nothing implicit. But only some of what we experience can exist on the pattern.2Accordingtothecurrentscientificconceptsmostofhowwearealldayisimpossible.Andagreatdeal thathappens inmodernphysics isequally impossibleaccording to this stillubiquitousoldmodel.

Mostcurrentconceptsassumethatwhat“is”or“exists”meanswhatfillsthe“empty”here-therespace.Thiskindofspacecomesfromourmakingseparablethings.SeparabilityISjustthisspace:each thing outside every other.Eachpartorparticleissupposedtostayidenticaltoitself,andoutsidetheothers.Butspaceisnotemptyandmerelypositionaluntilwemakeitsobyridingoverwhatisthere.

NowIneedtobringhomehowthispositionalschemeofspaceandtimecovers up the actual differences.Thereisafilled space and timewhichhastobereduceddowntomakethepositionalkind.

A person’s (and an animal’s) action possibilities cannot be listed and enumeratedseparately.Theyaremanymore.Theyarealsomuchmoreintricatelyorganizedbecauseany one action changes how the other possibilities could happen. An action is a “cluster” of changes in the other possibilities, and creates new ones. They form a great “space” that is very full. Any one action carries the whole “cluster” forward.

Theclusterkeepsthepastevents,butalsoopensandexpandsthembecauseitimpliesfurther.Theclusterhasakindofcontinuitynotreducibletoalogicofsameunits,butitisnotatallindeterminate,rathermoreprecisethanlogicaldeduction.Thereisawayofmak-inglogicalsensebutwithnewlycreatedterms,ratherthanstayingwithinanantecedentset


ofterms.This“inductive”kindoflogichaspuzzledthinkersthroughtheagesbecauseitoftenhappened,butdidnotyetunderstanditself.Itwasassumedthatlogicrequiresasetoftermsfixedinadvanceandkeptthesamethroughout.

Logiccannotdeterminetheunitsituses.Andwhatwordsmeancannotbedeterminedwithinafixedsetofunits.Thewordsfirstsaysomething:thenonecanexaminehowtheywereused.

Newtermsfromimplying-occurring-implyingcanmake“organismic sense”becausespeaking is a bit of further living, i.e., a bit of body-environment interaction. From theorganismicsense-makingwecangeneratenew unitswithwhichwecanlogicallyexplicatewhat happened. What can follow logically is inherently related to what could follow inactualbody-environmentinteraction.

Theorganismicprocessinuscontinueseventhoughitishiddenbytheemptysystemoflocation“points”.Theclusterofactionpossibilitiesisnotreallyreduced,onlycoveredover.Weseemunabletothinkfromtheimplicitbecausewetrytomakeitfitthetermswehave.Wetrytothinkofitasstructuredobjectsinthespaceof“there-from-here”.

Notheoryorphilosophy(includingthisone,ofcourse)willmaketheimplicitexplicit.Butas explicationswecanletwordsandactionscomefrom ittocarryitforward.Wecanexplicatemanyofitscharacteristics,oneprecisestrandafteranother.

Indefenseoflocationspaceandstructuresalone,lookathowmuchwehavebeenabletoachievewiththesepartsandparticles!Ourvasttechnologyispartlyduetothiskindofconcept.Ontheotherhand,lookathowphysicshasalreadyhadtorejectthatspaceandits“same”parts.Thepartsdonotstaythesame.Currentphysicsusesonlyoperationsandmathematics.Andwhatamathematics!Amathematicstiedjusttooperations.Physicsgoesbeyondtheoldmodelbydoingwithoutanyexplanatoryconceptsatall.The“quantumfield”is indeterminate until equations are developed to predict the results of operations. Mostothersciencesincludingneurologystilluseconceptsthatassumetheoldmodel.

A similar emptying happens to time.Itbecomesreducedtoasequenceofmeretimepoints.Eachmomentseemstobethesameaseveryother,distinguishedonlybyapositiononatimeline.Butthepastisnotjustanoccurringatanearlierposition.Considerthevastnumberoffactorsfromthepastwhicharenot now occurring but are shapingwhatnowoccursbecauseit would occur differently if they had not happened.Theyfunctionnow,buttheyfunctionimplicitly,notasoccurringstructures.Theeffectsofthepastmayseemimprecise,butwecantracetheprecision.Wecanidentifymanyfactorsandcausalchains,buttheydon’thavetheireffectsseparatelylikealistof“factors”.Theirimplicitfunctionispreciseinproducingjustthissingleoccurringwhichwecanexplicateinevernewandmorenumerousterms.

The merely positional time covers up how each moment is a different cluster which generates fresh possibilities that can be carried forward.Wecanobservethisinourhumanprocess,forexample thismoment’sshadowsonthewall,howthe light isplayingonthetrees,howthemusclesinmyhipsfeelnow,andhowtherestofmydayandmylifeisimpliedfromhere.


Letusseewhatalternativemodelcomesfromexplicating,andwhytheimplicithassomanymorepossibilitiesthanthepatternsofstructureshavealone.

iii. the order and PreCision oF imPLying

Manypeopleaffirm“holism”.Theysaythatthewholeorganismisone.Thisistrue.Theimplyingprocessisthewholeorganism’s,butinthecurrentconceptsthisisconsid-ered “indeterminate”, a merged amalgam. In the traditional model “determined” meansstructuredandseparated.Sotheimplicitseemsindeterminate.Buttheimplyingisactuallymorespecificallydeterminedanddetermining,becauseitistheresultantofmuchmorethanstructurescanprovide.Ihavederivedthiskindof“moredetermined”atlengthelsewherebutIwilltellitverybrieflyhere.

Implicitpossibilitiesinteraffect eachother.WhateachISincludeshowitaffectstheothersandisalreadyaffectedbyaffectingthem.Eachbecomesmoreprecisebecauseitisprecisionedbytheothers.“Their” interaction is first,beforethereisaseparable“they”.Thisgreaterprecisionmakesthemunfinishedasstructures.Theyeachimply the one next event and the series of next events.

Any one possibility that actually occurs changes how the others are possible. Forexample,ifwethrowtheballwecannolongerrunwithitorkickit;ifweboiltheeggs,wecannolongerscrambleorpoachthem.Thesepossibilitiesalwaysremainspecific;scram-blingandpoachingdon’tmerge.Theclusterofimplicitpossibilitiesimpliesonenextaction.Andthatactionwillcarrytheclusterforward.

AnyonewayIactisalreadyprecisionedbyotherpossibleactions.Iliftthecoffeepotinsuchawaythattouchingthehotpartcan’thappen,andsopouringitwillbepossible,andsoIhavecontrolofhowmuchItipitandcanpouralittle,nottoomuchtooquickly.Theseother behaviors have already helped shape this ongoing action of lifting the coffee pot.ManyotherpossibleactionsalwaysparticipateinshapingwhatIactuallydo.Anyactionreallycarriesforwardawholeclusterofinteraffectingactionpossibilities.Manyimplicitpossibilitiesshapeanexthappening.

Forexample,anyonenextchessmovemustmakeallof theopponent’spromisingpossibilitiesimpossibleandalsoopenupnewpossiblemovesforourside.Chessisofcourselimitedbyitsrules,butit isagoodexampleofhowonemoveisreallythecarryingfor-ward of a whole cluster of precise possibilities. These are not merged or indeterminate.Onecouldn’tplaychesswithoutprecisepossibilities.Theyremainspecificandseparateinthismoreintricatesenseof“separate”.Theplayertestsoutthemovebytracingasmanypossibilitiesastimeallows,butthenewmovefirstcomestominddirectlyfromtheimplicitintricacyoftheclusterofpossibilitiesimpliedallatonce.(SeeGendlin,inpress.)

Themanyeventsthathavehappenedareretained,butinamoreintricateway:Nowthey functionboth as they wereand in the one further implying. (See “pyramiding” inChapterVIofGendlin1997a.)Theimplicitintricacydoesnotconsistofstructuresthatarejustthere,justobjects.Implicitintricacyisanactiveimplying,generatingandre-generatingstructures.

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Herewehavearrivedatthemainthesisofthisarticle:Processgeneratesstructures.Thegeneratingisnotdonebystructuresalone.

Wecanchangetoanewmodelforwhat“exists”or“is”.Ioutlineitverysimplyherewithfourterms:

1. Implicitintricacy;

2. Implyingandenactingthesequenceofnextevents;

3. Preciseinteractionthatispriortoseparatethings(forexamplebody-environmentinteraction);

4. Implyingimpliesthesequenceofnextevents,butbringsafurtherimplying.

Thedetailofthismodelismissinghere,ofcourse,butIcannottellmoreofitinthisarticle.PleaseseemyA Process Model(Gendlin1997a)forthecompleteversion.

iV. the inherent reLation oF sCienCe and the imPLiCit

The concepts of science change every few years. What science tells us today isdifferentfromwhatitsaidfortyyearsago.Andfortyyearsfromnowitwilldenymuchofwhatitsaystoday.Wevalueitsrecommendationsforourhealth,butweknowthesetoowillsoonbedifferent.

InthetimeofKantandHegelsciencewasmechanics.Theywrotethatnatureisamechanicalsystem.WhenIwasyoungeverythingwassaidtobechemistry.Iwastoldtothink of myself as chemical equations. Today we are supposed to think of ourselves asneurologicalstructures,whattheneuronsdo.

Afterawhileweandnaturewillseemtobesomethingelseagain.Obviouslywe“are”notanyoneofthese.So we vividly see the implicit nature of nature, and our own implicit nature.

We are not only the sequence of explications.Wearethegenerativeimplyingandexplicating.Eventsareanexplicating.

But explications don’t just change. The change is a development, but attempts toaccountforitshownodeductivecontinuitybecausenewareasopenandalwaysbringmanymorenewterms(Fodor,1974).Butexplicationscanlastforsomedecadesandgiverisetomanyresultswhichareonlygraduallyabsorbed.Greatchangesinthebody-environmentprocesscanhappen.3

Howshallwethinkfromhere?Ratherthanstructuresalone,ourconceptscanbeofprocessesthatgeneratestructures.4

Wecanalsoemploytheimplicitintheveryprocessofourthinking.Itbecomesmoresystematicifwethinkbothwithlogicandwiththeimplicit.Thiskindofthinkingrequiresanewunderstandingofhowtheyarerelatedtoeachother.

Process generATes sTrucTures • 11

Theusual thinking is in fact alreadyboth.Thoughts andwords (andactions) cancometousfromexplicitknowledgeandfromimplicitexperiencing.

Anyclarity isboth.The“aha!”producedbya logicalpresentationbeforeus is its effectonourexperiencedunderstanding.Clarity, (we see) is always the fresh implicit effect brought by the explication.Clarityisboththestructuresandthefeltunderstanding.

Wecanthinksystematicallywithbothifwecanemploytheminturn.Wecanpursuewhere just logic leads.Wecanalsopause to referdirectly to the implicit intricacy (“allthat”)whichcancomefreshlyagainfromanywordsorconceptsandinanysituation.Thenwecanseewhatthatimpliesandwhereitleads.5

Thesearetwoverydifferentwaystogofurther.Wecanfirstleteachgoasfarasitcan,keepingbothinviolable,preventingthemfromstoppingorobstructingeachother.

Thenwecanseehoweachcanexpandtheother.

Withlogicwepursuetheimplicationsfromfixedterms.Logicalonecanarrivewherenothingelsecango.Computerscanleadustonewconclusionsandnewterritoriesthatwecouldnotreachinanyotherway.Butfrom there(orfromanywhere)afreshimplicitcomesandopensawaytogofurther,beyondcomputersandlogicalone.There is a reciprocal relation between logical calculation and the implicit.Eachcangoonwhere theotherstops.Eachexpandswhattheotherhasdone,ifwefirstletthemworkinturn.

Thereisaninherentreasonwhytheycancontinueeachother.Logicalunitsareexpli-cations. Logical units are body-environment interaction being carried forward. Fromthatorganismiccarryingforwardnewunitscanbegenerated.Thereforeeachisinherentlyanimplicitcarryingforwardoftheother.

Ifwefallintothinkingthatwearemechanical,chemical,orneurologicalstructuresinthespaceofthere-from-here,thenwetakeourselvesasobjects.Weexistasanobserver’sexperience.Nagel(1986) posedthepuzzle:“Iammybrain,”hesaid,butthismakesmeanobject,andnotevenmyobjectoryours,ratheranobjectviewedfromnowhere.Hecalledmodernscience“theviewfromnowhere”.Nagel’spuzzlebringshomethatwecannotbejustobjects.

Thisstillcurrentpuzzlearisesfromtheassumptionthatwhat“exists”consistsjustofwhatfillsspace.Thatiswhyhumansandeverythingelseseemtobemereobjects.

Our solution is anewunderstandingofhowthings “are”,notonlyobjects,butalsotheirprocesseswhicharegenerating theirstructures.Nothing isonlyobjects.There are no objects alone.Theyaretheimplicitintricacythatimpliesasequenceofeventsinwhicheachnexteventbringsafreshimplying.

Letusnotstruggletounderstandthenewmodelinconceptsthatstillassumetheoldmodel.Insteadoftheimpossibletaskofplacingtheimplicit–explicatingprocessintoauni-verseofstructures,letusstartinthatmoreintricateprocess,andunderstandthestructureswithinthewiderimplying-explicatingprocess.

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reFerenCes

TheFocusingInstitute.Thinking at the edge. http://www.focusing.org/tae_steps.html

Fodor, J. (1974). Special sciences and the disunity of science as a working hypothesis.Synthese,28,77-115.

Gallagher,S.(2005)How the body shapes the mind. Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.

Gendlin, E. T. (1997a). A process model. New York: The Focusing Institute. A slightlycorrectedversionisavailableathttp://www.focusing.org/process.html.

Gendlin,E.T.(1997b).Theresponsiveorder:Anewempiricism.Man and World,30(3),383-411.Alsoavailableathttp://www.focusing.org/gendlin4.html.

Gendlin, E.T. (2009). What first and third person processes really are. Journal of Consciousness Studies. 16,No.10–12,332–62.

Gendlin,E.T.(inpress).Implicitprecision.InZ.Radman(Ed.)Knowing without thinking: Mind, action, cognition and the phenomenon of the background. Basingstoke:Palgrave Macmillan (forthcoming). Also available at: http://www.focusing.org/gendlin/pdf/gendlin_implicit_precision.pdf

Nagel,T.(1986).The view from nowhere.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress.

Stuart,S.A.J.(inpress).Enkinaesthesia:theessentialsensuousbackgroundforco-agency.In Z. Radman (Ed.) Knowing without thinking: Mind, action, cognition and the phenomenon of the background.Basingstoke:PalgraveMacmillan(forthcoming).

endnotes:

1. Consciousness(sensation)arisesinanimalbehavior.Itdoesnotconsistjustoftheper-cepts; theyaregeneratedas theyhappen(andgenerateamore intricatekindof time(Gendlin1997a,ChapterIVB),notjustsuccessivetimepositions.Thehumancognitivecapacityusingmovablepatternshastobedistinguishedfrom(andderivedfrom)animalbehavior.(SeechaptersVIandVIIAof Gendlin 1997a.)Languageandsymbolizingarenotatallarbitraryorconventional,asifnotbeinggeneratedbytheorganismicbody-environmentinteractionwhichantecedesthedevelopmentofperceptionandcognition.

2. Sometimesthefactthatsciencehasnotfoundsomethingismisunderstoodasifitwereascientificfinding.Butitiswellknownthatonecanalwayseasilynot-findevenawellknownfactifoneusesinstrumentsonwhichitcannotregister.(“Thenullhypothesiscannotbeproven.”)

3. Forexample,watermoleculeshadseemedexhaustivelydefined.Recentlywaterturnsouttohavemanyothercharacteristicssuchasvariablewaysofcrystallizing.Manyfac-torscanaffectwaterinwaysnotpreviouslyknown.Thiswillalsoopenanewbranchofmedicine,sincewaterissuchanimportantconstituentoflivingthings.’

Manyneweffectsarebeingfoundinothermaterials.A“materials science”nowdealswithnew fundamental propertiesofmanymaterials,withimportantresultsfor

Process generATes sTrucTures • 1�

theiruseinengineering.Implicitintricacydoesnotconsistofjustafewmorevariables.Itcanopen largeareaswhichchange theknownfactorsand relevances. It is soalsoforspeaking.Beyondthestandardmeaningssomeoneseemstosay,reflectivelisteningrevealsanimplicitintricacywithverydifferentmeaningsandrelevances.

4. Gallagher (2005) offers the concept of “transmodality” connecting the five sensorymodeslongbeforetheneurologicalstructuresthatlinkthemdevelop.(Seemyexplana-tioninGendlin2009.).

Stuart(inpress)defines“enkinaesthesia,”thebodilyprocessofactiveprobingwithenvironmentalresponses.Thereisalsomuchcurrentworkinmathematics,calculation,quantumcomputing,andnanosciencewhichpointsinthisdirectionandneedsanewmodel.

5. Adetailedmethodoffourteenstepsforconcept-formationhasbeendeveloped.SeeTAE(ThinkingattheEdge)athttp://www.focusing.org/tae_steps.html.

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ZigZagging our Way to eXPanded PossibiLities For FoCusing

Bruce Nayowith M.D.

ThispaperinvestigatessomeofthepossibilitiesthatcanarisefromthekindlingoftheinnerknowingofFocusingwiththeouterfuelofscientificinsights.Utilizingdiscoveriesfromthefieldsofphysicsandepigenetics,we’llexplorehowtheseconceptscandynamicallyexpand,andpossiblyrevolutionize,currentunderstandingsandpracticesofFocusing.

starting With a PartiCuLar deFinition oF FoCusing

AdefinitionofFocusingthatmakeshelpfuldistinctions,andwillsetthestageforthispaper,wasarticulatedbyBruceGibbs

HesuggeststhatitislimitingtodefineFocusingassimplyfelt-sensing.Quiteafewprocessescontactandworkwithfelt-senses—butnotusuallyinthesamewayasinFocusing.Inordertounderstandthisbetter,hedistinguishesthreelevelsofrelatingtofelt-sensing:

a) Contactinga felt-sense:Something in thebody thathasmeaning,which isnotyetclearinthemind.Thislevelbringsfelt-sensingintoawareness,butdoesnotprescribewhatkindofrelationshiponehaswiththefeltsense—onemaypush,ignore,ormanipulatefeltexperiencing.

b)MindfulAwareness:Bringingmindful,lovingattention(compassionand/orinter-estedcuriosity)tofeltexperiencing.Justbeingwithfeltexperiencinginanopen,accepting,connectingmanner.1

c) Focusing:Focusingcanbedescribedasa zigzagging and a checking—offeringmindfullovingattention(“mindfulawareness”),betweenfeltexperiencingandthesymbolic, theconceptual,continuallycheckingwiththebodyforrightnessorfit.

Using thezigzaggingofFocusingasametaphor, thispaper itselfwill zigzag—inanopenandcuriousway—betweenoneofourfavoritetoolsforFirstPersonscience(“thebody”asareferentinFocusing),andsomeareasofThirdPersonscience.

Whole branches of physics deal with sending, receiving, and transmitted energy.Howmightanunderstandingofradioantennas,tuning,andsignaltransductionexpandourcapacities for increasingconnection andapprehensionwhileFocusing?Howmight thephysicsofresonanceinfluencetheprocessofresonatingwhileFocusing?

Thestudyofopticsenabledustoseefartherandmorecloselythroughmicroscopesandtelescopes.Radiotelescopesandelectronmicroscopeslaterexpandedourvisionbeyondthelimitationsofopticallensesanddirectperception.Whatmightthephysicsofreflecting

ZigZAgging our wAy To exPAnded PossibiliTies For Focusing • 1�

andrefractingoffertosensing-into?Mighttherealsowaystoindirectlysense-into,ortosense beyond,whatisdirectlybodily-felt?

ePigenetiCs—CeLLs, sensing, and energy Patterns

Wecanbeginwithcellbiologyandtheblossomingfieldofepigenetics:“thestudyofthemolecularmechanismsby which the environment controls gene activity.”(Lipton,p.26)Asresearchhasprogressed,ourunderstandingofwhatconstitutes“theenvironment”hasexpanded.Besidesphysicalinfluencesandlocalchemicalprocesses,theenvironmentincludesmorecomplexprocessesanddistantinfluencessuchasneurotransmittersand“mol-ecules of emotion”sentfromotherpartsofthebody(Pert,1999).The Psychobiology of Mind Body Healing(Rossi,1993)elaboratesbiochemicalpathwaysthroughwhichmentaleventsmayinfluencetheexpressionofcertaingenesonthecellularlevel.

Thescientificliteratureoffersmultiplestudiessupportingtheroleofemotionsandmentalstates—includingbeliefs—inalteringbiochemicalprocesses.Theseincludestudieson theplacebo2andnoceboeffect (Arguriou,2007)(Klopfer,1957)andonDissociativeIdentityDisorder(Coons,1988)(Braun,1983).Othershavestudiedspontaneousremissionsfrommetastatic cancer (Hirschberg,1993).Thedirect experienceofmanywhopracticehypnosissupportsthatsomesubjects,whileintrance,canstartandstoptheirbleedingfromaninducedneedlestick,adoptalteredstate-boundphysiologyduringageregression,andalterskintemperatureuponsuggestion.

LiptontakesRossi’sworkevenfurther,offeringnewinsightsaboutthemind-bodyinterface,andsuggestingthatwewidenourunderstandingofwhatfactorscanbeepigeneticinfluences toconceptualize“Environment”as including intracellular,environmentaland energeticinfluences(Lipton,2005,p.26)

some interesting researCh Findings aLong these Lines

Several research studies point to some interaction between biochemistry, energy,intention,andinformation—evenatsubcellularlevels.(HeartMath,2011)

TheDNAPhantomEffect(Poponin&Gariaev,2002)foundDNAaffectsthecon-figurationofphotons inacontainer. Inotherwords, thephotons in theemptyspaceareorganized intosomealignmentbecauseof thepresenceof theDNA.What isevenmorestrikingisthatthisalignmentofthephotonsis maintained by them even after the dna is removed from the container!Moreover,findingsfrom“TheDNA-waveBiocomputer”(Gariaev,2001)suggeststhatelectromagneticsignalsareofkeyimportanceintheregula-toryfunctioningofDNA.

Astudyentitledthe“ModulationofDNAConformationbyHeart-FocusedIntention”(McCraty,2003)isquiteprovocative.IwouldliketospendsometimeonitbecauseithasquiteintriguingfindingsthatmayincreaseourunderstandingofFocusingdynamics.

In these experiments, practitioners of HeartMath who were skilled in attaining“coherence”(HeartMathLLC,2011)werecomparedtountrainedcontrolsubjectsasthey

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attemptedtoinfluenceDNA.ThestudyfoundthatthelengthofstrandsofDNAinatesttubecouldbesignificantlyalteredbythecombinationofattuningtoacertainemotionalstateandsettingacertainintention.

Accordingtothisstudy,boththe feeling-mental state ofheart-connection and the intention needed to be present inorderforthiseffecttooccur.Eitheraspectalonehadminimaleffect;bothtogetherhadaquitesignificanteffect.Exploringfurther, theHeart-Mathresearchersdiscoveredthatintention could be directed with quiteaprecise specific-ity.Subjectswhohadattained“coherence”wereabletoeffectivelychoosetolengthentwospecificstrandsofDNAandnotathirdonewhichwasalsopresentinthesametubeatthesametime.

Otherstudies(Tomasino,1997)haveshownthatchangesincoronarybloodflowwereaffectedbywaterwhichhadbeenchargedwithcertainelectromagneticenergies.Someofthesechangesseemtobeabletobetransmittedinavarietyofways.AlabatNorthwesternUniversity Medical School was able to digitize a signal from a solution of energeticallyaffectedwater.Thecomputer-digitizedfilewassenttoDigitalBiologyLaboratoryinFrance.Thewater“listeningtothissignal”affectedcoronarybloodflowjustastheactivatedwaterinChicagohaddone!Adummysignalhadnosucheffect.(“TransatlanticTransferofDigi-tizedAntigenSignalbyTelephoneLink”3)

an inVitation to a thought eXPeriment

Ifindthesestudiesmentionedabovetobequiteincredible.Evenafterhavingreadtheoriginalpapers,Iamnottotallyconvincedoftheirvalidity.Butdoweneedtobelievethesestudiesinordertoexploretheideasthattheysuggest?No.Wecantakeadifferenttack—playwiththeideathattheymightbetrue,thengofromthere.Asking,“Ifthisweretrue,then...”isaninvitationintoathoughtexperiment.

Usingsomeofthesedescriptionsasmetaphors,wecanexplorewhatanunderstand-ingofphysicsbasedonthisbiologymightoffertoFocusing.Thenwecanchecktoseeifwecanfindanyexamplesthatmightsupportordisproveourspeculations.

Let’sbeginwithapassagefrom“The Biology of Belief”discussingthecellmembrane,underliningsomeofthetermsthatseemtohavesomeparallelsintheworldofphysics:

ReceptorIntegralMembraneProteinsarethecell’ssense organs,theequivalentofoureyes,ears,nose,tastebuds,etc.Receptorsfunctionasmolecular‘nano-antennas’tunedtorespondtodifferentenvironmentalsignals.Somereceptorsextendinwardfromthemembranesurfacetomonitortheinternalmilieuofthecell.Othersextendfromthecell’soutersurface,monitoringexternalsignals

. . . receptorshavean inactiveandanactiveshapeandshiftbackandforthbetween thoseconformationsas theirelectricalchargesarealtered.Whenareceptorproteinbindswithanenvironmental signal, the resultingalterationin theprotein’selectricalchargescauses thebackbone tochangeshape,and


theproteinadoptsan‘active’conformation.Cellspossessauniquely‘tuned’receptorproteinforeveryenvironmentalsignalthatneedstoread...

...Receptor‘antennas’canalsoreadvibrationalenergyfieldssuchaslight,sound,andradiofrequencies.Theantennasonthese‘energy’receptorsvibrateliketuningforks.Ifanenergyvibrationintheenvironmentresonateswithareceptor’s antenna, it will alter the protein’s charge, causing the receptor tochange shape [Tsonga 1989] . . . because (some) receptors can read energyfields, thenotion thatonlyphysicalmoleculescan impactcellphysiology isoutmoded...(Lipton,2005,p.83).

From ePigenetiCs to PhysiCs

IwouldliketoworkwithsomeimplicationsfromLipton’sideas:

1.)Cellularmetabolicprocessescanbeconsideredtobeelectrochemicalevents—associ-atedwithchangingelectricalcharges.Proteinsynthesis,cellmetabolism,geneactivation,and reproduction have accompanying electromagnetic fields along with the biochemi-cal reactions.Electromagneticfieldspenetratespace, so this includesboth intrinsic and extrinsicelectromagneticradiation.

2.)Electromagneticfieldsarecreatedbytheprocessofcellularmetabolism.ThereforeDNA,thecellmembrane,andperhapsothercellularstructures,transmitelectromagneticradiationintheprocessoftheactivityofthecell.

3.)Atthesametime,itcouldbesaidthatcertainaspectsoflivingcellsactas“sensors”.Theysense,areaffectedby,anddifferentiatebetweentypesofelectromagneticenergyandinformation.DNAitselfisoneformofthis‘sensor’,asarereceptorsoncellmembranesandtheproteinsthatcovertheDNA.

So far,allof this isconsistentwithLipton’s ideasandwith theDNAexperimentsabove,whichsuggest thatcertaincomponentsofcellscantransmit,andreceive,electro-magneticradiation.

4.) Interacting patterns of electromagnetic energy are generated during cellular activ-ity.Theremaybeatransmitting,sensing,andinteractingoccurringatvariouslevelsofanorganism—fromthecellularlevelonuptoprofoundlevelsofcomplexity.

5.)Theremaybedifferentpatternsofthisradiationateachlevel—organelle,cell,organ,body,orcollectionofbodies.

6.)Eachof thesemighthave itsown‘signature’, itsownfrequencyandpattern.Com-binations could create overtones, harmonics, and resonation patterns, as in music andwithwaves.

7.)Ifsomethingistransmittingelectromagneticenergy,thenit may be possible to sense into many of these frequenciesviahumanand/ormechanicalsensors.Thismightbeakintotuningacrystalradioorascanner.

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Asanexample,oneFocuserhadanexperienceofconnectingwithasenseoftheliv-ingformofacell,leadingtowardshealingnervedamageinonearm.4(Rolsma,p.158-9)

ManyskilledTraditionalChineseMedicinepractitionersareabletosensewhattheycalltheflowof“qi”,orlifeenergy,alongcertainpathwaysormeridians,whichcorrespondtocertainphysicalandemotionalaspects.Pulsediagnosisisonemethodofsensingtheseenergies.

From PhysiCs to FoCusing

Withthatbackground,letusnowask:“Whatmightthephysicsofsensingortuning-intooffertothesensingandtuning-intoofFocusing?”

Oneof the concepts thatwill behelpful is induction, which is theprocessby which electrical or magnetic properties are transferred, without physicalcontact,fromonecircuitorbodytoanother.

Theinductivetaptakesadvantageofthefactthatanelectriccurrentpassingthroughaconductorgeneratesamagneticfield.Changesinthemagneticfield, under the right conditions, can“induce” current flow in another nearby conductor.

Theinducedcurrentinthesecondconductorwillvaryastheoriginalcurrent,providinguswitha“duplicate”signal.Sincethesignalisinducedmagnetically,nodirectconnectiontotheoriginalconductorisrequired.(Unterzuber,2008)

Changesinenergyandinformationinahumanbody,orinanythingelse,havethepotential to emit fields. Any electromagnetic field that is generated has the potential tobepickedupbya“conductor”.Manythingscanactasconductors,includingmechanicalinstrumentsandlivingcreatures.Commonexamplesofourcapacitytodetectsuchfieldsincludesensingwhensomeonehasenteredaroom,pickingup“vibes”fromanotherperson,andexperiencesof felt resonation toanother’sprocess inourownbodieswhen listeningdeeply—evenwhentheyarenotspeaking.

Thisvastpotentialofsensing-intoisnotalwaysrealized.Evenifoursensingcapabili-tiesmightallowustodetectfaintcurrentsbyinduction,this information may be ignored or unregistered by filtering mechanisms in our nervous systems.Itmaybeconsideredas‘backgroundnoise’,andnotenterintoawareness.(Weshallreturntothistopicwhenwediscussthepowerofawarenessandmentalmodelstodirectoursensingintonewareas.)

Physicswouldsuggestthatthequalityofourreceivingandsensingisinfluencedby

a) Thestrength(intensity/energy)of the signalcomingfromtheinitial“transmit-ter”(person,situation,bodyorgan).

b)Thealignmentofthereceiverinrelationshiptothesender(tuning and attun-ing).Ifanantennaisperpendiculartotheelectromagneticfield,theinductioncur-


rentisapproximatelyzero.Thecloserthetwoarealigned(parallel),thestrongertheinductioncurrentinthereceiver.

c) the sensitivityof the receiverandthesuitabilityofthesensor(antenna)to the particular frequenciessoughtforarekeyfactors,aswell.Differentantennasandsensorsdobetterondifferentfrequencies.

d) receptive stillness. Quieting down, lowering internal judgments, mental orintense feeling activity) can decrease the amount of ‘static’ or other currentrunning through the receiver (listening person’s mind and body) which mightotherwiseinterferewiththesignal.

e) Thecapacity of the receiver to ‘decode’, or translatetheenergetictransmissionfromthesender,intosomethingofrelevance(howwemakesenseofit,whatourunderstandingis)iskey,forwithoutit,thereisnowaytounderstandthatwhichisreceived.(Wikipedia,2011)

Sofar, thisscientificdiscussionhas laidoutquiteabitof theory,withoutadirectapplicationtoFocusing.Wealreadyknowthatreflectingbackandsensingfora‘rightfit’inFocusingisawayofaligningandcheckingforattunement.Focusersarealreadyawareoftheneedtobestill/presentasalistener,toattempttoattunebothtoourselvesandeachanother—thisisnotnewforFocusers.Butletustaketheseideasfurther.Whatabouttuningintoother frequenciesor increasing signal strength?Whatmight that look likeandhowmightthathappen?

Pointing our sensing into neW areas

“In order to do the impossible, one needs to be able to perceive the invisible.”

(attributedtoFrankGaines)

Directinganantennaofteninvolvespointingit inacertainway(decidingwhat to sense into). InFocusing, felt-sensing isoftendescribedasaprocess in itself.But,sens-ing often has a directionality. Sensing-into is sensing in to—someparticulardirection,in tosomeparticularsomething.5Thisaspectofourfeltsensingoftengoesunrecognized.Whetherthedirectionsoffeltsensingmaybehabitualoralteredbyconsciousintention,itispossibletoaimourfeltsensingtowardsomethingwewishtoconnectwith.Onceaimed,wecandothingstoincreasesignalstrengthandfine-tune.

Ifirstbecameawareofthisconceptofattuning felt sensitivitywithinthecontextofaworkshopon“FocusingandArchitecture”offeredbyEllenKirschner.Afteranintroduc-tion,theparticipantswereencouragedtosenseinaFocusingwayintovariousarchitecturalqualities,suchasspaceanddesign,andthentosharewhatwascomingtothemintothecircle.Akintoaphasedarrayofradiotelescopesdirectedtowardsthesamespot,partici-pantsofferedinputandshareditwiththegroup.

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Eachpersontookinandresonatedwithhis or her ownfelt-senseoftheirdirectedsensingand with what the others were sharingfromtheirfelt-sensinginquiries—check-inginsideforhowexactlyallofthisinformationfitforthem.Thisledtoa deeper under-standing and depthofconnectionwiththesubjectthananyonepersoncouldofferalone,andrapidlearninganddevelopment ofa new sensitivity and capacity to articulatewithincertainaspectsofwhathadbeena“newfield”forsomeofus.

Later,werealizedthatthisprocesscouldactasamodelforshowinghow to expand what one can sense-into,andalsoasamodelfor a synergistic group process for learn-ing how to sense into new directions.Asweexaminethisprocessmorecarefully,wemaynoticesomeoftheseelementspresent:

• Beingawareofwhatoneiswantingtolearntoconsciouslysenseinto(directingtheantenna)

• Asettingwhereonecangetdirect experience and feedback from others’ masteryofsubtletiesoftheprocess(havingsomethingtoalignto)

• A co-sensing system where each piece of observation or suggestion or concept isallowed to resonate inside and between members, taken in as a reflection to seewhat is evoked in response (reflecting as a form of both amplifying, and as a tuning-into)

Theseinsightssuggestaveryvaluable,(andverymarketable!)useoftheFocusingprocess—inhelpingpeoplelearnmorefullyandmoredeeplyfromthosewhohaveacquiredparticular skills and sensitivities in almost any field. Attending to certain key essenceswithinafieldorapracticecanbeseenasanotherimportantcomponentavailableintrain-ings(alongwithconceptualteachinganddemonstrations).

Forexample,onepaintinginstructormaybefinelyattunedtosubtletiesofcontrast,anothertoshading,andstillanothertoperspective.Onetherapistmaybehighlyattunedtothesenseofinternalconnectionapersonhastohim/herself,anothertotheattachmentdancebetweenacouple,andanothertotheobjectrelations.Oncethesesensitivitieshavebeenarticulated,itbecomespossibletointentionallysense-intoateacher’sperceptualgifts,intoasenseofwhattheyaretrackingandconnectingwithintheirwork.Thisprocesscanaccelerateourownlearningandsensitivityofthesequalities,especiallyifdoneinasup-portivecooperativesetting.

attention, Permission, and mentaL modeLs

Iffeltsensingcanbepointedlikeadirectionalantenna,whataresomefactorsthatcanshapethedirectionofourtransmitting-into,andreceiving-from?

Ourfilteringmechanismsrunakintosoftwareprogramsonautopilot.Ifwearenotawareofsomethingexisting,orifwebelievethatsomethingisnotpossible,thenenergyandinformationactuallycomingtousfromthoseareasmaynotmakeittoourcortex—orberegisteredinawareness—unlessthesignalisstrongenoughtoberegisteredabove the filters

ZigZAgging our wAy To exPAnded PossibiliTies For Focusing • 21

wehave.Thisunexpectedinformationmaybeconsideredas‘backgroundnoise’andnotberegisteredconsciously.

awareness of what is possible is useful—but not essential

Unexpectedthingsenterintoourawareness(suchasasenseofa‘thirdpresence’attimeswhileFocusing)—thereforebeingopen to theunexpecteddoeshelp.Asconsciousbeings,wehavethepotentialtoinfluencesomeoldandhabitualprocesses.Wecanstop,notice, andbecomeaware that there are other possibilities, and then attempt to connectwiththem.Wecanthenselect,orsearch for,something else.Analogoustoaradio,wecan choose to change channels to another frequency that we are already familiar with...or...wecanhitthe‘search’button,andsenseintoamoreopenfieldofwhatisoutthere,scanninguntilsomethingregistersonoursensors,andwebegintotune-intoit.Whileweareonthistopicofshiftingfrequencies,itisimportanttoalsobeawareofthe key role of the pauseinthisprocess.Pausingallowsasteppingbackfromapresentlyoperatingpatternandmakingspaceforallowingadifferentonetooccur.

Onewaytohelpussearchordirectourattentionintowaysbeyondthehabitualisthroughtheuseofideas—suchasamodelortheory.Thesestructurescanalsoofferencour-agementandpermission.Givingpermissionorwelcomemaybypasslimitingbeliefsthatmightholdonebackfromsensingintoparticulardirections,orfromregistering‘whatcame’whendoingso.Permissionandacceptancealsomayencouragesensingintoareasthatwerehabituallyunrecognized.

Ihavebeenverycuriousabouthowpeoplehavelearnedtobeintuitive.WhenIaskthe intuitives I havemetover thepast 25years,manyof themhavegivenme the sameresponse:“Aworkshop,(ora teacher)gavemepermission tobe intuitive.Thenwewereencouragedtopractice,andgotbetteratit.”

Inthosecases,thementalmodelthatofferedpermissionwas,“Youhavethecapacitytobeintuitive—itispossible.”Ensuingexperiencesintheworkshopsupporttheresultsofoperatingfromthatbelief.Whileotherfactorsarealsoatplay—asupportivegroup,shar-ingperceptsinaco-sensingenvironment,self-selectionbiasofattendees—permissionisacrucialelement.

Whilewesometimesholdtherealmsofthinkingandfeelingsasquitedifferent,itisalsoverytruethatbeliefs,concepts,andideas—“mentalmodels”—caninfluenceoursens-ing.Asearlierpartsofthisarticlehavepointedout,wealreadyareawareofhowmuchthesefactorscanaffectourbiology!Ifwecanstop,re-orient,andshiftfromoneoperatingmodeltoanother,wecanalterthetapeloopandtheprogramthatisrunning.Thisinsightcanapplytothecellularprograms—boththeprogramsthataffectsensingandthosethataffecttrans-mitting.Thisconsciouschoosingcanaffectthebiochemistrybeinggenerated,theideasandstoriesthatarebeinggenerated,andthelevelofhealthorillnessthatisunfoldinginthatmomentbycellsrespondingtotheinformationalpatternstheyarereceivingandcreating.

Focusingisoftensousefulingettingpastcertaintypesofstuckness,thatitiseasyto losesightof the fact thatsometimes the life-forward step in certain situations is a

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change in the conceptual—a newperspectiveorunderstanding.Sometimesa‘knowing’iswhatcancarryusforward.Justaswehavehabitualwaysofthinking,wealsohavehabitualwaysoffeeling,andhabitualwaysofsensing.Sometimes,whenwepausetonotice,wecanidentifythesituationorrememberaconcept(“Thatsoundslikeacriticalvoice”,or“Ifeelwayshutdown—Iwonderifsomeshameishere”,etc.)thatgivesusanotherwaytoframethings,anotherwaytorelatetoourexperiencing,sothatwecanbe with itandinteract with itmorespaciouslyandconstructively.

Aligningwithanideacanhelpusconnectwiththelife-forward-movementthatwe may not be able to feel, but that we can know mustbe there.Thisconceptualchangecanhelpusfindways to shiftoutofbeing toocaught in something, tooclose to it, andtofindthingswhentheyareotherwisetoodistantforourprevioussensingtodetectandconnectwith.

the direCtion oF FeLt sensing as a diFFerentiating Feature among FoCusing styLes

Ifwebecomeawareofthepossibilityofsomethingexisting,andareofferedcuesorguidelines,thenwemaybeabletomake sense out of our sensing,sotospeak.“Lookthere(atarchitecture,forexample)andseewhatcomesforyou”opensadirection,apossibility,thatonemaynothavepreviouslyexplored—butitmaynotseemtobeamentalmodel.Bet-terillustrationsofhowmentalmodelsdirectfeltsensingcancomefromFocusingitself:

OnemeaningfulwaytodistinguishdifferencesinthevariousschoolsofFocusingisbystudyingtheirmodelsandhowthesemodelsdirectthefelt-sensingindistinctways.

Oneoftheseveralpowerfulaspectsoftheframework,ormentalmodel,ofTreasureMapsoftheSoul(CornellandMcGavin)istheacknowledgmentoffelt dissociation.Ifapersonisawareofreallywantingtodosomethingbutfeelsthattheycannot,this model presupposes the existence of a part(outofawareness)that does not want to do that very thing.Askingandthensensinginsideifsuchapartexistsoftenconnectsonewithaverypowerfuldynamicinside,somethingnewthatonemightnothavebeenawareofhadtheybeenoperatingintheirhabitualFocusingmanner.(Inthiscase,thehabitualpatternisbeingoverlyidentifiedwithonepartofanopposedpairofwantings,andnotsensingtheother.)

Ontheotherhand,RecoveryFocusingisgroundedinthe12-Stepmodel.Eachstepincorporatesafelt-sensingprocess.Thefelt-sensinginthecontextofeachofthesestepsisdoneinthreephases,orthree‘directions’.Eachoftheseguidesthesensingdifferentlyandencourages support and forward movement in dealing with addictions—first resourcing,thenconnectingwiththedifficultplaces,thenallowingthebody’sknowingwhatitwantstobecometocarryapersonforward:

The“Honoring”phaseisaboutexperiencingapositive“helper”feltsensetobegintheprocess.The“Opening”phaseisaboutexploringthe“stuckprocess/pattern” (in thiscasecertainaspectsofaddiction); and theWideningphaseisaboutexperiencing“whatcouldbe”andexpandingthatfeltsense.S.Noel(personalcommunication,Nov.20th,2011).


Thislensof“feltsensingguidedalongcertainmentalmodels”couldapplytootherschoolsofFocusing,aswell(DomainFocusing,WholebodyFocusing,BiospiritualFocus-ing...).Eachmasterteacherhashisorherownparticularconcepts,ownworldviewaboutfeltsensing,ownconstructivemapsfornavigatingone’sinnerenvironment.Inaddition,eachbringstheir particular worldview about the inner landscape,andalso their own per-sonal refined attunements,theircultivatedfelt-sensitivityincertainareas.Andmore...

Onceweareawareofthisperspective,wecouldbegintoconsciouslyarticulatetheseaspectsforeachprocess,whichwouldcreatesomehandlestohelpworkamongsttheminnewways.Thisclarificationmightalsoofferawaytoenablestudentstoincrease“fluency”inseveralstylesofFocusingwithouttheexpenseandtimeinvolvedinhavingtobeginattheverybeginning.OnceapractitionerofFocusingknows thebasic“operatingsystem”(zigzaggingbetweenfelt-sensingandtheconceptual),theycanlearnandpracticethenewconceptualmodelsandparticularfeltattunementsofanystyletheywishedtolearn(thenew“softwareprogram”thatrunsoffofthesameOperatingSystem)muchmorerapidly.

transmitting pATTernS

The“DNAPhantomeffect”suggeststhatDNAmaytransmitsomethingtothespacearoundit—somethingthatcanorganizethealignmentofphotonsintoacertainpattern.Letusspendsometimewiththisconceptoftransmittingpatterns—patternsthatcanorganizeorarrangeenergiesintocertainconformations.Wherecanwegowiththis?

Inhomeopathicmedicine,thepractitionerseeksaremedythatmatchesthedisorderthatinsomewaysresonateswithit.“Likecureslike.”Asolutionisthenmadefromthisremedywhichissodilutethatno molecules of the remedy remain in the solution—onlythe informationalpatternorenergy remains.Thispatterncanact asa“seedcrystal”, toallowareparativeinternalre-organizationandre-alignmenttooccur.(Lansky,2011)

Brainwavepatternsbetweenpeoplecancoordinateandalign.ABrain-MindBulletinissuefrom1989describesastudyonbrainwavesynchronybetweentwopeople(Grinberg-Zylberbaum&Ramos,1987).Eachpersonintheirpairswasinstructedtoclosetheireyesand“trytobecomeawareoftheother’spresence”.Duringtheperiodswhenbothpeoplereported that they had developed this awareness, the inter-hemispheric correlation brainwavepatternsofeachbrainwereverysimilartotheother.Ifpartnersreportedthat“itfeelslikewehaveblended”, theEEGpatternswerenearly identical.Conversely, therewasnosuchsynchronywhentheyjustsatinsilencealone.

Theresearchersfoundthatthe person with thehighestconcordance (the onewith higher amount of right brain-left brain synchrony) was the one who most influenced the sessions.

Theimplicationisthat,bycenteringandgroundingmoredeeply,anyofuscancon-tributetoapartner,clientorgroup’sincreasedwell-beingandlevelofconnection.Youmayhaveexperiencedhowsomeoneinagroupspeakingfromtheirdeepconnectedplacecanbringotherparticipantstoamoreconnectedlevel.ManyparticipantsinCommunityWell-nessFocusinggroupsexperiencethisdynamiconaregularbasis.)

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beLieFs and WorLdVieWs in heaLing PraCtiCes (as an example)

“A belief is a thought that channels energies all of the time.”

(Patent,2011)

Inthissection,wewilldipintotherolesthatbeliefsandattitudesplayinshapingflowsofenergyandinformation,andconsiderwhetherbeliefscanbetransmitted.OneanswertothisisaveryclearYes!Weneedonlyrecalltheplaceboeffect—howthepatients’and alsothepractitioners’beliefsabouttheefficacyoftreatmentaffectoutcomesinmanysituations.Anotherexampleoftheeffectsofchangingbeliefsisseeninhypnosis(intheformofgivingsuggestions—tobelievesomething.)Thispointcanalsobeillustratedbyidentifyingafewdifferentworldviewsaboutthenatureofillnessorsuffering:

a) Illness iscausedbyabiologicalorchemical imbalanceoraberration(machinemodel,commoninWesternmedicine).

b)Having emotional symptoms means that something is defective inside of you(veryold,shame-basedworldview).Sadly,thishasmutatedintoanewvariation,the“NewAgeGuiltTrip”...“Ifyoucan’thealyourselffromyourdis-ease,youmustbereallymessedup!”

c) WhathappensistheresultofFate.Itisdestiny,andwecanlearntodealwithit(thefatalisticworldview).

d)TheBuddhistFourNobleTruthsdescribethetruthofsuffering,itscauses,andcessation.

e) Distressanddiseasecomesfrombeingoutofbalance;therearewaysofregainingbalance. . .(manyholisticmodalities).Somearemoreprescriptive,andothersmoreallowingand listening-receptivelybased,dependingonmentalmodelsofthepractitionerandhealingsystem.

f) Whoyoureallyareisfundamentallygood.Yourdistressisjustyourstuff;youarenotyourstuff.Afteremotionaldischarge,youcanthinkmoreclearly.(Re-evalu-ationcounselingandothers).

g)Your distress is some aspect of Life singing a song of something it wishes tobecome, some way it wishes to help—an emergent worldview—that whichseemstobeaproblemmaybelife’snewgrowthedgeencouragingthesystemtoevolvefurther.(ThisideaisincorporatedintothepracticeofJinShinJyutsu,forexample.)

Eachofthesedifferentunderstandings—aboutthenatureofwhoweare,ourdistress,andourrelationshiptothelargerworld—wouldleadtoanentirelydifferentorientationtooursituation.SamKeenstated thisquitesuccinctly:“Becarefulwhomyou letdiagnoseyourdisease,foryouthengivethempoweroveritscure.”(Keen,1985)

Dependingonwhich systemweoperatewithin,wemightmakedifferent choices,interpretwhathappeneddifferently,monitordifferentparameters,relatetoourselvesand


thedistressdifferently,etc.Wemightwelcomeoursymptoms,treatthemwithmedicationtosuppressthem,allowthemtodeepenourmindfulness,encourageemotionalcatharsis,orjusthidethem!

Beliefs and worldviews affecting sensing-into

Ifbeliefsdirectenergyandinformationtowardcertaindirections,Andiffelt-sensingcanbedirectedincertainwaysbyintentionandmentalmodels,Andmentalmodelsincludebeliefsinwhatmattersandhowthingsworkandinteract,Then,felt-sensing can be significantly affected by beliefs.

Thisincludesbeliefsoftheclient,beliefsofthehealers(whenapplicable),andbeliefsimplicitwithintheprocessusedforhealing.

Usingsomeof thediverseworldviewsas to thenatureof illnessandhealing, felt-sensingwouldbedirectedverydifferentlywithinallopathicmedicine(sensingintomedicaldiagnosticclues,encouragingpatientstosenseintotheirfeltrightnessaboutmedicaltreat-mentoptions),ascomparedtoan“illnessasaturningpoint”model(LeShan1990),whereonemightsenseintowhatwantstoemerge,what“songwantstobesung”.

Jane Bell, who practices both Focusing and shamanism, shared that a surprisingnumberofclients,whohavehadmoretraditionalexperienceswithotherFocusinglisteners,will connect with shamanic content (animal spirits, etc.) during their Focusing sessionswithher.Theseclientswereunawareofher shamanicbackground!Thisexamplepointstoanopennessortransmissionfromthelistenerthatcansubtly(ornot-so-subtly!)shapeanother’sprocess.

Sinceenergetictransmissionissoaffectedbyintentionandbeliefsystems,andsinceFocusingallowssuchasensitivitytofeltqualities,moreattentiontotheroleofworldviewsandintentionswithinthepractice,experience,andteachingofFocusingwouldaddpowertothepractice.6

eXamPLes oF intentionaLLy transmitting a beLieF or inFormation Pattern

Alongthelinesofthebrainwaveexperimentdescribedtwosectionsabove,wecanwonderifwhatonepersonbringsin terms of an embodied understanding,canresonatewith others, allowing a synchrony to occur, an alignment, a healing or growing. Reiki,TherapeuticTouch,andotherformsofenergyhealingareintendedtotransmitcertainquali-tiesthroughthehealer-as-channel(firstconnectingandreceiving,andthentransmitting)totheclient.

Anumberofspiritualtraditionsutilizethecapacityofamasterteachertotransmitablessingorastateofconsciousnesstostudentsanddevotees—suchasinofferingdarshan(aSanskrittermmeaning“sight”or“seeing”).Thestudentattemptstoopento,andattune

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to,theteacher’senergy.Attimes,atransmissionisreceivedthataffectstheconsciousnessofthestudent.Thisprocessparallelsthestudyfindingsontheroleofintention,opening,tuninginto,andthattheonewiththemostsynchrony(teacher)istheonemorelikelytobeattunedandresonatedwith,byothers.

LawrenceLeShanhasdone landmarkresearch into the particular worldviews of psychic healers when in the healing state.Hefoundthatonepersonshiftingtheirownworldview(understandingand relationshipwith theuniverse)canallowcertainkindsofhealingtooccur7.Basedonthisfinding,hewasabletolearnandteachhealingbasedonprinciplesthathefoundincommontomosthealers:

• centering,groundinginside

• makinganintentiontobeofservicetoaparticularpersonorgroup

• holding an image (a worldview, an experiential belief) of connectedness and wholeness in one’s awareness.Thisawarenesscouldsomehowhaveaneffectontheclient8.

Anotherformofhealinghastheclient,the“healer”(orboth,)hold a multi-sensory image (felt, visual, etc.) of a desired or ideal state in which they experience the cli-ent as if already healed, asif thehealinghasalreadyoccurredinthepresent. (Braden,2011—videoreference)

Gandhi’s“Bethechangethatyouwanttoseehappen”maybeseenasanapplicationofthesethesameprinciplestospiritualactivism.Ifonelivesasifitwerealreadytrue,thecloseritistomakingitso.

WithinFocusing,twoexamplesofintentionallycallingforthapositiveoutcomefromthebodyinclude:

• thequestion:“Whatwouldcomeinmybodyifthiswereallok?”

• the Widening step in Recovery Focusing (experiencing “what could be” and expanding that felt sense.)

Inthesetwoexamplesthe‘vision’comesprimarilyfromthebody,ratherthanbeingdirectedprimarilybyone’sconsciousmind.Theseallowthepossibilityofmorepowerandintegrationthanonecoulddobymentalintentionalone.

reFLeCting systems—amPLiFiCation oF signaLs and Patterns

Directing attention, connecting inside, sensing into—all can allow energies andinformationtoresonateandexpandwithinoneself,andwithinothers.So,letuslookatthemostcommon intentional transmission thatoccurs inFocusing,which takes the formofreflecting.

What is reflected depends on what one believes is important or significant to theprocess. Therefore, (at least implicitly) reflections contain a worldview about what is believed to be important or significant to the process!InFocusing,weareoftentaught


to reflectbackeitherwhat the speaker says,or feelings,or feltmeaning.These typesofreflectionsareintendedtosupporttheclient’sprocessinbeingwithandholdingtheirfeltexperiencing.

A“worldviewandmentalmodel,withreflectionsbasedonthem”,iswhatIterma“reflectingsystem”.

Justasinsensing-into,reflectingissomewhatdirectional.Particular aspects of one’s experiencing are chosen to be reflected back, and shape the experiencing of the person receiving them. Ifthisweretrue,then,whatelsemightwebeabletosenseintoandreflectback—besidestheclients’words,feelings,andfeltmeaning8?

• reflectingbackfeelings and needs(NonViolentCommunication)

• reflectingbackqualitiesofspaciousness or holdingthatseemtobepresentinthesituation(somemeditations)

• reflectingbackthealivenessofaperson’sprocess(Gendlin9)

• reflectingbackatherapist’ssenseofthe attachment dancebetweenacouple(SueJohnson,EmotionallyFocusedTherapy)

• reflectingbackaparentorteacher’sawarenessofqualities ofgreatnessinthechildinthatmoment(HowardGlasser’sNurturedHeartApproach)(Glasser,2011)(Glasser,2010)

• reflectingbackthedivinitywithinsomeone(numerousspiritualteachers)

DavidYoungpostedaboutaChangesGroupexperiencefrom1985,inwhichMarshallRosenberg(developerofNonViolentCommunication)waspresent(Young,2008):

. . .Marshall listens toZ,but inamuchdifferentway, andZgets to somehonesty—nottochange,buttoatouchofreality,connectingwithwhat’saliveinhim.Allmyclassic,carefulempathicListening,andallJane’sandmanyothers’beautifulListening—hours&hoursforyears—didn’t do what mar-shall did in a few minutes.DuringanearlierChanges, Janehad spent theentire two hours Listening to Z, determined to get through. Nothing. WithMarshall,ZarrivesatwhatGenemightcall“theedge”.

Afterwards,IaskMarshallhowheknewtodothat.[MarshallRosenbergfoundedNonViolentCommunication.Heoftenlistensfor,andreflects,feelingsand“needs”.Asanexample,whenlisteningtosomeonewhoisexpressingajudgment,hewillnotreflecttheirwordsback.Instead,makingtheintentiontoconnect,hemayofferaguessatwhatneedsmaybeunderneaththeirjudgment,andhavethespeakercheckthatforfit.]

“Have you noticed,” Marshall asks, “when you reflect content, you get more content?”

“Sure,Marshall,”Ireply,puzzled.

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“Andhaveyounoticed,when you reflect feelings, you get more feelings?”

Ifrown.“Ofcourse.”

Marshallfixes me with his dark intense eyes. “When you reflect an alienated view of the world, you just get more alienation.”

resonation and CoherenCe

Partofthepowerofreflectionshastodowithresonance—howonetransmissionsetsuparesponseinanother,andvice-versa.Thisprocesscreatesaback-and-forthinteracting,whichmayamplifyorinterferewitheachother,leadingtoaphenomenasuchasharmonicovertones,whichwesoenjoyinmusic.

Resonationandamplificationmaybehelpful,orharmful,dependingoncontext.Thesameappliestodissonance,ordiscord.Energyandinformationenteringasystemwillinflu-encethatsystem.Reflectionsareonesuchkindofenergyandinformation.Whetherornotthesystemadapts,evolves,orinsteadlosesitsintegrityandbreaksdown,dependsonhowitischanneledandintegratedintothesystem.

Soldiers are taught to break out of their usually coherent marching pattern whenwalkingacrossabridge.Theydisrupttheirmarchingpatternbecauseofarecognition(andexperience!)thatmarchingfrequenciesresonatewiththebridge.Ifasinglecoherentbackandforthmarchingfrequencyweretomatchthebridge’sstructuraldesignandperiodicityofmotion, itcouldcausesway,excessiveoscillation,andpossibledamageorcollapse tothebridge.

Ontheconstructiveend,nearlyallholisticandmind-bodyhealingmodalitieshaveways to coordinate various patterns of life energy in order to better integrate mind andbody.Ingeneral,processesthatlinkdifferentaspectsofourbeinginaconnectedwaysup-porthealthandhealing.TheHeartMathInstitutehasdoneresearchontheeffectsoftheirpractice—involvingwhattheytermHeartFocus,HeartBreathing,andHeartFeeling.Theydescribetheirprocessasleadingto“coherence”—asynchronization(entrainment,mutualresonance)ofcertainbodilyparameterssuchasbreathing,bloodpressure,andheartratevariability,allofwhichcanbemeasured.Theyhaveillustrationsofthissynchronizationofrhythmsonline(InstituteofHeartMath,2011).Theyproposethattheeffectsofattainingthistypeofcoherencecanresonatepersonally—intobenefitsforhealthandintuition,andalsointolargersettings—suchasdecreasedviolenceinsocialsettings.

This is a good place to remember that resonance and attunement occur naturally,ontheirown.But,itisalsotruethatalignmentmaysometimesbemorelikelytooccurifit is intentional, rather thanaccidental.Thecombinationof felt-connectionand intentionmayhelpattuneandresonatemoreeffectivelythaneitheralone.Beinginternallycoherentalone,andonlymakingapositiveintentionalone,hadlittleeffect(1.1%)intheModula-tionofDNAConfigurationstudy.Thecombinationofbothtogetherhada10-25%effect.(McCraty,2003)


AnotherkindofcoherencebetweenmindandbodyiscreatedintheFocusingprocess.Focusingincludesbodilyfeltresonationbetweenthefeltandtheconceptual,orsymbolic,withinacertainkindofspacethatisheld.Certainqualitiesofattentionandreflectionmorefullyamplifyandassistinaligningwiththebodysense,sothatsomethingunclearcomesintofocus. Itmightbeinterestingtonotethata laser achieves its coherent beam through back and forth reflecting and amplifying in an optical cavity!(WiseGeek,2003)

sensing into diFFerent modeLs oF Who We are, and What the uniVerse is LiKe

“ But that is not all! Oh, no! That is not all . . .” said the Cat in the Hat.

(Geisel,1957)

Sofar,wemightsaythatlearningtoattuneoursensorsintoactivitieswithincellsisusingfelt-sensingasamicroscope.Wecanalsoshiftthelensesoffelt-sensingoutwardortowardsthesensingof“largerbodies”—asasortoftelescope.Resonationandharmonicsoccursatacellularlevel,withorgans,atthelevelofindividuals,andtolargergroups.Per-hapstheselargerpatternscanbesensedinto,andtransmittedinto,aswell.

Someofwhatwefindmaydependuponourworldviewsinceitdoesaffectoursens-ing-into. The most common worldview used in Focusing is seeing ourselves as separatebeings, each with our own distinct processes. We each take our own personal turn. Werespecteachother’sprocess,andavoidinterferingwitheachother’scontent—thatisfelttobedisruptiveorintrusive.Thisdescriptionmayseemsoobvious,thatsomemayconsiderit tobe“howFocusingisdonecorrectly.”Somemayfeel thatchangingthese traditionalguidelineswillthreatenthesanctityandprotectionwhichmakestheFocusingprocesssogentleandsafe.

Ontheotherhand,sensingcanbedirectional.new mental models can offer new directions to sense into.WhatmightoccurduringFocusingifwetriedonotherwaysofunderstandingreality?

• While Focusing, we may experience a sense of a “third thing”, some presence orsense of grace that is palpable, occurring without us intentionally attempting to seek it.What might come if we intentionally directed our sensing into the “between space” ofinterpersonalresonance?Aseachwouldbesensingintoasharedfieldandsharedspaceofinteractivecontent,it couldbegintoassumequalitiesofitsownasitwasofferedattention.

• Whatifweassumedourselvestobepartoflargerbodies,suchasacommunity,oranEarthbody,andallowedourselvestoacknowledgethatdynamicandsenseintoit?Whatisitlikeforustofeelthatway?WhereinEarth’sbodymightITfeelITSfeelings?

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• WhatkindofsensingandreceivingmightoccurifwealsodidFocusingfromtheper-spectiveofourselvesasinterpenetratingwavesofenergyandinformationthatinter-affecteachother?Howwouldourhabitualsenseofself,ofwhowefeelourselvestobe,andhowwerelatetoeachotherandtheworldaroundusbeaffected?

• Wetakeforgrantedthatitis“we”whoaredoingtheFocusing,offeringourattentiontovariousaspectsofourexperiencing.ButwhatmightariseifweconsideredthatthereisaLargerBodythatisFocusing,alarger‘Something’thatisofferingcaringattentiontousasifwewerefeltsenses,sothatwe canshiftandunfoldintoourrightnextsteps?Suchaprocessmightinvolveasortoflettinggointoalargerlovingattention,allowingourselvestobeshapedbyit...

Thisseemsagoodplacetopauseandbreathe...

resonanCe and CoherenCe Within Larger systems

If we decide to explore any of these other ways of understanding reality, we canpursue themonourown.And,wecouldpotentially enter into these areasmore fully ifwewere tochooseadirection toexplore,offerpermission to trysomething“completelydifferent”,makeanintention,workwithsomeonewhoisalreadyattunedinthatarea,andbepartofaco-sensing,co-reflectinggroupintheserealms:ThisisalreadyhappeninginmanygroupssuchastheGlobalConsciousnessProject,theGlobalCoherenceInitiative,andTranscendentalMeditation.

TheGlobalConsciousnessProject11hasbeenmonitoringtheeffectofworldeventsonrandomnumbergenerators(Nelson,2009)foryears.Theyclaimasignificantcorrelationforcertainevents.Interestingly,Sept11,2001recordedthehighestanomalysincethemonitor-ingbegan.Thisisameasurementproject,examiningcorrelations.

Intermsofcreatingpeacethroughresonance,severalgroupsandindividualsmakea heart-felt intention for peace and harmony, and offer it for the benefit of society as awhole.TheGlobalCoherenceInitiative(InstituteofHeartMath,2011)isoneofmanysuchprojects12.

Research studies sponsored by groups of Transcendental Meditation practitioners(MaharishiInstituteofManagement,2004)suggestameasurableandsignificantdecreaseinviolenteventsduringthetimeswhendirectedmeditativeattentionandintentionwasbeingofferedincertainareas(includingduringsomeofthe1983Israeli-Lebanonconflict13).Theyofferamathematicalformulaforthenumberofmeditatorsneededtopositivelyinfluenceacommunity14.

bringing some oF this together

Duetospaceconstraints,muchhasbeenomitted.Itcould be very valuable to dis-cussintegratingotherfrequencies(suchasthetaordisembodiedintuitiveconnection)into

ZigZAgging our wAy To exPAnded PossibiliTies For Focusing • �1

linearthinkingandfeltsensing,creatingsomethinganalogoustoani3chip—integrativetriple-channelmind-body-beyondprocessing.

Wedidnotgettothephysicsofbiasanddistortion.Analogoustohowironcancauseacompasstodeflect,canfelt-sensingbedistortedordeflected?Canitbeprotectedfromsuchinfluences?

Evenso,bycrossingonlyafewaspectsoftwofieldsofsciencewithFocusing,wehaveinsightsthatmayhavesomepersonal,professional,andsocialimplicationsforitsprac-tice.Itismyhopethattheideaspresentedheremaybringadditionaldepth,breadth,andsourcesofwondertothepracticeofFocusing.

Butthatremainstobedetermined.Asthewaytotestahypothesisistotryitout,Iinviteyoutocheckwhetheryoufindpracticalvalueinapplyinganyoftheseconcepts:

• thatfelt-sensingcanbedirectional

• thatwehavethecapacitytointentionallyattunefeltsensinginmultipledirections

• thatmentalmodelsandbeliefsystemscanguideoursensingandtransmitting

• thattheroleofreflectingsystemshasanaffectontheprocessandoutcome

• thatwhenwelisten,bothtransmittingandreceivingareoccurringonvariouslevels

• thatthroughthecombinationofintentionandbodily-feltconnection,wecaninflu-ence much smaller (cellular) and much larger (social) systems than we may haveimagined

Pleasefeelfreetosendmeexamplesfromyourownexperiencesalongtheselines—onesyouhavealreadyhad,onesthatcomeinresponsetotryingonideassuggestedhere,andnewdiscoveriesthatcomeforyou.

a CaVeat, a suggestion, and a bLessing

AsmuchasIamexcitedaboutthesemanyconcepts,Ialsoacknowledgethegoodreasons thatmanyFocusingpractitionershistoricallyarecautiousaboutapplyingmentalmodelsandconsciousintentiontoshapesensingandtransmitting.

Thesensitivityto,andhonoringof,bodily-feltprocessinFocusingmakesusloathtousethemindtopushbodily-heldprocess.Thepowerofintentionissometimesusedtoforceormanipulatethebodyinwaysthatdonotrespectitswisdom,thatdonotinteractwithitaspartner.McMahonspeakstosomeofthisin“BeyondtheMythofDominance”(McMahon,1993).Wehavedirectphysicalexperienceofhowwillpowerandbeliefscanbe“used”byoneaspectofourbeingagainstlessverbalaspects.

Focusingincludesatypeofkinestheticbiofeedback,inwhichwecanfeelhowvari-ousaspectsofourbeingarerelatingtoeachother.Wecanaskourselves,orothers,topauseandtocheck:“Issomethingbeingtoopushy?”“Issomethingfeelingsteamrollered?”“Howiseverythinginsidewithwhatisbeingsuggested?“

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Focusinghasbeendescribedaspracticingandofferinga“non-colonizingrelationshipwithone’sinnerlandscape”(Zubizarreta,2003).Itoperateswithinarespectfulpartnershipbetweenmindandbody,listening,checkingwith,andfollowingtheleadofthebody’slifeandknowing.TheworldviewsimplicitinthepracticeofFocusingcouldpositivelyinformthe worldviews of those who seek to improve the world through intention and applyingconcepts.

Incombiningthedepthandrespectfullisteningwiththecognitiveandtheintentional,adualchannelzigzagcanhelpusintegratetheconceptualandbodily-feltrealms.Focusingcanhelpusholdnot only conscious intention,but also the bodily-felt sense of intention,tohelpfacilitateasynergybetweenwhatmaybetwohandsofoneLargerIntention.Thiscreatesarespectfulpartnershipbetweenwaysofknowingandbeinginatimewhenweseekprocessesthatareorganicandeco-friendly.

ThisarticlecloseswiththehopethatthezigzagandlovingattentionwithinFocusingcanallowacrossingofwhattheheartlongstoexpress,withwhatthemindlongstoknowandachieve—therebycarryingforwardthisvisionofTeilharddeChardin:

“ Someday, after mastering the winds, the waves, the tides and gravity, we shall harness for God the energies of love, and then, for a second time in the history of the world, man will have discovered fire.”

Thankyouforyourparticipationinthislargerprocess.

Note:Footnotesasindicatedbythesmallnumberswithinthetextandfurthercom-mentariesareavailableonlineathttp://serviceoflife.info/focusing/foliofootnotes.html

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Bruce Nayowith, M.D. practices emergency medicine in western Massachusetts. He has an interest in learning and crossing multiple disciplines that support aliveness, so that they can inform and deepen one another. These include depth psychology, whole brain education, emergent group processes, spiritual practices, NVC, Ken Wilber’s work, and Focusing. He can be reached at [email protected]

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the attuned brain: Crossings in Focusing-oriented therapy

and neuroscience

Leslie Ellis, M.A.

abstraCt

Current findings in interpersonal neurobiology are providing scientific support for moreemphasisonwhole-brainapproachesinclinicalpracticethatuseempathy,emotion,attach-ment theoryandother relationalapproaches topsychotherapy.These ‘softer’approacheshavepreviouslybeenlargelyignoredasbrainresearchersfavoredstudyofthemorecogni-tiveaspectsofthebrainfunctioninginisolation.Inthispaper,IwillprovideanoverviewofcurrentaffectiveneuroscientificresearchwithanemphasisonhowitsupportstheuseofFocusing-OrientedTherapy.Iwillexplainhowsomeaspectsofinterpersonalneurobiologyprovide evidence about why Focusing works. I will include relevant ideas from EugeneGendlin’sphilosophy,andgroundtheseideaswithclinicalexamples.

Keywords: Interpersonal Neurobiology, Affective Neuroscience, Focusing-OrientedTherapy

If the 90’s were widely referred to as the decade of the brain, the first decade ofthenewmillenniumcouldwellbecalledthedecadeofthesocialbrain.Overthelasttenyears, research into the innerworkingsof thehumanbrainhasshiftedfromitscentury-long emphasis on the brain in isolation,with its “almost restrictive focus on cognition,”(Schore, 2003a, p. 212) to the study of the brain in interaction, with a resulting greateremphasisonmutualemotionalregulationandempathy.ManyofthesenewdiscoveriesofferstrongsupportforthepracticeofFocusing-OrientedTherapy(FOT).Infact,theinsightsanddiscoveriesfromthefieldofaffectiveneurosciencearebringinggeneralpsychologicaltheoriesclosertowhatGendlin(1997)hasbeensayingallalong:thathumanbeings(indeedalllivingorganisms)areprocessesthatcannotbeunderstoodasdiscrete,staticunits,norapartfromeachotherortheirenvironment.Thispaperwillexaminewhatwenowknowaboutthebrain,withaparticularfocusoncurrentneuroscientificresearchrelatedtoaffectregulationandattachment,andwilldescribeseveralspecificexamplesdemonstratinghowFOTprocessescanfacilitateemotionalhealing.

AccordingtoSchore(2003a),“Thenewerfieldsofaffectiveneuroscienceandespe-ciallysocialneuroscienceareexploringinter-braininteractions”(p.214).Whatheandotherresearchersinthisfieldarefindingisthatthehumanbraincannotdevelopinisolation.Thebrainsofnewborns, forexample,arenot fullydevelopedandwill continue togrowandchangethroughoutthelifespan,withaconcentratedperiodofbraindevelopmentwithinthefirstthreeyearsoflife.AccordingtoCozolino(2010),“Neuroscientistsalreadypossessthe

The ATTuned brAin: crossings in Focusing-orienTed TherAPy And neuroscience • ��

perfectmodel forunderstanding interdependency—the individualneuron.Weknow thatneither the individualneuronnor thesinglehumanbeingexist innature.Withoutmutu-allystimulatinginteractions,peopleandneuronswitheranddie”(p.179).Andelsewhere,Cozolino(2006)statesthatweshouldviewthebrain“notasafullyformedstructure,butasadynamicprocessundergoingconstantdevelopmentandreconstruction”(p.50).Gendlin’sownphilosophicalworkssuggestsimilarconclusions(Gendlin,1997).

Inanexactingsurveyofthecurrentresearch,Schore(2003a)hasconcludedthatthemother-infantdyadischaracterizedbyright-brain-to-right-braincommunication,andthatthisunconscious,automaticinteractionthroughgesture,facialexpressionandtoneofvoiceis what enables the infant’s right brain to develop and lays the groundwork for how thebabywillprocesssocio-emotionalinformationthroughoutlife.Inaddition,Schorestatedthat because of the right hemisphere’s deep connections with the limbic system and theautonomicnervoussystem,“itiscentrallyinvolvedincontrollingvitalfunctionssupportingsurvival,andenablingtheindividualtocopewithstressandchallenges”(p.75).ThisnewresearchisrepresentativeofahugevolumeofnewdiscoveriesaboutthehumanbrainthatisleadingtoamodelofpsychotherapythatsupportsmuchofwhathappensinFOT.

Schore(2003a)offersseveralexamplesfromFOTofempathic,two-wayunconsciouscommunicationbetweentherapistandclient,andreferstothereciprocaleffectofthisrela-tionship.“Asuccessful therapeuticrelationshipcanactasaninteractiveaffect-regulatingcontextthatoptimizesthegrowthof“twomindsinthemaking”;thatis,increasesincom-plexity inboth thepatient’s and the therapist’s continuallydevelopingunconscious rightminds”(p.57).Evenasresearcherscontinuetostudypartsofthebraininisolation,theyarefindingahighdegreeofinterconnection,notjustwithinthebrain,butalsoinbrain-bodycommunication,andinthebrain-body’srelationshiptoothersanditsenvironment.

Ifevertherewasacaseforaprocess-modelapproachitisintherealmofaffectiveneuroscience.Justbecausewecanreducesomethingtoitsconstituentpartsdoesnotmeanwecanunderstandourselvesthatway,orthatthisprovidesatruepictureofwhatisreallyhappeninginanylivingprocess.Gendlinlikensthecurrenttrendofviewinghumanbehav-iorintermsofneurologyassimilartotheprevioustrendthatviewedourhumanbehaviorandpathologyasafunctionofchemistry.Botharereductionisticandaccurateasfarastheygo,butlimited.

Don’tassumeit’sallneurology.There’salottobeunderstoodthatway,butitwouldbeamistaketosaywecanunderstandthingsonlythatway...LivingisthebasicmodelthroughwhichIunderstandeverything.It’sclearlysuperiortothedeadunitmodel.Let’smodelitat leastonthelivingprocesswheretheseseparatedthingsarenotseparate.Theuniverseisatleastthisfelt-senseliving,implicitpreciseorder(2011).

This sentiment isbecoming increasingly acceptedamong thosewhoare currentlystudyingbraindevelopment.

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aPPLiCations to PsyChotheraPy

Schore(2003a,2003b,2008)hasdevotedmuchofhisrecentstudytothedevelopmentofanewattachmenttheorythatisbasedonthediscoverythattheinfantbrainisnotfullydevelopedatbirth,andthattherighthemisphereisthefocusofdevelopmentandgrowthforthefirstthreeyearsoflife.Inthattime,thebabyusesthemother’s(orprimarycaregiver’s)rightbrainforemotionalregulationandgraduallyinternalizeswhatitpicksupinthisinter-action.Ofspecialinteresttopsychotherapistsisthefactthatwherethematernalenviron-mentdoesnotmeetthedevelopmentneedsoftheinfant,thatpartofthebaby’sdevelopmentstalls.ItbecomeswhatGendlinwouldrefertoasa“stoppedprocess”(1997,p.12)whichcanchangethetrajectoryoftheinfant’sbraindevelopmentandpotentiallyleadtopsycho-pathology.Schore(2003b)citesa largebodyofevidencetosuggest“self-organizationinthedevelopingbrainoccursinthecontextofarelationshipwithanotherself,anotherbrain.Thisprimordialrelationalcontextcanbegrowth-facilitatingorgrowth-inhibiting,andsoitimprintsintotheearly-developingrightbraineitheraresilienceagainstoravulnerabilitytolaterformingpsychiatricdisorders”(p.xv).

Gendlin’sprocessmodel(1997)suggeststhattherecontinuestobeopportunityforthebody tomakeup forwhat it hasmissed in earlydevelopment. In Implicit Precision (Gendlin,inpress)statedthatwhentheenvironmentdoesnotcooperatewithwhatthebodyisimplying,“thebodykeepsimplyingthepartoftheprocessthatdidnotoccur.Whatisnotcarriedforwardbecomesareiterativeimplying”(p.12).Ifthebodycancarryon,itwilldoso,inadifferentwaythanitwouldhave,butalwaysinalife-forwarddirectionbywhatevermeansavailable.“Areiteratedimplyingisalwaysnewandregenerating.Anditisalwaysopentowhateverwillcarryitforward”(p.13).

Thisexplainswhygeesecanimprintonhumanbeingsifothergeesearenotpresent,orwhyanorphankittencanattachtoacrow,tworeal-lifeexamplesoflifecarryingforwardwithwhateverisavailable.Intheabsenceofaperfectmaternalfigure,infantsofanyspe-cieswillattachtoanotherlivingbeingthatprovidesatleastsomeofwhatitneedstomoveforward.Ofcourse,forthebraintodevelopoptimally,itneedstointeractwiththeattunedbrainofanothermemberofitsownspecies.Oneofthemainfindings,replicatedoverandoverinrecentneuroscientificresearch,isthatwearedeeplysocialbeings,thatourbrainswillnotdevelopinisolationandthatthisneedforinteractionneverstops.

Inpsychotherapy,itistherelationshipthatheals.Thisisnotanewidea.Whatisnovel,though,isthatcurrentbrainresearchnotonlysupportsthisideabutalsooffersinsightintotheinternalmechanismsthatallowhumaninteractiontofosterneuralgrowth.Thismeanswecanbegintotailorourinterventionsmorecloselytowhatweknowwillfosterneuralintegration, and I would argue that the Focusing approach is one that does this. Schore(2003a)suggeststhatthecrossingofpsychologyandneurobiologyhasobviatedthedevelop-mentoftherapeuticpracticesthatfocusontheempathicconnectionbetweentherapistandclient,particularlytheirimplicit,unconsciouscommunication.Suchpractices,whichareanintrinsicpartofFOT,includemutualattunementandco-creationofaninter-subjectivefieldthatisspaciousandallowsmutualregulationinthedyadtomovetheprocessforwardfrom


whattheclient’sbodyisimplying.Gendlin(2011)recentlysaidthatwhatmakesFocusingworkisthisunconsciouscommunicationbetweentwobodies:

Focusingisawaytoaccessyourbodilyknowing.Yourbodypicksupmoreoftheotherpersonthanyouconsciouslycan.Yourbodyalsoputsoutmoreofyourselfthanyouintendorthanyouknowisvisible.Othersoftenreacttothatratherthantoyourconsciousmessage.Withalittletrainingyoucangetafeelforyourbodilyknowingofwhatisgoingon.

This new definition of Focusing supports what brain researchers are discoveringabouthowpsychotherapyfacilitatesthehealingprocess:thatwhateffectivelyhappensinatherapysessionismorethanwhatonecanconsciouslyarticulate.However,withFocusingtraining, therapists can become more aware, through their bodies, of what is happeningin thedyadso that they,at least,canbemoreconsciousandin tunewith the interactiveprocess.Andevenwhere the therapist is not consciousof the interactiveflow, I suggestthatFocusingtrainingwillhaveenlargedtheircapacitytoselfregulateandtolerateintenseaffect,andtheexperienceofthissuccessfulmutualaffectregulationwillbeinternalizedbytheclient.

Therapy changes the brains of our clients because they are in the presence of anattunedbrain(Schore,2008;Cozolino,2010).Ourclients’nervoussystemsbecomemoreregulatedinthepresenceofacalm,regulatednervoussystem(Levine,2010).Wecantheo-rizeallwewanttoaboutwhatwearedoingaspsychotherapistsinsession,andsayinsight-fulthings,butsomuchofwhathappensissimplyalivedhumanexperience.Somuchofwhat is healing in psychotherapy (and in any interaction between human beings) is theimplicitwisdomof twobodies togetherbringing forward life’snext step.This comesasaresultofourclients’communicationwithandreactiontothatgreaterknowinginthem-selvesandinus,andinourbody’sconcurrent,implicitly-wiseresponsestothem.Inaddi-tion,FOTencouragesthearticulationofwhatisimplicitintheclientthroughthestepsoffindinga felt sense, and thenputting intowordswhat is atfirst experiencedas complexandineffable(Gendlin,1978/1981).ThiskeyaspectoftheFocusingprocessisechoedinSchore’s (2003a) description of how the attuned therapist encourages neural integrationacrosshemispheres.

This interactive regulation of the patient’s state enables him/her to verballylabel the affective experience. In a “genuine dialogue” with the therapist,thepatientraisestoaninnerwordandthenintoaspokenwordwhathe/sheneedstosayataparticularmomentbutdoesnotyetpossessasspeech.Butthepatientmustexperiencethisverbaldescriptionofaninternalstateasheardbyanempathicother . . . .Thepatient’saffectivelychargedbutnow-regulatedrightbrainexperiencecanthenbecommunicatedtotheleftbrainforfurtherprocessing....thisallowsforalinkageofthenon-verbalandverbalrepresen-tationaldomains(p.268).

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CLiniCaL eXamPLes

Schore (2003) has deeply investigated right-brain to right-brain communicationbetweentheprimarycaregiver(mother)andbabyinthefirsttwotothreeyearsofthebaby’slife, and has emphasized the importance of an attuned relationship to the baby’s braindevelopment, as it lays down theblueprint for how thebabywill regulate emotions andnavigaterelationshipsforalifetime.Wherethisprocessismis-attunedortraumatic,partof the implicitdevelopmentalprocessdoesnotcontinue,andwehave insteada ‘stoppedprocess.’Aswehavestated,thebodygoesonimplyingthisunmetneedwhileotherlinesofdevelopmentcontinue.Asclinicians,manyofthepresentingissuesthatourclientsbringtousaretheresultofthesedevelopmentalarrests.

WhatIhavediscoveredthroughmytherapypracticeisthatoncetrustandconnectionhavebeenestablished,thesestalledprocesseswillshowupintheintersubjectivefield,andthatthereisasenseintheclient’sbodythatsomepartofthestalledprocesshasmetwhatitneedstoresume.Thislikelyhappensallthetimeinavarietyofrelationships,butinthetherapysetting,itismyjobtonoticeandmeettheseunmetneedstotheextentthisispos-sible.Althoughbydefinition,muchofthismutualright-braininteractionhappensbelowthelevelofconsciousness,Focusingdoesfacilitatesomeawarenessanddeliberation,eveninthisrealm.Schore(2003a,p.77)suggeststhatthetherapistengageinakindof“reverie”or“free-floatingattentiveness”whichfacilitatescommunicationfromthetherapist’stotheclient’srightbrain.

Inmyclinical experience as aFocusing-Oriented therapist, Ifind that tuning intomyownfeltsenseviamyempathicconnectionwithmyclient(switchingtoaright-brain-dominantmode),enablesmetopickuponvariousandchangingselfstateswithinmyclient,whethertheyspeakaboutthemornot.Sometimes,forexample,IfeelasthoughIamintheunmistakablepresenceofababy.Whenthishappens,mycommunicationstylespontane-ouslychangestomatchwhatisneeded.Ioftenbecomemoreemphatic,tendtosmilemore,andtoconcentrateonmyclient’sfacialexpression.Inonespecificexample,Iwatchedasaclient’sfacialexpressionmovedthroughastudyofchangesoveraveryshortspaceoftime.IfeltIwasinthepresenceofaveryyoungpartofher.Shestoppedtalkingandherfaceandbodybegantomove,twistandcontort.Allofthiswasclearlyoutofherawareness,yetshelookedatmeintentlyallthewhile,asthoughsearching.Icalmlyheldhergazeforaslongasshedidthis,maybehalfaminute,andthenthespellwasbroken,andwemovedon.Itfeltasthoughherbodyreceivedwhatitneededinthatmoment,andcouldmoveforward.Whensheresumedtalking(itwasaboutherearlyrelationshipwithhermother),heroutlookshiftedtoamoreoptimisticone.

Something Ihavenoticed thatmightwarrant further study is that the clientswhomostoftengivemethefeltsenseof“baby”duringourworktogetherallappeartohaveearlyattachmentissues.Ibasethisobservationonboththeirlifehistoryandonthedynamicsoftheircurrentrelationships,includingthetherapyrelationship.Earlyattachmentwoundstendtobeenactedintherapywhentheclientwhofeelssafeenoughisabletosenseintotheirbodiesandallowthenextsteptoemerge.Butitisimpossibletogeneralizefurther.“Psycho-therapy,likeparenting,isneithermechanicalnorgeneric.Eachtherapist-clientpaircreates

The ATTuned brAin: crossings in Focusing-orienTed TherAPy And neuroscience • �1

auniquerelationship”(Cozolino,2010,p.30).Withoneclient,theirdeepattachmentneedbringsafeltsenseofintenselongingandpullsfrommestrongemotionandfocusedatten-tion.Withanother, theattachmentwoundhas ledtoamoreparasympatheticresponse,asenseofhopelessnessandwithdrawal,andinthiscase,toomuchattentioncausesfurtherwithdrawal.Aswithparenting,intherapytherearetimestobepresentwithraptattention,andtimestoblendintothebackground—tobeavailable,butnotintrusive.Thekeyis tosenseintoone’sownbodilyreactions,aswedoinFocusing,andrespondtomoment-by-momentcuesfromtheclient.Itisimportantnottooperatefromanypreconceivednotionsortheories,nomatterhowtemptingthismaybe.

imPLiCit ComPLeXity

Everydyadisdifferentandevokesauniquesetofinteractions.Myworkwithaclientmayallowforsomecarryingforwardinsomerespects,andinotherways,theclientmaycontinueimplying,butinanewanddifferentway.Gendlin(inpress)discussesthisincreas-ing complexity as ‘implying-into-occurring,’ and he points out that once something hasoccurred,itchangesallfutureimplying.Thishasmanyimplicationsforpsychotherapy.Oneimportantimplicationisthatwhileaspecificattachmentneedthatwasastalledprocesswasgoingonimplyingthroughoutaclient’slife,therestofthemcontinuedtogrowanddevelop.Sointhetherapyroom,wearenotsittingwithababy,eventhoughtheremaybeaninfantilesequencethatisimplying.Inadulthood,wehavesomanymorecognitive,expressiveandemotionalresourcestodrawuponthatwerenotavailabletothebaby.Wecanarticulatetheprocessasweexperienceit,integratingallpartsofthebrain,andpotentiallyacceleratingthestalleddevelopmentalprocess.

Ihavethesenseinthisworkthatoneinstanceofprofoundmeetingcanmakeupformanymissedbytheclientearlyintheirlife.Itisasthoughthestoppedprocessformedakindofdam,andonceitbreaks,allkindsofthingsarepossiblethatwerenotbefore;thereisakindofdominoeffect.Gendlin(1997)wouldsaythatbecausethereisastoppedpro-cess,themissingpartoftheclient’senvironmenthas“attainedastartlingpower,”becausewhenthismissingaspectoccurs,“allofthatprocesswhichwasstoppedbytheabsencewilloccur”(p.12).Schore(2003a)supportstheideaofiterativeimplyinganditspowertoevokechange;herefersbacktoFreud’stheoryoftheselfasa“dynamicconceptionofforcesinthemindthatworktogetheroragainstoneanothertostrivetowardagoal.Acardinaltenetofdynamictheoryisthatthenonlinearselfactsiteratively [emphasisadded],sothatminorchanges,occurringattherightmoment,canbeamplifiedinthesystem,launchingitintoaqualitativelydifferentstate”(p.267).

Gendlin’s isanoptimisticphilosophy:hepurports that it isnever toolate tocarryforward places in us that are stuck. Brain research backs this up. According to Schore(2003a):

Alargebodyofstudiesintheneurosciencesindicatethatalthoughtheeffectsof environmental experiences develop more rapidly and extensively in thedevelopingthantheadultbrain,thecapacityforexperience-dependentplastic

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changesinthenervoussystemremainsthroughoutthelifespan....Infact,thereisevidencethattheprefrontallimbiccortex,morethananyotherpartofthecerebralcortex,retainstheplasticcapacitiesofearlydevelopment(p.31-32).

Inparticular,theareasofourbrainresponsibleforinterpersonalcommunication—empathy,affectandbodilyawarenessand regulation (all skillsused inFocusing)—havethepotentialforchangethroughoutourlifetime.Therighthemisphereiswhereemotionalresponsesandregulation,autobiographicalmemory,interoception,emotionalcommunica-tionofallkinds,andinterpersonalnonverbalcommunicationallareprocessed.AccordingtoDamasio(1994),therighthemispherealsocontains“themostcomprehensiveandinte-gratedmapofthebodystateavailabletothebrain”(p.66).ThisdetailedinternalmapisthestartingpointfortheFocusingprocess.Althoughthiswayofdividingupbrainfunctionsintoconstituentpartscomesfromtheoldunitmodelparadigm,itisusefultohaveamapofthebrainfunctionsthatwiretogether,andtoidentifythefunctionsthatareamenabletochangethroughoutlife.Therightorbitalprefrontalcortexisthefocalareaforbothearlybraindevelopment,andongoinggrowthandchangeinthecontextoffacilitativerelation-ship.Schore(2003a)saidthispartofthebrainis:

theonlycortical structurewithdirect connections to thehypothalamus, theamygdala,andthereticularformationinthebrainstemthatregulatesarousal,andthroughtheseconnectionsitcanmodulateinstinctualbehaviorandinternaldrives.Butbecauseitcontainsneuronsthatprocessfaceandvoiceinformation,thissystemisalsocapableofappraisingchangesintheexternalenvironment,especially the social, object-related environment. Due to its unique connec-tions, at the orbitofrontal level cortically processed information concerningtheexternalenvironment(e.g.visualandauditorystimuliemanatingfromtheemotionalfaceoftheobject)isintegratedwithsubcorticallyprocessedinfor-mationregardingtheinternalvisceralenvironment(e.g.concurrentchangesintheemotionalorbodilyselfstate)p.42.

Thisisthepartofourbrainthatistheinterfacebetweeninnerandouterrealms,andthusiscriticaltooursenseofself.Neuroscientistshavediscoveredthatit is throughourbody that we understand how we feel (Iacoboni, 2008). Empathy is a right-hemisphericprocess that leads to internalization of the emotion of others, and ultimately, a separatesenseofself.AccordingtoSchore,(2003a),“therighthemisphereiscriticallyinvolvedinthemaintenanceofacoherent,continuous,andunifiedimplicitsenseofself,”(p.xv).Assuch,thisareamustbebothacriticaltoolforandtargetofpsychotherapeuticintervention.

mutuaL reguLation and moments oF meeting

Everyencounterinthetherapyroomisnewanddifferent,andFocusinginvitestheclienttoallowtheirbodiestoexpressspecificallywhatisneedednext.Forexample,iftheclientintuitivelyfeelsthattheirearlyattachmentneedscanbemetintheclinicalsetting,theywillusethetherapyforthispurpose.But,asstatedearlier,whathappensintherapyis


notjustlikeacaregiver-babydyad.Itisanelementofaprocessthatissomuchmoreintri-cate,ascomplexastwohumanbeingsinteractingcanbe,wherethebehaviorpossibilitiesarevast.Oneofthepossibilitieswearemostinterestedinhereisthatthetherapywillallowforthecontinuationofstalledearlydevelopmentalprocesses.Muchofwhathappensinthemother-infantdyadisaprocessofunconsciousregulationofthebaby’sdevelopingnervoussystembythemother’smorecapaciousone.Theinfantgraduallyinternalizesherabilitytotoleratedistress(Cozolino,2010;Schore,2003a;Kohut,1984).Laterinlife,wecontinuetoco-regulateeachother(Cozolino,2010).Missedpartsgoonimplyingandimplyinguntilsomethingintheenvironmentmatchestheunmetneedoriscloseenoughtoallowforwardmotion(Gendlin,1997).Itisthetherapist’scalm,regulatedunconsciousresponse,similartothedynamicoftheinfant-caregiverdyad,thatallowstheclient’sbodytopickupwhatitneedsandmoveinalife-forwarddirection.

Animportantquestiontoconsiderhereis:ifdyadicinteractionisunconsciousandreciprocal,howdoweensurethatweastherapistssetthetone?Howdowepreventthedyadfrombecomingdysregulatedbyaclient’sintenseemotionalresponse?Schore(2003a)sug-geststhattherapistsneedtodoenoughoftheirowntherapytobestable,reliableregulatorsofintenseaffect—theirownandothers.Buthedoesnottellusspecificallyhowtomakesurethattheregulatednervoussystemmaintainsthestrongerfrequencysothatbothbodieswilleventuallyresonatewiththiscalmstate.ThisiswhereFocusingoffersaspecificmap.Engenderingandmaintaininga“friendlyattitude”towardsthefeltsense(Gendlin,1996,p.55)helpstoensurethattheinteractionultimatelyhelpstheclientsettleandmoveforward.Thisoutcomeisnotagiven!AsSchorerepeatedlystates,mutualregulationhappensauto-maticallyandunconsciously.Sohowcanwedirectourunconscioustobehelpful,when,bydefinition,wedon’tcontrolit?IwouldsuggestthatthroughFocusingwecanenlargeourcapacityforholdingandprocessingwhatevercomesupinagivensession.Focusingteachesresilience,anopenattitude,and theability tostaywithdifficultemotionuntil there isafeltshift.TheFocusing-Orientedtherapistbothmodelsthisandparticipates,enlargingthecapacityofboththerapistandclienttoregulateincreasinglyintenseexperiences.Iwouldofferthisanalogy:notallofusaregiftedwiththeabilitytosingonkey.Butifthereisaclear,strongvoicethatcanholdthenotesteadilyandconsistently,othersingerswillpickuponit.Withtime,evenagroupofunskilledsingerswillresonateharmoniously.Thekeyisforthetherapisttobethatclear,steadysignal,consistently,overtime,andundervarying,andstressfulconditions.Thiscan’tbetaught.Itmustbepracticed,likeanyskillordiscipline.

AsFocusing-Oriented therapists, our intention is to co-createharmony,butnot totakethelead.Wewanttohaveapositiveeffectonourclientsbyofferingthemourownphysical/emotionalselvestoassistinmutualregulation.Itwouldbeamistaketoassumethatourclientsdonot and shouldnot alsoaffectusdeeply. In fact, inmanycases, it iscriticalthattheclientvisiblyaffectthetherapistsothattheclienthasthedirectexperiencethattheirdifficultfeelingsarenotdisavowedandinfactaremanageablebyanotherhumanbeing.AccordingtoKnox(2011),inearlydevelopmentalstages,

it would be catastrophic for the infant to be disillusioned about his role increating thematernal response. Increating themirroring response inapar-

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ent, the childdiscovers that he actually exists as apersonwith amindanddesires....Itisasthoughtheinfant’sexperienceis,“ifIcan’taffectyou,thenIdon’texist”(p.113).

Wemustnotmakethismistakewithourclients.Thegoalisnottoexperiencethemfromacomfortabledistanceandallowtheirintenseexperiencestopassoveruswithoutaripple.Insteadwemusthavethecouragetobeaffectedbythem,toengageatanauthenticemotionallevel.Itisalsohubristosuggestthatwewillneverbepulledoffbalancebyourinteractionswithclients.Thekey,aswasfoundininfantresearch(Schore2003b),istobeabletonoticeandrepairthedysregulationwhenithappens.Theconceptofthetherapists’unconscious,deepemotionalinvolvementasanintrinsicpartofthehealingprocesswasfirstdiscussedbyJunginThe Psychology of the Transference(1954),acomparisonoftherapist-clientrelationshipprocessesasanalogoustothosedescribedinsixteenth-centuryalchemi-caltexts.Oneimage,forexample,depictsthepairsittingattheedgeofabath,theirfeetinthesamewater,anaptsymbolofmeetingattheunconsciouslevel.However,thedetached,interpretiveapproachof traditionalFreudianpsychoanalysishadgreater influenceon thepracticeofpsychotherapyinitsearlydecades(Knox,2011).Currentfindingsfromaffectiveneuroscientificresearcharenowmovingthepracticeofpsychoanalysisinamoreprocess-oriented and relational direction, supporting the theories of those who have adopted anintersubjectiveapproach(Bion,Kohutandothers).Knox(2011)discussesherownchangesasananalystlookingbackatacaseshewouldnowhavehandleddifferently:

Myfocusatthattimeoninterpretationasthemaintoolforchangemademelessopentothepossibilityofalternativewaysofresponding....IncontrastIwouldnowfocusoncreatingtheconditionsthatallowthepatient’sownsenseofagencytobemobilized,initiallythroughtheimplicitrelationalexchangesbetweenus,the“momentsofmeeting”(p.161).

reCommendations and ConCLusion

Inlightofcurrentbrainresearchandtrendstowardsupportingaffectregulationandthedepthandqualityofthetherapeuticrelationshipasessentialaspectsofpsychotherapy,FOT offers many specific and well-developed practices that could be more universallyapplied.Fromthestudyofaffectiveneuroscience,Schore(2003a)hassuggestedthereisaneedfornewtherapeuticpracticestoaddressearlydevelopmentalissuesbecausetheyaffectbraindevelopmentthroughoutthelifespan.Intheappendixtohisbook,Affect Regulation & the Repair of the Self,Schore(2003a)outlines20principlesofpsychotherapeutictreatmentofearly-formingrighthemisphericself-pathologies.TherearethreeareasinparticularthatcouldbeaddressedusingFocusingtechniques.Schorerecommendstherebeanemphasisonprocess rather than interpretation; that the interactive therapeuticenvironmentshouldfacilitate“animplicitselfsystemcapableofmodulatingabroaderrangeofaffects”(p.281);andthatthetherapist’stoleranceforaffect“isacriticalfactordeterminingtherange,types,andintensitiesofemotionsthatareexploredordisavowed”(p.281).FOTaddressesallofthesebecauseitisbasedonaprocessmodelthatisinherentlyrelational,andbecausemuch


oftheFocusingprocesshastheeffectofexpandingaffecttoleranceinboththerapistandclient.Inaddition,FOTfacilitatestheprocessofneuralintegrationwithitspracticeofinvit-ingclientstosenseinsideandtoarticulatewhatisimplicit.CurrentneuroscientificresearchaffirmsandsupportsthecurrentpracticeofFocusing-OrientedTherapy,offeringconcreteinformationaboutwhyfocusingworks.ThecrossingofFOTandcurrentresearchinaffec-tiveneuroscienceisapromisingarearichwithpossibilitiesforfuturestudyandrefinementofpsychotherapypractices.

reFerenCes

Ammaniti, M., & Trentini, C. (2009). How new knowledge about parenting reveals theneurobiological implications of intersubjectivity: A conceptual synthesis of recentresearch.Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 19,537-555.

Cozolino,L.(2010,2002).The neuroscience of psychotherapy: Healing the social brain.NewYorkandLondon:W.W.NortonandCompany.

Cozolino. L. (2006). The neuroscience of human relationships: Attachment and the developing brain. LondonandNewYork:Norton.

Damasio,A.R.(1994)Descartes’ error.NewYork:Groset/Putman.

Gendlin, E. T. (in press) “Implicit Precision”, in Z. Radman (Ed.) Knowing without thinking: The theory of the background in philosophy of mind.Basingstoke:PalgraveMacmillan(forthcoming).

Gendlin,E.T.(1962).Experiencing and the creation of meaning.Evanston,IL:NorthwesternUniversityPress.

Gendlin,E.T.(1968).Theexperientialresponse.InE.Hammer(Ed.),Use of interpretation in treatment,pp.208-227.NewYork:Grune&Stratton.

Gendlin,E.T.(1978/1981).Focusing.NewYork:Bantam.

Gendlin, E. T. (1984). The client’s client: The edge of awareness. In R. L. Levant &J.M.Shlien(Eds.),Client-centered therapy and the person-centered approach. New directions in theory, research and practice,pp.76-107.NewYork:Praeger.

Gendlin,E.T. (1991).Onemotionin therapy.InJ.D.Saffron&L.S.Greenberg(Eds.)Emotion, psychotherapy, and change. pp. 255-279. New York and London:Guilford.

Gendlin, E. T. (1996). Focusing-oriented psychotherapy: A manual of the experiential method.NewYork:Guilford.

Gendlin,E.T.(1997).A process model.NewYork:TheFocusingInstitute.

Gendlin, E. T. (2011). Sitting with Gene at his leading edge. Telephone course, March/April,2011.Berkeley,CA:FocusingResources.

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Iacoboni,M.(2008).Mirroring people.NewYork:Farrar,StrausandGiroux.

Jung,C.G. (1954).The collected works 16 (BollingenSeriesXX), trans.R.F.C.Hull:eds:H.Read,M.Fordham,¶G.Adler.Princeton,NewJersey:PrincetonUniversityPress.

Knox,J.(2011).Self-agency in psychotherapy: Attachment, autonomy and intimacy.NewYorkandLondon:W.W.Norton&Company.

Kohut,H.(1984).How does analysis cure?Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress.

Levine,P.A. (2010) In an unspoken voice: How the body releases trauma and restores goodness. Berkeley,CA:NorthAtlanticBooks.

Wilkinson, M. (2010). Changing minds in therapy: Emotion, attachment, trauma and neurobiology.NewYork:W.W.Norton.

Schore,J.,&Schore,A.N.(2008).Modernattachmenttheory:Thecentralroleofaffectregulationindevelopmentandtreatment.Journal of Clinical Social Work, 36, 9-20.

Schore,A.N.(2003a).Affect dysregulation and disorders of the self.NewYorkandLondon:W.W.NortonandCompany.

Schore,A.N.(2003b).Affect regulation and the repair of the self.NewYorkandLondon:W.W.NortonandCompany.

Leslie Ellis, MA, RCC, is a Vancouver-based focusing-oriented psychotherapist and a Ph.D. student in Somatic Psychology at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, CA campus. Correspondence should be addressed to Leslie Ellis, email: [email protected]

ATTAchmenT And neuroscience • ��

attaChment and neurosCienCe the benefits of being a Focusing

oriented Professional

Carol Nickerson, MSW, LICSW, CFT

Over20yearsago,freshoutofcollege,Iwitnessedmysupervisor(ataresidentialtreatmentcenterfor“emotionallyandbehaviorallydisturbed”adolescents)beconfrontedbyanaggressiveandthreateningadolescentequalinsizetohim.Mysupervisortookadeepbreath,(maybewincedatinybit,ashewasonlyhuman),paused,andbegansayingthingstotheboylike,“Iwillnotletyouhurtme.Wewillbesafehere.Youhavebeenhurtvery,very,badlyandyoudidn’tdeserveit.Idon’tknowwhathappenedtoyou,butIknowyouwerehurtandIknowyoudeservetobesafenowandnotbehurtagain...”hewentoninthisway,andinamatterofmoments,theboywassittingdown,andleaningforward.Mysupervisorsatacrossfromhimasifinamirror.

People who practice Focusing, also referred to as ‘Focusing People’ by EugeneGendlin,likelyreadtheabovepassagewitha felt-sense-knowingaboutthelevelofpresence,attunementandacceptance that thesupervisorholds in thisscenario.Weunderstand theanalogyofthemirror.Weunderstandthatforthesupervisortocreateaspaceinwhichsuchascared,ready-to-fightteenagerfeltsafeenoughtopauseandengageinsuchapowerfulinteractionthatthesupervisorhadtobeawareofhisownemotions,sensationsandsurvivalreaction.Itisclearthatherespondedfromawholewhichallowedhimamoretherapeuticresponsethanyelling,callingforstaffandthreateningconsequences.Focusingpeoplehaveaknowingthatthesupervisorrespondedfromaplaceofpresence,acceptance,andtrust.

Howdowedevelopthespaceinsideusthatcanholdandcontainnotonlyourownaffectivestatesbutalsothoseofothers?Itiswellknownandaccepted,throughdecadesofresearchinthefieldsofpsychoanalysis,psychiatry,andchilddevelopment,thatthefounda-tionforoptimalmentalhealthdevelopswithintheattachmentandbondingcyclebetweenan infant and its primary caregiver. The sense of well-being that emerges from predict-able and repeated experiences of care creates what John Bowlby, an attachment theorypioneer, called a secure base (a term which, for the purposes of this article, the writerhasmodifiedtoasecure-enough-base, adaptingearlychildhoodpioneer,D.W.Winnicott’sphrase,“good-enough-mother”.

PerryandSzalavitz(2006)statethat:

Itisthroughthethousandsoftimeswerespondtoourcryinginfantthatwehelpcreateahealthycapacitytogetpleasurefrompresentandfuturehumanconnection.Becauseboththebrain’srelationalandpleasure-mediatingneuralsystemsare linkedwithourstress-responsesystems, interactionswith lovedonesareourmajorstress-modulatingmechanism.Thereisalsoaclassofnerve

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cellsinthebrainknownasmirrorneurons,whichrespondinsynchronywiththebehaviorofothers.Thiscapacity formutual regulationprovidesanotherbasisforattachment.(p.89-90).

Theattachmentcyclebetweencaregiverandinfantsetsthestageforouremotionalhealth.Theregulationofemotionandaffectplayasignificantroleinhowwelearn,makedecisions,andcopewithourenvironments.

AsexplainedbyAllanSchore(2001),

Interdisciplinaryresearchandclinicaldataareaffirmingtheconcept that ininfancyandbeyond,theregulationofaffectisacentralorganizingprincipleofhumandevelopmentandmotivation.IntheneuroscienceliteratureDamasioassertsthatemotionsarethehighestorder,directexpressionofbioregulationincomplexorganisms(1998),andthatprimordialrepresentationsofbodystatesarethebuildingblocksandscaffoldingofdevelopment.AntonioDamasioisaninternationallyrecognizedleaderinneuroscience.Hisresearchhashelpedtoelucidatetheneuralbasisfortheemotionsandhasshownthatemotionsplayacentralroleinsocialcognitionanddecision-making(1994)(pp.3-4).

Optimally,aninfantdevelopsaninnersenseofwell-being,afeelinginsidetheirbodywhichtranslatesto“Iamokay”or“Iamsafe”.Thisfeelingdevelopswithintheconsistentnurturanceof the interactive relationship theyhavewith their primary caregiver(s).Thesenseofasecure-enough-basedevelops,andthefoundationforfurthergrowthanddevelop-mentisestablished.

Primarygoalsofparentingincludeprovidingachildwiththecapacityforself-soothingandtheability toformpositiverelationships.Thisallowsthechildto face thechallengesof lifeandbenefit fromhealing lifeexperiences.Thesuccessfulmasteryofchallengesthroughoutlifeleadstotakingonevenmorecomplexchallengesthatwillpromoteincreasinglyhigherlevelsofneuralnet-workdevelopmentandintegration.Wheninternalorexternalfactorspreventan individual from approaching challenging and stressful situations, neuralsystemswilltendtoremainunderdevelopedorunintegrated(Cozolino,p.30).

It iswithin thisprimary relationship(s) thatwe learn and experience that relatingwithothersiscomforting,funandpleasurable.Intheattachmentrelationship,welearnthebeginningsoftrustinanotherperson.Whenourearlyexperiencesarefilledwithtrustingreciprocalinteractionswithourcaregiver(s),the secure-enough-baseforms.

Thankstothediscoveryofneuroplasticity,weknowthatdevelopingand/orstrength-eningsecure-enough-baseisalwaysapossibility.Notonlydoestheresearchshowthataswemature,theoriginalattachmentcyclesupportsattachmenttheory,butcurrentinterdisci-plinaryresearchisalsofindingthatourbrainsaremoreflexiblethanitwasoncebelieved.


The brain’s amazing plasticity at this stage [a child’s developing brain] ofdevelopmentsetsalifelongtemplateforthoughts,feelings,behaviorandavari-etyof stress-relateddisorders.Moreover, because thebrain remainsflexiblethroughoutlife,nonverbalcommunicationretainsthecapacitytochange.Stud-ieswithpeopleoverageninetyshowusimagesofmaturebrainsthatcontinuetoproducenewneuralpathwaysatatimewhenolderpathwaysaredying.Thesameexperientialandsocialfactorsthatprofoundlyshapethebraininitiallycanalsobeinstrumentalinrepairingthecausesandsymptomsofstress-relateddisorders.(healingresources.com)

Our brains have the capacity for plasticity throughout our lifetime which impactsthewaysinwhichwefunction,learn,relatetoothers,andcope,andduetotheplasticityofthebrain,thesefunctionscanbeflexible.Therefore,skillsweneedforself-careandfordevelopingandmaintainingpositiverelationshipswithothersareabletogrow.

Changingattachmentstatusaswedevelopisquitepossible.Studieshaveshownthat individualscanmove fromwhatwasan insecurechildattachment toasecureadultattachmentstatus.Thestudiesexaminethefindingofan“earned-security”status,onethatisimportantforourunderstandingofcoherentfunc-tioningandthepossibilitiesforchange.(Seigel,2003,p.123).

Currentneurosciencefindingsconfirmthatourbrainshavethecapacityforplasticityatanyage.Therefore,eventhoughwemayhaveexperiencedattachmentdisruptionsand/ortraumasinourdevelopment,causingvaryingstatesofdysregulation,newneuralpathwayscangrow,overtime.Reparativeprocessescanoccurandtransformationcanberealized.

Attachment issueshavemanypossiblecauses:maybe itwasclear-cutchildabuse,abandonment,neglect,ormaybeitwasthatthedevelopmentalneedswerenotmetduetomultiplelifestressorsorillnessimpactingtheparent-childbonding.Ourclientscometouswithproblemsintheirrelationshipswithothers,lowself-esteem,anddifficultymanagingstrong emotions. Often our clients bring issues or ways of interacting that challenge us.Sometimes,wefeelstuckwithourclients.Wedon’tknowwhatmorewecando tohelpthem.Wehaveourownissueswithattachmentandregulationofemotions.

Vignette

ThefollowingvignettedescribeshowoneFocusingorientedpractitionerbenefitedfromthepracticeofFocusing,andhowthisprocesssupportsthedevelopmentandstrength-ening of secure-enough-attachment. Focusers will note that this is a partnered session,althoughaverysimilarprocessmighttakeplacewithinapsychotherapysession,aFocusingorientedsupervisionsession,orotherhealingorientedsession.Withinthevignettebelow,occasionalquotationsfromneuroscientistswillbepresentedinitalics.

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Focuser (F): (the clinician, in this case): So, I’m aware of wanting to tell you a littleaboutwhat Iwant toFocuson today; it’s a case Ihave, and I’d likeyou tohavea littlebackground.

Partner (P):Yes,sotakesometimetosharewhatfeelsrighttoshare.(Partner uses gentle, inviting tone of voice, creating openness and safety from the start.)

F:Ihaveworkedwiththisclientformanyyears.ShehasComplexPostTraumaticStressDisorderand significantdissociationanddepersonalization symptoms.She isvery intel-ligent, creative, has a great sense of humor and the average person would never believeshe has such severe mental health symptoms . . . such a serious childhood trauma his-tory...(pauses, yet only to catch a breath).

P:Hmmm...youmightjusttakeamomenttonoticehowyourbreathis . . . (Partner listens and observes for non-verbal cues to help Focuser regulate her affect).

Affective states, emotions and moods are contagious physically and can communicate themselves outside our awareness and intention, and beyond our conscious control because the right-brain experiences, holistically in a gestalt; encoding gestures, tone of voice, and spontaneous facial expressions, including the emotionally-revealing micro-expressions that flash across one’s face too fast to be recorded consciously.

An infant is almost entirely right brained so, during the first preverbal months of life, all the infant-mother-dialogs occur implicitly, relying heavily on mirror-ing where the child learns to see himself reflected back. We continue to com-municate with one another through the same right-brain modalities throughout our lives. Our training as psychotherapists [Focusing Practitioners] allows us to add an element ofconscious deliberateness to this mirroring that has great capacity to heal. (Lapides,p.2).

F:AsI’mtalking,I’msensingshallowbreathingandsomethingconstrictinginmychest.

P: So you’re sensing something there in your chest, like constriction, and shallowbreath...(Partner reflects, again, helping Focuser to pace herself).

F:Yes,andwhatIalsowanttotellyouisthatthisclientisasdifficultassheiswonderfultoworkwith.Ihateusingourpathologicallabels,buthonestly,thediagnosisBorderlinePer-sonalitycomestomindasIthinkofhernow...she’ssocapable,yetshereallyisn’t...she’sjustsohardtohelp.

P:Yes,sotakesometimetoacknowledgesomethingabouthowit’shardtohelp,somethingaboutBorderlinePersonality...noticinghowthatareainyourchestisfeeling...

“The brain looks to the body to know how it feels and to assess the meaning of things; thus, becoming aware of bodily reactions can be a direct and effective means to deal with low road immersion.” (Siegel, 2003, p.168). Siegelrefers

ATTAchmenT And neuroscience • �1

tolowroadimmersionasastateinwhichourmindsmayshutoffandbecomeinflexibleduetostressfulsituationsorifwearetriggeredbypastunresolvedissues. “When emotional reactions replace mindfulness, you’re on the low road and it’s very unlikely that you will be able to maintain nurturing com-munication and connection.” (Siegel, 2003, p.155).

F:I’mfeelingthatconstriction,tightness,andmyfacefeelhot...

P:Sotightnessandasenseofhowyourfaceisfeeling...

F:Yes,myfacefeelssohot,likeit’sgettingasunburn.I’mtakingtimetosayhellotoit...andasIdo...it’scoolingdown...calming...calmer...

P:Takingtimetofeelhowthatfeelsasyounoticeitiscalmernow...

“ Consciousness itself is not necessary for information processing, but it is necessary at times to achieve new outcomes in such processing.” (Siegel,1999,p.260).

F:Yes,andsomethinginmepictureshersittingacrossfromme,talkingaboutthesamethingsshehastalkedaboutsomanyothertimes,andIwanttoyell,“Shutup!Stop!Doyouhearyourself?Whenareyougoingtogetit?Youcanmakechanges;it’syou,noteveryoneelse!!!”That’swhatIwanttosaytoher...

P:Somethinginyouwantstosayallofthistoher...

F:Yes,somepartofmewantstoscreamthisather.Itcan’ttakeitanymore...

P:Partofyouwantstoscream,likeitcan’ttakeitanymore...maybeyouwanttoletthatpartknowyoureallyhearit,howit’sfeeling...likeitwantstoscream...

F:Itwantstotellhertofindanewtherapist,obviouslythisisn’tworking,findsomeoneelse!I’mnoticingadeepbreath.Itfeelssogoodtosaythisoutloud...likearelease...

P:Yes,andtaketimetonoticehowthatreleasefeelsinyourbody...

F: Nowondermyfacefeltsohot...itfeelscoolernow...likeallthisfrustrationwasstuckthere...

P: So,it’slikeyouaresaying,nowonderitfeltsohotlikesomethingwasstuck.

F:Yes...somethinginmefeltitwasn’tokaytofeellikeIwantedtotellmyclienttoshutupandfindanewtherapist...I’msensingthatpartnow...likeit’snotsosureevennow...Icansenseashakinessinmychest...

“ Through the activation of multiple cognitive and emotional networks, previ-ously dissociated functions are integrated and gradually brought under the control of cortical executive functions.” (Cozolino,p.26).

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P:Yes,you’resensingsomethingfeelingshaky...likeitmightnotfeelit’sokaytoexpressthosefeelings...

F:There’sanimage,it’svaguelikesomethingisshowingmeayounggirl...Oh,likeit’smeasachild,andI’mreallymadatmysister,andIwanttoyellatherandtellhertostop,butI’mnotallowedto...likeI’mnotallowedtobeangryatanyone.

P:Soyouareremembering...andyouareawareofanimage.It’sshowingyouayounggirl,andsomethingaboutnotbeingabletobeangry...

F:Yes,thatfeelsright...shehasherheaddown,likeshe’sbeenbad,ordonesomethingwrong.I’mnoticingadeepbreath...andmychestismoreopen...herheadhasliftedsome...

P:Yes,youarewithher,likekeepinghercompany...

F:Yes,shelikesthat;sheexpectedtobescolded...likeshewasn’tallowedtobeangry,ortoexpressthatshewas,orboth.I’msensingifthatfitsandanotherbreath...itfeelslikeshe’slettingmeknow,yes,shehasalwaysfeltlikeshehadtobeniceallthetime...Hmmm...I’msensinghowmuch thatyoungplace inme felt she shouldn’thaveangeror anything shethoughtwas“negativefeelings”aboutsomeoneelse...

P:Soyoumightsenseifthereismoreshe’dliketoletyouknow...

F:Yes...I’msensingarelief,anddeeperbreathing...(Focuser laughs a little)...she,thatyounggirl...issmiling...she’sgladitwasokaytobeangry...Hmm,I’mnotic-ingnowthatwhenIthinkofthisclientIhavemuchmorewholepictureofher,whatshe’sbeenthrough,howhardallofthismustbeforher...andthatit’shardtobehertherapistsometimes....

P:Youmighttakesometimetoreallyfeelthatreliefandallowyourbreathingtobeasdeepasitwants.

F: Hmm . . . I feel so much better, like I really care about her and my work with heragain...howIhavefeltmostofthetimeshe’sbeencomingtoseeme . . .

In this process the therapist [Focusing Practitioner] plays essentially the same role as a parent, providing and modeling the regulatory functions of the social organism. As affect is repeatedly brought into the therapeutic relationship and successfully managed, the client gradually internalizes these skills by sculpt-ing the neural structures necessary for auto regulation. As in childhood, the repeated cycle of attunement, rupture of the attunement, and its reestablish-ment gradually creates an expectation of reconnection (Lachmann&Beebe,(1996),(pp.1-13).The learned expectation of relief in the future enhances the ability to tolerate more intense affect in the midst of the stressful moment. (Cozolino,p.21).


Theclinicianresumesherworkwiththisclientasscheduledandnoticesamajorshiftinherownpresencewiththeclient.Shenolongerfeelssheneedstobehypervigilantaboutmaintainingcomposureasshelistenstoherclient.Shefeelsopennessinside,asthoughsheislisteningwithnew,freshearsandarenewedcommitmenttoprovidingoptimalclinicaltreatment.Thisshiftcontinuesandtheclient’sabilitytoself-regulateandobserveherownfeltexperienceisevidentinherprogressovermanymoremonthsoftreatment.

stages of inner relationship Focusing, Weiser Cornell

Focusing steps: short Form, gendlin

the Cycle of attachment, bonding and trust

Coming in

• Bringingawarenesstoyourbody

• Sensingorinvitingwhatwantsyourawarenessnow

• Waitinguntilsomethingcomes

Clear a space

Howareyou?What’sbetweenyouandfeelingfine?Don’tanswer;letwhatcomesinyourbodydotheanswering.Don’tgointoanything.Greeteachconcernthatcomes.Puteachasideforawhile,nexttoyou.Exceptforthat,areyoufine?

Felt sense

Pickoneproblemtofocuson.Don’tgointotheproblem.Whatdoyousenseinyourbodywhenyousensethewholeofthatproblem?Senseallofthat,thesenseofthewholething,themurkydiscomfortortheunclearbody-senseofit.

experience of need

Caretakersaremindfulofthemselves,sotheycantuneintotheinfant’sneeds.Thecaretakerlooksfor,listens,senses,andintuitswhattheinfantiswantingandreceivesfeedbackfromtheinfant;acertaincry,bodymovement,orfacialexpression,whichoffersamessageofwhatmightbeneeded.

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making Contact

• Beginningtodescribesomething(andcheckingwithit).

• Acknowledgingit.

get a handle

Whatisthequalityofthefeltsense?Whatoneword,phrase,orimagecomesoutofthisfeltsense?Whatquality-wordwouldfititbest?

state of arousal

Thecaretakerconsidersthefeedback:Hungry?Wet?Afraid?Sleepy?Forexample,whenthemothercheckstoseeiftheinfantneedsadiaperchange,sheseestheinfant’sdiaperisdrywhichsuggests,no,that’snotit.Thecaretakermovesontocheckforsomethingelse.Hungry?Thecaretakerchecksbyofferingabottle,theinfantissoothed,givingherfeedback,yes,that’sit:hungry.

deepening Contact

• Settlingdownwithitandkeepingitcompany.

• Sensingforitspointofview.

• Lettingitknowyouhearit.

resonate

Gobackandforthbetweenword(orimage)andthefeltsense.Isthatright?Iftheymatch,havethesensationofmatchingseveraltimes.Ifthefeltsensechanges,fol-lowitwithyourattention.Whenyougetaperfectmatch,thewords(images)beingjustrightforthisfeel-ing,letyourselffeelthatforaminute.

satisfaction of need

Thecaretakerstayswiththeinfantandhis/herneed.Thecaretakercontinuestoofferherattentiontonoticeiftheinfant’sneedhasbeenfullyheard/tendedto.Themothermightsay,“therenow,littleone,youwereaveryhungrybaby”.





Coming out

• Sensingforastoppingplace.

• Receivingandexperienc-ingwhathaschanged.

• Lettingitknowyou’rewillingtocomeback.

• Thankingthefeltsenseforbringingawarenessout.

ask

“Whatisit,aboutthewholeproblem,thatmakesmeso_________?Whenstuck,askquestions:Whatistheworstofthisfeeling?What’sreallysobadaboutthis?Whatdoesitneed?Whatshouldhappen?Don’tanswer;waitforthefeelingtostirandgiveyouananswer.WhatwoulditfeellikeifitwasallOK?LetthebodyanswerWhatisinthewayofthat?

receive

Welcomewhatcame.Begladitspoke.Itisonlyonesteponthisproblem,notthelast.Nowthatyouknowwhereitis,youcanleaveitandcomebacktoitlater.Protectitfromcriticalvoicesthatinterrupt.Doesyourbodywantanotherroundoffocusing,oristhisagoodstoppingplace?

state of relaxation

Thecaretakerobserves,checks,sensesfortheinfant’ssatisfiedneed.Iftheinfantisfull,thecaretakerstopsfeed-ing.Iftheinfanthasanotherneed,itisattendedtowithmorefeeding,orburping.Thecaretakernoticestheinfant’schangedstate.Sheknowsnowtheinfant’sneedhasbeensatisfied.Sheandtheinfantconnectthroughoutthisprocess.Thecaretakerbyrepeatingthesenaturalsteps,instillsthesenseoftrustwithintheinfantthatshewillbebacktotendtoalloftheinfant’sneeds.Thecaretakerbringsherawarenessbacktootherthoughts,otheractivi-tiesoftheday.

The process and practice of Focusing embodies the original growth-producingingredientsofbraindevelopment:namely,theingredientsthatgrowwithintheattachmentrelationship.Theoryandresearchsupportsthatitisthetrustandacceptancewithinthecli-ent-psychotherapistrelationshipthatmakestherapywork,regardlessoftheclinicalmethod.Inareviewofhundredsofstudiesexaminingtheoutcomeofpsychotherapy,OrlinskyandHoward(1986)lookedforthosefactorsthatseemedtorelatetosuccess.Theyfoundthatthequalityoftheemotionalconnectionbetweenpatientandtherapistwasfarmoreimpor-tantthanthetherapist’stheoreticalorientation.Preparingourmindstoholdthefullnessof

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another’sexperiencemaybethemostimportantaspectofourongoingtrainingastherapists.(Bodenoch,p.5).

InCozolino’sreviewoftheresearchonattachment,hestates:

Eachparent’sunconsciousplaysaroleinthecreationofthechild’sbrain,justasthetherapist’sunconsciouscontributestothecontextandoutcomeofther-apy.Thisunderscorestheimportanceofpropertrainingandadequatepersonaltherapyfortherapists,whowillbeputtingtheirimprintonthehearts,minds,andbrainsoftheirclients.(p.30).

AnnWeiserCornell explains threekey aspects of the InnerRelationshipprocess:“thefeltsense,anacceptinginnerattention,andaphilosophyofwhatfacilitateschange.Afeltsenseisabodysensationthathasmeaning.”Shealsodiscussesthatwhenwetuneinto“thatsensationfromapurelyacceptingandcuriousattitude,itcanbetransforming.Itistheprocessofthisrelationalinnerattentioncombinedwiththephilosophyofbeing/allowingthatsupportsthenaturalcourseofthings(change).”(pp.11-16).

Strengthening and healing attachment-related issues using Focusing means werespondfromaplacewithinusthatiscalm,centeredandresilient,insteadofreactingor“actingout,”orbeing“triggered”.Itmeansthatinsteadoftryingtocopewithtemporaryandsometimesunhealthychoices,suchasovereating,substanceuse,oroverspending,wetuneintowhatourneedsareandchoosecopingstrategiesbasedonasenseofwholenessandwell-being.WithintheprocessofFocusing,webecomeawareofourobvious,yet,subtleandnot-yet-knowntousneedsandthenactionstepsprovideuswithawaytotendtoourneeds,againandagain,astheychangeandevolve.Thistranslatestosignificantlyimprovedrelationshipswithourselvesandwithothers.

“Inthefuture,clinicianswillbetrainedtobemoresensitivetothesefeaturesandwillbeskilledtoattendtoprosodyofvoice,facialexpressivity,gaze,andauditoryhyper-sensitivities asbothdiagnostic andprognostic indicators.” (Porges, p.297-298).Focusingpractitionershavebeentrainedtodothisfordecades.Theneuroscienceiscatchingup.

reFerenCes

Badenoch, B. (2008). Being a brain-wise therapist: A practical guide to interpersonal neurobiology. NewYork:W.W.Norton&Company.

Bowlby,J.(1973).Separation, Anxiety and Anger.Tavistockinstituteofhumanrelations,NewYork.

Bowlby,J.(1969).Attachment and life.Volume1.NewYork:IncorporatedPublishers.

Cornell,A.W.(2005).The radical acceptance of everything.Berkeley:CallunaPress.

Damsio,A.R.(1994).Descartes’ error.NewYork:Grosset/Putnam.


Damasio,A.R.(1998).Emotionintheperspectiveofanintegratednervoussystem.Brain Research Reviews,26,83-86.

Gendlin,E.T.(1978).Focusing.NewYork:BantamDell.

Cozolino, L. (2002). The neuroscience of psychotherapy. New York: W. W Norton &Company.

Healingresources. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.healingresources.info/trauma_attachment_stress_disorders.htm

Lachman,F.M.,andBeebe,B.A.(1996).Threeprincipalsofsalienceintheorganizationofthepatient-analystinteraction.Psychoanalytic Psychology, 13,1-13.

Lapides,F.(2008).Clinical implications and applications of psychoneurology: translating neuroscience to the consulting room, Unpublished paper http://www.francinelapides.com/docs-mar-2008/Preview_Article_2.pdf.

Orlinsky,D.E.andHoward,K.J. (1986)Processandoutcomeofpsychotherapy. InS.L.GarfieldandA.E.Bergin(editors),Handbook of psychotherapy and behavior change.NewYork:JohnWileyandSons.

Perry, B. & M. Szalavitz. (2006). The boy who was raised as a dog. New York: BasicBooks.

Porges,S.W.(2011).The polyvagel theory.NewYork:W.W.NortonandCompany.

Schore, A. N. (2001). The effects of a secure attachment relationship on right braindevelopment, affect regulation. Infant Mental Health Journal, 22, 7-66. Note thatthisonlineversionmayhaveminordifferencesfromthepublishedversion.

Siegel,D.(1999).The developing mind.NewYork:GuilfordPress.

Siegel,D.(2003).Parenting from the inside out.NewYork:Tarcher/Penguin.

Winnicott,D.W.(1986).Home is where we start from: essays by a psychoanalyst.NewYork:W.W.NortonandCompany.

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a ProCess modeL sCientist: What does it really mean in Practice?

Dana Ganihar Raz, M.Sc.

introduCtion

At home the unit-model scientist looks into the eyes of the child, and the child looks back. But the scientist thinks: Isn’t it sad that you are really just a machine . . . ! The natural sciences cannot really construct living things, but the unit model leads one to assume that some day we will(GendlinandJohnson,p.1).

Ioncewasonmywaytobecome“aunit-modelscientist,”aconceptusedbyGendlintodescribeapersonoperatinginthecurrentscientificworld-view.Oneofthefeaturesofunit-modelscienceisexplainingrealityasbeingmadeoutofseparateunits.IwantedtobeascientistaslongasIremembermyself.ButaftermyMaster’sdegreeinNeuroethology,Icouldn’tcontinue.IfeltthatI’dbeencutofffromsomethingaliveinme...thescientificworldviewmademefeelasthoughIwerelivinginamachine-like,meaninglessuniverse.Ileftscience,convincedI’dnevercomeback.

Seventeenyearslater,inaFocusingsession,IgotafeltsensethatmywholebodywasbecomingaDNAhelix.IlistenedtotheinformationwhichwasencodedbythisparticularDNA,andwhatcame,surprisinglyandwhole,wasamessagetogobacktoscienceandtrytobeaprocess-modelscientist.Thatsessionwaslikeaquantumleapthatchangedmylifedirectioncompletely.

ThisarticleisanopportunitytoreflectuponthesixmonthssinceIstartedmyjourneyasIfeltsensedmywaybacktoscience.IhopethatinsubsequentarticlesIwillwriteaboutFocusingwiththescientificresearchitself.

i don’t Want to ProVe sCientiFiCaLLy that FoCusing WorKs:

NaturallyIintendeddoingaPh.D.inthefieldIcamefrom...buteverydayforaweek,intheleftsideofmyFocusingbody,theimmunesystemappeared...invitingmetobefriendlywithit...andhaveitasthesubjectofmyresearch.Iacceded.

“Andno,Idon’twanttoprovescientificallythatFocusingsupportsourimmunityorhelpsuswhilesickorwounded,”Iexplainedtoeveryone,includingmysupervisingimmu-nologist,whothoughtthisapproachwouldbemyprimaryinterest.“ThatIknowalready.IwanttofindouthowFocusingsupportsmyscientificworkandmyselfduringthatwork.Iwanttofindouthowtomovebackandforthfromscientificknowledgetomyembodiedknowledgeandnottodiscardeitherofthem.”

A Process model scienTisT • ��

Irecentlyfacilitatedaworkshopentitled‘FocusingandScience:TwoThatAreOne.’Afterpeoplevolunteeredresponsesastowhattheythoughtcharacterizedscience,Iinvitedthemtosensehowtheyexperiencedtheterm‘science’inside.Thesharingwasfascinating,touchingsomuchofwhatthisarticleisabout.Oneofthemsaid,“There is a precision in sci-ence . . . it feels pleasant yet I felt that there is also precision in my body, a different kind of precision . . . it would be so exciting to bring this precision into the precision of science.”

AndthatisexactlywhatIwanttodo.

tWo interWoVen researChes:

Sowhilewriting thisarticle I’malsowritingmyresearch intentions for thePh.D.committee in the university. For me it’s really two interwoven research projects. One isacademic; its temporary name, “Pro-resolving properties of human macrophages frommalignant, inflammatory and autoimmune disorders”. The other is independent, processbased,andofcourseinterwovenintothefirst.

My“independent”researchquestionis:Whatdoesitmeaninpracticetobeaprocessmodelscientist?

InanotherFocusingsessiontheterm‘connectedscientificknowledge’appeared.Itseemslinkedtotheworkofaprocessmodelscientist.

What do i mean by ConneCted sCientiFiC KnoWLedge?

WhatIunderstandsofar(andI’mjustinthebeginningofexploringthis)isthatcon-nectedscientificknowledge is theresultofproducingexplicitscientificknowledgewhilesensingthewiderenvironmentinwhichtheresearchisgoingon.Asaprocessmodelscien-tist,Iamawareofhowmybodyisconnectedtoandaffectedbyeverythingthatisinvolvedincreatingthescientificknowledge.

Iwanttoworkinthelablikea‘regular’scientist,yetholdclosetomyheartGendlin’sprincipleofInteractionFirst:

Thebody ISan interactionprocesswith theenvironment, and therefore thebodyISitssituations.Thebodyisn’tjustasealedthinghere,withanexternalsituationoverthere,whichitmerelyinterprets.Rather,evenbeforewethinkandspeak,thelivingbodyisalreadyoneinteractionprocesswithitssituation.Thesituationisnotoutthere,norinside.Theexternal“things”andthesubjec-tive“entities”arederivedfromonesinglelife-interactionprocess”(Gendlin,2004,p.3).

Practicallyitmeans,forme, feltsensingtheimplicitinteractionswiththewholesys-temIamworkinginandexploringhowIambeingaffectedbyit.

SowhatamIinteractingwith?

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• Space (myresearch isaco-operationofa lab in theuniversityanda lab forbonemarrowtransplantationinahospital)

• People(scientists,doctors,patients)

• Methodsandmaterials

• Objects

• Scientifictexts

• Scientificideas

Andmore...

ConnectedscientificknowledgeiscreatedwhenI’mturninginwardtosensenotonlyscientific termsand ideas, scientific results andconclusionsbutalso the interactionwiththepeople,materialsandobjectsinthelab,aswellasthewidersystem(thepatientsfromwhombloodwastaken,thebuildinginwhichthelabislocated,thelabanimalsandtheirfate),etc.

HowcanIfeelalloftheabove?

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 uni-verse. This sense of being bodily alive in a vast system is the body as it is felt from inside(Gendlin,1981,p.77).

Throughmybody,Icansenseeverythingthatisaroundme,andthatfelt-interactiongivesrisetoknowledgethatemergedfrominteractingwithalltheabove,notjustwithpurescientificdata.Ihopethatsuchaprocesswillhelpmefindouthowsciencecanbemadefromaplacethatisnotdisconnectedanddisembodiedandhowitcanbemorelifegiving.

Iamjust starting this fascinating journey,yet there issomuchI’vealreadydocu-mentedinmydate-log.EveryvisittothelabisfullwithinstancesIcanlearnfrom.HereIwanttosharesomevignettesexploringwhatconnectedknowledgecanlooklike.

11/19/10:IFocusedaboutmygoal:tomovefreelybetweenthefieldofscienceandthegen-eratingprocess.I felt a deep crack in my heart . . . I remembered how meaningful science was for me and how I lost my way there . . . and now there is a fear that I may lose my way again. After a long Focusing session the heart becomes a flexible whole—holding vaguely the memory of what happened but becoming a healthy heart again.

WhatI’ve learnedfromthisparticularsession(andmanymore thataddressed thefearsarisingfrommovingbacktoscience)isthatsciencewasformemuchmorethanafieldofstudy—itwaslikeaninherentdestination.Andwhenitwasblocked,somethinginmeshatteredandIhavemovedtoanoppositepoleofhumanexperience.I leftscientificinquiryandalltheknowledgeandexperienceIhadgatheredthere,andwentforajourneytochallengemyassumptionsandbeliefsaboutthenatureofreality,andexploredimensionsthatareconsiderednon-scientific.

A Process model scienTisT • �1

Now,Iaminapersonaljourneytomovebeyondthesplitbetweenscienceandpro-cess;betweenouterknowledgeandinnersensing;andbetweenmaterialthingsandlove.

12/6/10:WhenIcametomeetthescientistinwhoselaboratoryI’mgoingtowork,heverysensiblyaskedmeifI’mwillingtoworkwithanimals.

“Definitelynot,“Ireplied.“Whataremyoptions?”

“Well,”hesaid,“coincidently,yesterdayateamfromthelabforbonemarrowtrans-plantationsuggestedthatwedoajointresearchproject.TheyareworkingwithpeoplewhohaveMultipleMyeloma.Areyouwillingtoworkwithhumancells?”

“Yes,”Isaid,“andbytheway,Ilovecoincidences...”

Beforemeetingwiththatteamfromthehospital,Isensedinto“thesickpeople”:I feel weak, I feel life is leaving me . . . I feel despair and how my body is falling apart from within . . . I literally almost collapse. I remember Focusing . . . I move to a wider Presence, acknowledging the pain and fatigue . . . slowly I feel life energy gathering in the middle of my body . . . this energy is spreading into every single cell . . . I realize how, in the depth of death and despair, there is a life energy and healing.IrememberGendlin’squote:

“If there is something bad, sick, or unsound let it inwardly be and breathe. That is the only way it can evolve and change into the form it needs”(Gendlin,1986,p.178).

What was so important for me with this session was the heart-connection of theresearch with the sick people themselves. I was not working with human cells withoutacknowledgingthesufferingoftheactualpeopletheyweretakenfrom.

12/10/10:IhavearticleswhichIneedtoread.Ineedtolearnwhatthislabisspecializingin.Idon’tunderstandanything.Ireadthemagainandagain,andit’slikebangingmyheadagainst a wall. I Focus: “What is between me and understanding the articles?” . . . My body is becoming smaller and smaller . . . I’m afraid to shrink to a dot . . . it’s like enter-ing a prison cell and being locked away . . . it’s terrible . . . I don’t have an independent existence . . . it feels like I’m locked in somebody else’s thoughts . . . it’s about freedom in many levels . . . science feels deterministic . . . the philosophy of Gendlin speaks about the generative body but entering those texts, this worldview, brings the anxiety of having no freedom. All of a sudden a wild white horse appears, he is radically free, with no reins or saddle. He is the freedom barometer . . . he will help me to notice if I lose my independent thinking . . . it feels better . . .

Afterseveraldaysthearticlesopenedup.AlthoughIstilldidn’tunderstandthecon-ceptsandtheirliteralmeaning,Icouldfeelthemeaning.Itfeltthat“underneaththepage”thereisaspaceIcanmovein...itwaslikethearticlebecamethreedimensional...now,sixmonthslater,Ialsounderstandtheconceptsintheirpublicmeaning.

4/14/11: I’venoticed thatwhen I readarticlesor thesisworks, I skip the ‘materialsandmethods’section,notwantingtoreadabouttheprocedurestheydotothelabmice.Even-

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tuallyIhadtopauseandgivespacetothedisturbingfeelingthatIhadtriedtoavoidbyskippingthe‘materialsandmethods’section.

I feel awful for the mice . . . their fate is determined . . . wild mice live in freedom, these mice have no hope . . . I want to bury my head in the sand . . . I want to let them free . . . I have images of Jews in the holocaust . . . my body is shaking...

ThiswasthefirstpartinwhichIrealizethatscientistsdistancethemselves(under-standably)fromconnectingwiththeanimals’suffering.Lettingmyselfgetintouchwiththeirsufferingispartofcreatingconnectedscientificknowledge.

Therestofthisprocessisveryfarfromanyscientific(orcommon)knowledge:

ThecreativepersonlisteningtomesuggestedthatIturntowardsthemiceandaskthemaquestion.Thefirst question that jumps tomymind is:Whydidyouchoose thisfate?I sense into them . . . their existence is a non-violent message . . . they enable people to cut them until humans will realize what they are doing . . . to them and to the rest of the animals on this planet . . . they choose science because it’s connected to the navel of human culture . . . It feels better, yet I still feel connected to the suffering of each individual mouse . . . to their mother who gave birth to the mice knowing they will be taken for experi-ments . . . then a new possibility appears—that humanity will find a way to move beyond experimenting with animals . . . it excites me, I want to contribute to this goal . . .

4/14/11: Idon’tlikethespaceofthelabinthehospital.Isenseintothisfeeling...it feels dense and crowded . . . old and messy . . . full with angles and boxes . . . I wonder why scientists have to be in a space without beauty and harmony . . . this environment is not sup-porting a connected knowledge . . . but slowly I sense that it does still hold the spark . . . the flame . . . a spark that attracts those who are curious about the human mystery . . .

Iseehowmybodyissoinfluencedbythespaceitisin.Nowonderthatnotknowingthesethingsledmesofarfromscience17yearsago.NowIhavetheFocusingprocesstosupportme.

Anotherexample:ThereisacomplexmachineIneedtoworkon.Anicewomantriedtoteachmeforseveraldayshowtouseit.InoticedthatwhenI’mnearit,Ihaveaheadache.Itoldherthat.Sherespondedthateveryoneinthislabsuffersfromheadaches.Thenexttimeweapproachedthismachine,Itoldhertowaitaminute.Itookapause...Iacknowledgedtheheadache. . . .IaskedinsidehowcanIbenearthismachinewithoutgettingahead-ache...Istayedabitwithwhatmybodyshowedme.

Thismachineisverysophisticated,analyzingbloodsamplesandshowingtheresultsascomplexpatternsofdotsonthescreen.Ididn’thavetimeforalongFocusingsession,I justsensedinsideforafewseconds;itfeltasifmybodywerebeingdisintegratedintomilliondots,asifthismachinewereoperatingonme—nowonderitcausedaheadache.SoIgroundedmyself,foundtherightdistancefromthisfeeling,movedintoawiderpresence,andtheheadachestopped.


5/5/11: I’minthelab...Ihavetoweargloves...I’m listening to my body . . . the skin feels repulsion from the material the gloves are made of . . . It doesn’t want to put them on . . . my hands don’t want the gloves either, for a different reason—they don’t want protection or mediation . . . they want to be like a farmer’s hands—immersing themselves directly in the clods of earth . . . I sense into the gloves—they feel like soldiers at ‘the front’, scarifying themselves to protect their wives and children . . .

IcontinuethatdaytosenseintoeveryobjectIuse...WhenIsenseintoobjects,theyunfold...revealingstoriesandmemories.InarecentdiscussionGendlingaveanexampleofenteringintomadeforms:

Let’sgo intochair . . .weusuallymove it fromhere to thereand take itasyourconceptofchair,butifyouallowittobethefeel—thenitbecomesthischair,whichyouinheritedfromauntsoandso...andwhichyoubroughtwithyoufromtheotherplacewhereyoulived,andwhichhasallthispersonalhis-tory...andnotjustthat,butithasafactoryinitthatmadeit,andtheymadeitback in thedayswhen theymadechairs like thatand ithasallofhumanhistoryinit...thispoorlittlechairbringsyouallofthatbecauseassomethinggenerated,thegeneratingprocessisstilltherewithyou,it’sneverjustinthepast—itistherenow...ifyoudon’tattendthere,itisjustachairandyoumoveitandyoudon’tcarewhichchairhappenstobethere,youneedachairoverhereandyoumoveit...Alltheobjects,allthesituations,allthedefinitions,theculturalpatterns,anddifferentemotionsareallgenerated . . . Butthisisnotwhatbasicallyis,whatbasicallyis—isthegenerating,whatbasicallyis,islikethelivingprocessitself...(Gendlin,2011).

When I “go into” theobjects in the lab, I feel that theobjects aroundmearenotseparate units but are alive and meaningful and part of everything that is affecting myresearch.

7/15/11:IwasFocusingaboutwhatistheessenceofthisjourneyformesofar.Igotquitea spiritualanswer: I’m in a very strong movement into the heart of matter. I was like a hovering spirit, and now I’m entering matter. In this journey I encounter locked doors. I ought to sit in front of them and wait. . . . matter, like a religious text, is opening up for you when you wait . . . in the beginning I see just general words . . . then the letters in the text, like a carriage, carry me right into the depth of my DNA. Inside the DNA I find the peacefulness people are seeking. Scientists try to decode it with their minds, and succeed locally. That is the unit model. There is another way deep in . . . Inside yourself there is something that holds you with great care . . . and from there my research can be without fear. The connected scientific knowledge helps me to get there . . . move with my whole body into the heart of matter.

What do i share With PeoPLe in the Lab?

5/15/11: I’m in a lab meeting. They are discussing two alternative research directionsfor a Master’s student . . . I don’t yet understand the details . . . I’m checking with my

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body...the first idea feels heavy; it feels like a dead end . . . something you can kick but get no response . . . I’m sensing the other direction. It feels light, lighted, with potential energy. Theychoosethefirstdirection...Idon’tsayanything.Yet,itissoexcitingtogoaroundthelab,sensingallthesethings,knowingthatiftheyknewwhatIwasdoing,theywouldbesurethatI’mcrazy.InthebeginningwhenIsharedalittlebitofwhyI’mthere,itfeltasifIwerespeakingtotheminalanguagetheydon’tunderstand.Theirgazebecameblank.

Atthispointofwritingthisarticle,Ineedtopauseandcollectmythoughts.Icomefromafieldof interaction.This is thephilosophy and thepractice. InmyFocusing lifeoutsidethelabIworkwithpeoplewhoareinterestedinthat.Iteachit,liveitandloveit.ThelearningI’mdoingnowishowtobemytrueselfintheheartoftheunitmodelfield.Mostofthepeopletherearenotinterestedininteraction;theyseethemselvesasunits,asseparatefrommatter,fromeachother.I’mlearninghowtobethereandtodowhattheyaredoingwithoutlettingmyselfforgettheinteraction.I’mlearninghowtolistento‘mindtalk’andholdthemore thatisthere.Sometimesit’sverydifficult;IaskmyselfwhatamIdoinghere?HowdidIgetmyselfhere?Thereissomuchnoisearound;mybodyfeelslikeafishtakenoutofthewater.ThesearethetimeswhenFocusingissosupportive,helpingmegentlytocarryforward.

In July something exciting happened: another Ph.D. student asked me what I amdoingwhenI’mnotinthelab.ItoldheraboutFocusing.ShewasveryinterestedandaskedifIcouldrecommendsomethingforhertoread.SometimelatershesuggestedthatmaybeIshoulddoaworkshopforthepeopleinthelab...

7/19/11:TodayIdaredforthefirsttimetolisteninaFocusingway.Iwasintheotherlab,inthehospital;someonewasteachingmealongprocedure,andwhiledoingso,alsocom-plainingabouthowherresearchisstuck,howfrustratingitis...shedoesn’tknowwhattodoanymore.Herspeechwasfast...shedidn’tbreatheatall.Westoodnearthecentrifuge,waitingforittostop.Peoplewerepassingby,occasionallyspeakingtous.Itwasn’tatallthequietsettingI’musedtowhileFocusing...butstillIreflectedbackwhatshesaidandasked—asifitwerethemostcommonthing—whatcomesinherbodyasshe’sspeaking.“Ifeelapressureinmychest”shereplied,“asifsomethingisstuckthere.”NowIwasinmy“territory”...Iinvitedhertoacknowledgethatfeeling,andstayabitmorewithit...shewasquietforsomemoments,thentookabigbreathandlookedatmeinsurprise:“Itfeelslighterthere,”shesaidwithasmile.“Ineedtospeakwithmysupervisor.FortoolongI’vebeenlockedinsidemysituation.”Themachinestartedtobeep.Auniverseofopportunitiesopenedforme.

Further direCtion:

Ididn’tgetyettotheexcitingstageofusingfeltsensingwhiledesigningexperimentsandthinkingaboutresultsandnextsteps.Thisisthechallengelyingaheadofme.Idon’tknowwhatwillbethepossibleoutcomeofallthis.Gendlinisdescribingtheproductofa‘unitmodelscience’:

A combination “cowpig” was recently created. It could not stand up and was therefore not a practical success. It was also in constant pain. Currently it


is often said that “evolution” is now happening through science. But evolu-tion was in the interest of the creatures. The purpose of an all-lean pig is the market . . . The creature’s own interest does not enter in. Unit-model science is redesigning the plants, the animals, and now also us . . . The unit-model science is running ahead so fast, one cannot be sure that humans can catch up with its effects. Whole industries and financial networks invest billions long before anyone can know the eventual applications. And science itself is now partly on “automatic pilot.” The findings from one experiment can be put directly into the computer to generate the next experiment, without a human decision about what it means coming between (GendlinandJohnson,p.10).

I’maskingmyselfwhatwillhappenifhumanswill“comebetween”.Whatwillbethe qualities of connected scientific knowledge? How will that knowledge influence the“products”developedfromit(forexampledrugsortechnology)?Howwillitinfluencethepeoplewhowillusetheseproducts?Idon’tknowwhen,ifever,I’llgetanswerstothosequestions.

ThisprojectisaverypersonaljourneyandatthesametimeIfeelI’mattheedgeofsomethingwider,somethingthatisnewtoourculture.IknowthisbecauseasIsharemygoalwithmoreandmorepeople,someofthemstepforwardandoffertheirhelp.Theysay,“Wefeelit isimportant;wearehereforyouifyouneedsupport.”Andthistouchesmedeeply.

reFerenCes

Gendlin,E.T.(1981).Focusing.NewYork:Bantam.

Gendlin, E.T. (1986). Let Your Body Interpret Your Dreams. Wilmette, Illinois: ChironPublications.

Gendlin,E.T. (2004).Fivephilosophical talkingpoints to communicatewith colleagueswhodon’tyetknowfocusing.Staying in Focus. The Focusing Institute Newsletter, 4(1),5-8.

Gendlin, E.T. and Johnson, D.H. (2004). Proposal for an international group for a firstpersonscience[Internetpage].NewYork:TheFocusingInstitute.Fromhttp://www.focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2184.html.

Gendlin,E.T.(2011).Sitting with Gene at his leading edge.Telephonecourse,March/April,2011.Berkeley,CA:FocusingResources.

I want to thank Yishai Gaster, whose knowledge in systemic constellations helped me tremendously in understanding what I’m doing; Rona Raanan Shafrir for being my beloved Focusing partner in this journey and Larry Hurst, my wonderful guest editor.

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FoCusing in an age oF neurosCienCe

Peter Afford, M.A.

Ourexperiencetellsusthatourheadsarefullofthoughtsandourbodiesarefulloffeelings.Sowelongto‘re-connectwiththebody’andbeourtrueselvesagain.TheEnglishwriterD.H.Lawrenceexpressedthiseloquentlyacenturyago:

“ My belief is in the blood and flesh as being wiser than the intellect. The body unconscious is where life bubbles up in us. It is how we know that we are alive, alive to the depths of our souls and in touch with the vivid reaches of the cosmos.”

IimaginemostFocuserswouldresonatewiththissentiment,butifwelookintotheneurobiologyof‘goinginside’and‘listeningtothewisdomofthebody’,thepicturelooksratherdifferent.Someveryinterestingthingshappeninthebrain,infactmostofFocusinghappensinthebrain,onlyweneedtodirectourattentiontothebodyfortheprocessthatFocusingentailstohappen.

ThispapersummarisessomeofwhatmaybehappeninginthebrainduringFocus-inganddescribesthenatureofmind-bodyinteractionfromascientificperspective.Ishallindentanditalicizethescientificinformation,putthetechnical termsinbolditalics,anddiscussitsapplicationtofeltexperienceinFocusingandinlifeinthemaintext.

brains are body-oriented

The neuroscientist who has most risked his professional neck by delving into the body and feelings is Antonio Damasio. He describes the brain as ‘body-oriented’, the body serving as a ‘ground reference’ for the brain. There can be no brain without a body to inhabit, and no body could survive without a brain to help regulate it. The whole body is one organism that includes the functions of the brain, and these include taking account of what’s happening in the body, including the part of it that is itself. The brain must see that the body survives, so it determines much of what happens there and, even when it doesn’t determine what happens in the body, it monitors what’s happening. The brain’s capacity to act independently of the body is limited, and it works better when it listens to the emotional currents of the body. Reason without emotion becomes irrational, and the body’s signals to the brain are needed for rational thought and decision-making.

Thedifferencebetween the scientificpicture andour subjectivepictureof experi-encing lies in thefact thatmostofwhathappens in thebrainstaysbelowthesurfaceof

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consciousness.Weareawareofourthinking,butgenerallynotoftheprocessesthatleadtoourfeelings.Wesimplynoticethephysiologicalchangesthatfeelingsbringinthebody,ifindeedwepayattentiontothem.Soitseemstousthatfeelingsandfeltsensesbegininthebody,andmaybe,thatintuitionsarisetheretoo.Usuallytheydon’t,theybegininthebrain,aswillbecomeclear.

i am a nervous system

The brain is part of the central nervous system which includes the spinal cord that descends from the brainstem. So when we talk about the brain, we are actually well down into the body, it’s just that nature has tucked most of it away within the skull, close to the major sense organs and well away from all the stuff sloshing around in the body. The central nervous system connects with the peripheral nervous system along the brainstem and spinal cord, and this ‘system’, with all its nerves, radiates to every corner of the body, includ-ing every single blood vessel. The brain in the head is needed for most things that happen in the body, but not all—for example, reflexes like withdrawing your hand from a flame require only a pain signal from the skin to your spinal cord and a movement signal back to the muscles. The aspect of the central and peripheral nervous systems that you cannot directly control is the auto-nomic nervous system. It looks after sleeping, waking, arousal, heartbeat, breathing, digestion and much more. All these nervous systems—no wonder we get anxious!

The central nervous system in humans has the distinction of being the most complex thing yet found in the universe. Comprising a hundred billion neu-rons—brain cells—and a thousand trillion synapses that ‘fire’ so neurons can talk to each other, it has over a thousand identifiable areas, all massively interconnected. The brain is flesh that likes to network.

Onethingaboutthebrainthateveryoneknowsisthattherearetwocerebralhemi-spheres, left and right. While much pop psychology derived from this anatomical factbelongsontherubbishheap—suchasdescribingpeopleasleftbrainedorrightbrained—amountingbodyofscientificevidencenowpointstothesignificanceofthehemisphericdivi-sionanditsrelevancetopracticeslikeFocusing.

the cerebral hemispheres: two minds humming in parallel

The anatomical separation of the two hemispheres means that we have two minds working in parallel all the time. Evolution has kept them apart, per-haps so each could develop in its own specialised way. Both hemispheres are always engaged, and both take part in most mental processes. They co-operate so exquisitely that we generally feel comfortable that we are of one mind.

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At times of emotional stress, however, we may feel less comfortable—“I’m in two minds about this” or “I wish I could stop feeling like this”, for example. Such inner conflicts may reflect the different roles the two hemispheres play. While the right hemisphere gives us our sense of the body as a living experi-ence of connectedness with ourselves and others, the left hemisphere stands back in a virtual world of representations it can analyse and manipulate. The right hemisphere deals with what is implicit, the left with what is explicit. The activity of the right hemisphere is less conscious, that of the left more con-scious. The right hemisphere is needed for doing new and unfamiliar things, the left for doing what is known and routine.

A book published in 2010, The Master and His Emissary by Iain McGilchrist, aScottish psychiatrist and academic, summarises a mass of research evidence about thedifferences between the two hemispheres, linking this with philosophy and culture. Histhesis is that the righthemisphere is the ‘master’whose ‘emissary’, the lefthemisphere,haswanderedoffsofaron itsowntrackthat ithasforgottenwhothemaster is, therebybetrayinghim.IshallreferoftentoMcGilchrist’sideashere.Whilstheavoidsthesubjectofpsychologicalandspiritualpracticesthatmightreturntheemissarytohismaster,itseemstomethatFocusingisanexcellentpracticefordoingso.AndIthinkthesubjectiveexperienceofFocusingcanhelpusinunderstandingthecomplexissueshisworkraises.

Let’sworkourwaythroughwhatwedoinFocusing.Sciencecannottellusevery-thingaboutourfeltexperiencing,anditprobablyneverwill.Butithascomefarenoughinrecentyearstoofferafreshunderstandingofourinnerprocessesoffeeling,thinkingandFocusing.

turning attention to the body

Focusingbeginswithre-directingourattentionintothebody.Howeverthedecisiontopayattentioninthebody,andthewholeprocessofpayingattention(toanything),hap-pensinthebrain.SoFocusingstartsinthebrain.And,whileFocusingisobviouslyahighlyevolvedway toengage thehumanmind, it requires someevolutionarilyoldareasof thebraintofireup.

Vertical neural architecture: cortex and subcortex

The human brain is the outcome of a long evolutionary process reflected in the anatomical layers that have grown one on top of the other. The lower layers appeared first in evolution, the higher layers more recently. But the lower lay-ers never stopped evolving and now participate in activities that did not exist when their structure first formed.

Start by picturing just two layers. The familiar wrinkly stuff of brain images is the top layer, the cortex—Latin for covering. The bottom layer is everything


underneath the cortex, the subcortex. The bottom of this bottom layer is the brainstem which becomes the spinal cord extending down into the body. It regulates the body (heartbeat, breathing, sleeping, waking etc.), the auto-nomic things outside awareness. So-called ‘brain-dead’ patients have their brainstems keeping their body going even though the rest of the brain—the person—has stopped.

Above the brainstem are areas known collectively as the limbic system that are involved in emotion. These include the well-known amygdala that generates stress and anxiety, and the hippocampus that is involved in narrative memory. Above the limbic areas is the cortex. Directly above is the paleocortex—paleo for old—that includes two areas important for this discussion, the insula and the cingulate. And above that the neocortex—neo for new—arranged in four lobes: occipital at the back for vision, temporal at the side for hearing and speech, parietal above the temporal for mapping the body, and the frontal lobes that enable all the really clever things that humans do—poetry, philoso-phy, Focusing, for example.

Or alternatively, you could picture the brain’s structure in three layers, the so-called ‘triune’ brain, by dividing the subcortex into the ‘reptilian’ brain of the brainstem and the ‘mammalian’ brain of the limbic system. The human brain is the cortex above. This schema is useful in learning neural architecture, but scientifically inaccurate, as reptiles have some limbic areas, and dogs and cats have some cortex—though less than we do.

Thedecisiontodirectattentiontothebodybeginsinthefrontallobes,butdoingsofiresuptheinsula,involvedinmonitoringthebody,andthecingulate,involvedinemotionalattention,inthepaleocortex.Italsorequiresthebrainstem,asconnectionstoandfromthebodypassthroughit,andthisareageneratesthe‘hereandnow’aspectofconsciousness.Sothereisaparadox:abrainthatwantstodevelopconsciousnesswithcuttingedgepracticeslikeFocusinghastoenlistthehelpofevolutionarilyolderareasrootedinemotionandthebody.

Turningattention to thebodyalso requires the lefthemisphere to leave itsvirtualworldtogiveprecedencetotheconnectednessoftherighthemisphere.

horizontal neural architecture: left and right hemispheres

Everything above the brainstem is divided between right and left hemispheres. The amygdala, for example, is really the amygdalae—one on the right and one on the left. The two sides are linked. Cortical areas are joined by the corpus callosum, which connects just 2% of neurons on either side, illustrating the degree of separation. It enables each side to know what the other is doing, but it also enables one side to inhibit the other.

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The hemispheres are asymmetric in various ways. The left is better at inhibit-ing the right than vice versa—hence, perhaps, the ease with which we can suppress feelings. The right has more connections between the different areas within it, enabling integration of their functions, while the left has more con-nections within each area, enabling specialisation of each function. And the right hemisphere is more connected to the subcortical areas below, and there-fore to the body, than is the left. So the left hemisphere says “I have a body”, while the right says “I am my body”.

Most forms of attention are handled by the right hemisphere, but focused attention is the preserve of the left. McGilchrist argues that the primary dif-ference between the two is that the left does focused attention on one thing, while the right does global attention to the body and the environment. He gives the example of a bird pecking at grain it wants to eat: its left hemisphere focuses on the grain while the right keeps a look out for predators and danger. These are very different attentional tasks, making the specialisation of the two hemispheres an evolutionary advantage.

The majority of people, including many left-handed people, follow this left-right pattern, but not everyone does. Some people have their hemispheres reversed, and others do not follow a clear pattern of hemispheric specialisa-tion at all. Nature creates exceptions to every rule.

InFocusing,weusetherighthemisphere’sbodyconnectedness,anditseemsthatweusebothhemispheres’attentionalstyles—globalattentionforwhateverinsidewantsatten-tion,focusedattentionforholdingitinmind.Focusingisanintegrativepractice,onethatreturnstheemissarytoaproperrelationshipwiththemaster.

Damasiosaysthemindusually“drawsaveil”overtheinnerworkingsofthebodysothatwecanattendtotheworldaroundus.Focusingpiercesthatveil.Itcanseemanoddthingtodoifyouarenotusedtodoingit.

sensing into the body

TherearetwocommonwaystobeginFocusing.Oneistosensewithinthebodyandseewhat‘wants’ourattention.Webecomeawareoffeelingsandsensationsthatperhapswehadnotnoticedbefore—althoughourbrainmighthavenoticedthemwithoutpassingthemessageontoourconsciousawareness.ThispartofFocusingverymuchhappensinthebody—ourphysiologicalreality,atightnesshere,orheavinessthere,orasenseofwantingtocry.

Buttonoticebodilyfeelingsandsensationsconsciously,wearebackinthefrontallobes.Andbecausetherighthemisphereisspecialisedforeverythingtodowithbodyandfeeling, thefiringpatternsinthebrainmaybedifferentfrom,forexample,whenwearewritingemailsordiscussingpoliticswithafriend,whichrequiremorefromthelefthemi-

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sphere. If youputyourhead in abrain scannerwhileyouFocused, the resultingneuralimagingmightillustratethis.Thefrontallobeshaveswitchedtowatchingprocessesarisingintherighthemisphere,includingitsmappingoftheinsideofthebody.There’salotgoingoninsidetosenseinto.

Physiological change in the viscera and internal milieu

Muscles contract (tense) and let go (relax). They are not only to be found in our arms and legs, but also within the torso; for example, the major muscle of emotional control is the diaphragm that allows us to hold our breath. The rate of breathing and its depth changes. Heartbeat speeds up and slows down, and blood vessels constrict and dilate to alter the pressure of the blood being pumped around in different areas of the body. Digestion in the intestines stops and starts.

The term viscera refers to the major organs—heart, lungs, gut, liver, pan-creas—and other aspects of bodily life such as the mouth, tongue, throat, endocrine glands, skin and blood. So when we talk of ‘visceral’ feelings, many things about the body are implied. The brain also senses the internal milieu, meaning the liquid that all body cells inhabit.

ThesecondwaytostartFocusingistohaveatopic,andtoallowafeltsensetoforminthebodyfor‘thewholethingaboutit’.Here,westartinthebrainbythinkingaboutandimagingthetopic,maybesayingsomethingaboutit,andthenlooktothebody.Thebrainwillhavechangedsomethingtherebycogitatingonthetopic.

how the brain changes the body

Most emotional changes in the body, and most bodily movements, are trig-gered in the brain. It is here that changes in the environment are perceived and appraised for their significance, especially changes perceived by the global attention of the right hemisphere. It may not seem like this to us, because the appraising and triggering happen out of awareness, or before we become aware. Many aspects of bodily life are regulated by the autonomic nervous system outside our direct control, such as going to sleep and becoming sexu-ally aroused—though we can have an indirect influence on them.

So it is the brain that changes heartbeat and blood pressure, breathing, the intestines tensing or relaxing. The brain triggers these changes via the electri-cal route of nerve pathways, and the chemical route of releasing hormones into the bloodstream, known as the endocrine system. At the same time, the brain changes itself, creating altered cognitive states and abilities to recall things, even altering the maps it makes of the body before the body alters them.

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It was once thought that the glands in the body operated independently, but it is now understood that the brain is the master gland. The hypothalamus in the limbic system secretes an array of hormones that tell the pituitary gland (in the brain) to tell the glands in the body to release hormones—such as the adrenal glands that release cortisol when we get stressed.

All this doesn’t mean that the brain is a command centre controlling every little thing. Rather, it sends out general signals about the need for change, and then what actually transpires is largely determined by the body.

Somybrainischangingmybody,Iamnotchangingit.IdonothaveasmuchpowertochangemybodyasImightwish.Myfrontalcortex,wheremyconsciousawarenessofmyselfresides,strugglestoreplacemybadfeelingswithgoodones,becauseitismysub-cortexthatistriggeringthosefeelings.

how the body changes the brain

While the brain triggers changes in the body, how those changes unfold in practice is determined by the body. The duration and intensity of an emotional state is largely determined by the body. And the body then signals what hap-pens in it back to the brain—via the neural route of the peripheral nervous system, and the chemical route of the hormones and peptides that are released into the bloodstream and that find their way into the brain.

Examples of the body changing the brain . . . when you have eaten a certain amount, your intestines tell the hypothalamus in the limbic system that they are now full, the hypothalamus passes the message on to the frontal cortex, and you then have the opportunity to decide to stop eating. If you take beta-blockers for anxiety, they act on the heart, slowing it down; the heart tells the brain it’s slowed, and the brain concludes that there’s less cause to be anxious. And you can deliberately calm your mind via your body: if you slow down and deepen your breathing (breathing is unusual in being both autonomically and consciously controlled), your brain will hear of it from the lungs and change its cognitive state so that you experience your mind as calmer.

An interesting piece of anatomy: there are more efferent nerves leading from the body to the brain than afferent ones leading from the brain to the body. In the case of the vagus nerve between the brainstem and the intestines that plays a big role in how we feel in our guts, the proportion is 80% efferent and 20% afferent. This is because the changes that the brain signals are general in nature, whilst the changes the body signals are specific and complex.

Sothebrainchangesthebodyandthebodychangesthebraininacomplexprocessofinteraction.Thebrainiskeptuptodatewithbodilylife,whetherweareawareofitornot.


Finding a FeLt sense and getting a handLe

Whatisquiteextraordinaryishowthebraincanreceiveamassofsignalsofamyriadofthingschangingalloverthebodyandthenpresentsomethingtomyconsciousawarenessthatseemslikeonething—suchasaheavinessinmyupperbody,oraknottednessinmylowerhalf.Animagemayforminmymind’seye,asifallthechangestoheartbeat,breath-ing,hormonesintheblood,constrictionanddilationofbloodvesselsandsoonamountedtothisonethingthatIcanname,communicateandfocuson.Amazing!

how the brain maps the body

The brain ‘maps’ the changing state of the body in a number of brain areas, starting with the brainstem and moving up into the insula and then the somato-sensory cortex, an area of the parietal lobes. Each area has a topographically organised map of the body, so specific neurons fire in response to signals from particular parts of the body. Different areas map different things. For example, signals from your hand when someone touches it affectionately go to a different brain area than the signals from the same hand when you pick up an object. The different aspects of body mapping are combined in the frontal cortex which acts as an association area. Here there is an increasing level of abstraction, so that as you think about what you sense in the body so you may reduce your attention to the fresh signals coming from the body. Damasio says body mapping is dynamic and normally unconscious.

The skin and limbs are mapped on the contralateral side of the brain so, for example, your left arm is mapped in your right hemisphere. But the inside of the body—the viscera and internal milieu—is mapped only in the right hemi-sphere, so only this side of the brain has an image of the whole body. This is a living image of our emotional experience, in continual flux. The right hemi-sphere offers a sense of the body as something we ‘live’, a part of our identity. It is where we meet the world.

The brain’s mapping of the body can lead to some strange phenomena. One is the experience of a ‘phantom’ limb after the real limb has been amputated. Another is that after strokes in the right hemisphere where patients are unable to move their left arm, a minority of them then deny their paralysis. Even more bizarre are the stroke patients who deny that their left arm is theirs —“doctor, this is my mother’s arm”. The same thing does not happen with the right arm after brain damage in the left hemisphere—because only the right hemisphere maps the viscera.

Sothereistheactualbodyandthemappedbody—andseveralversionsofthelatter.Itisthemappedbodythatenablesustoexperienceafelt sense,andthisallcomestogetherinthefrontalcortex.

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interoception

Interoception refers to the brain’s perception and mapping of what’s happen-ing inside the body, and the insula and cingulate are associated with it. Con-trast it with proprioception, which is the mapping of the relative position of the limbs (such as knowing that you have your legs crossed when you’re sitting so that when you stand up you first uncross them to avoid falling over), and the kinaesthetic sense, which is about the body’s movement in space. So intero-ception is about what’s happening in the viscera and the internal milieu.

Interoception and body mapping are the basis of having feelings. Damasio uses ‘emotion’ to refer to what actually happens in the body and ‘feeling’ to refer to the brain’s mapping of those emotions. This seems sensible, for we talk about our feelings without necessarily experiencing the emotion in the body that underlies them at the same time.

Findingafeltsenseinvolvesinteroceptiontogaugetheinnerstateofthebody.Neuro-scientistseventalkofitasanunclearsense—weknowweareemotionalbutwestruggletonametheemotion.AsFocusersknow,timeandspacearesometimesneededtonamewhatisfelt.InWholebodyFocusingweuseproprioceptiveandkinaestheticsensesaswellastheinteroceptiveone.Perhapsusingallthreesensesmakesthefeltsensemoreaccessiblethanjustone,hencethepopularityofWholebodyFocusing.

Experiencingafeltsensemeanscombiningtherighthemisphere’smoreunconsciousprocessingoffeelingandbodystatewiththelefthemisphere’scapacitytocategoriseandnamethings.Findingahandleisprobablythelefthemispheretryingtomakesenseofwhat’sgoingonintherighthemisphere.Puttingahandlewordthatdoesn’tfitonafeltsensemightbealefthemispheremove,whereasallowingahandlewordtoappearspontaneouslymightbearighthemisphereone.Whilelanguageisgenerallyassociatedwiththelefthemisphere,therighthassomelanguageofitsown.Whenthehandle wordseemsanunusualuseoflanguage,therighthemispheremayhavespoken.

Dofeltsenseshavetobebodilysensations?Somefeltsensescomein theheadorthe limbs,othersseemtobe throughout thebody,andsomeFocusers report thembeingoutsidethebody.Gendlinincludesphysicalsensationslikeatightchestoraheavinessinthestomachasexamplesoffeltsenses,buthealsotalksoffeltsensesasfleetingaspectsofexperience,asiftheyhadnophysicalsubstrate.Hisdescriptionofthefeltsensebeingaboutthewholeofasituationreflectstherighthemisphere’swholistictakeonwhatishappening.

Feelings in the head: ‘as if’ feelings and somatic markers

Damasio says a lot of things about feelings that make sense. Because the brain maps emotional states and enables sufficient abstraction that we can think about our feelings, it can also recall past feelings without necessarily having to generate the corresponding emotional state in the body, there and


then, every time. Instead it can refine its cognitive activity to take into account what we have experienced in the past. He calls these ‘as if’ feelings—as if we were experiencing them now in the body. He also talks about ‘somatic mark-ers’—neural patterns left from previous pleasant and unpleasant gut feelings. The brain can refer to ‘as if’ feelings and somatic markers, all outside of con-sciousness, and maybe we can too in our conscious reflection.

Inpractice,mostFocusersopen themselves towhatever they feelandcall it a felt sense.Itmaybeaphysicalsensationinaspecificplace,whichmayrelatetospecificorgansandmuscles; itmaybeaglobalsenseofbodilystate,whichmayrelatetothechemistryin theblood; itmaybean‘as if’ feeling thathasyet tochange thebody inanoticeableway;anditmaybesomethingelsethatcomesintoawarenessandthatseemsmeaningful.Whicheversortof felt sense it is,weengageour righthemisphereandourbodysensingareasofthebrain,whichre-orientsourattention.Formyself,whetherornotIexperienceaphysicalsensation,Ihavemyattentioninmybody.Whateverthencomes,whetherfeelingsorthoughtsorimagesorwhateverelse,Ifeelsurewouldnotcomeweremyattentionnotinmybody.Infact,I’mnotconcernedaboutfindingthefeltsenseinanameablephysicalway.Withmyattentioninmybody,I’mclosertofeelingsandmymindhasafreshperspective.I’mhappywiththat.

resonating and CheCKing baCK

WordsthatcomeinFocusingneedcheckingbackwiththefeltsense.Thisdeliberateprocess isgoodforneural integrationof lefthemisphere languagewithrighthemispherefeeling.Somepeopletendtodothisnaturally,respondingtothebrain’scuesthatsuggestamismatchbetweenwhatissaidandwhatisfelt.InFocusingwedoitdeliberately,makingthemostofthebrain’saversiontomismatches.

Resonatingisneededmorewithwordsthanwithimages,possiblybecausewordsarelefthemispherebasedandthereforepronetodepartfromtheirgroundinginbodilyfeeling,whereasimagesarerighthemispherebasedandthereforenaturallyrootedinthebody.AndsomewordsthatcomeinFocusingseemtoneedresonatingmorethanothers,suggestingthatthosethatdon’thavearisendirectlyfromtherighthemisphereanditslinkswiththebody.Theycomeready-resonatedasitwere,whereasthelefthemisphere’sverbalofferingsareastepremovedfromthebody.

how do i know what i’m feeling?

My brain knows how I am feeling even if I don’t! There is a direct route for this from the limbic areas, that trigger emotion, to the frontal cortex. When the amygdala triggers anxiety, for example, it changes the cognitive state of the frontal cortex so that I think anxious thoughts and I think them quickly. I may or may not notice the change to my thoughts and conclude that I am anxious. What will make it clearer to me is if I notice the change in my body. The indirect

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route for knowing what I am feeling involves the bodily changes triggered by the amygdala being fed back to the brain via the neural and chemical routes described above. These give the brain a more nuanced and in the moment picture of my emotional state—and me too, if I pay attention to my body.

Whatanextraordinaryachievement—thehumancapacitytodescribeourfeelingstoothers!Todoitsatisfactorily,wemustbringtogethersensingthebody,allowingfeelingstoforminthemind,findinglanguagethatfits,andcommunicatingitallinawaythatanotherpersoncancomprehend—sothattheirempathyandtheirhearingofourwordsmatchupintheirbrains.

InFocusing,wegotothetroubleofcheckingeachthingbackwiththebody.McGil-christsaysthatwhateverthelefthemispherehasconsideredindetailneedstobereturnedto the righthemisphere for integration,becauseonly the right can synthesizewhatbothhemispheresknowintoauseablewhole.Ifweaccepttheverbalandconceptualcontribu-tionsofthelefthemispherewithoutintegratingthemintothebodilyandrelationalworldoftheright,weriskbecomingdetachedfromourselvesandothers.SopartofthevalueofFocusingis its insistencethatweallowtimeandspacefor integrationandsynthesis intonewwholes.

aLLoWing WhateVer Wants to Come, to Come

‘Seewhatwantstocome’,weliketosayinFocusing,encouragingthemindtobeopen within. Our driven Western minds can find this tricky—they’ve been educated tofavourthepurposefulcogitationsofthelefthemisphere.Forfreshmentalcontenttoarisespontaneously,wehavetobealittlerelaxed,andtunedintofeelingandbody.

Fresh experience arises in the right hemisphere

McGilchrist again. He says the left hemisphere deals with its own virtual world of representations of things, which it juggles, refines and puts in order. But for something new to enter our mental world, the right hemisphere, with its connectedness to body, others and environment, is needed. All the fresh and new stuff of our minds arises on this side of the brain. The problem for us is that the left hemisphere cannot know what the right hemisphere knows, and it functions more efficiently if it doesn’t have to deal with the right hemisphere’s conflicting version of the world, so it tends to blot it out. But if it doesn’t let the right hemisphere in again soon enough, it will find itself going round in circles that are stale and dull.

Forexample,Iamclearlyleaningalotonmylefthemisphereinwritingthisarticle,asIhavetoordermythoughts,trytostringthemtogetherinacoherentway,andpolishupmywordsandsentences.ButwhenIstopanddosomethingelse,sometimesafreshideaforthearticlecomesspontaneously,andIgrabanotebooktowriteitdownbeforeit’slost.Thisis


arighthemispherecontribution.ThenIhavetofindawaytofititintothelefthemisphere’sworldofrepresentations,sothatIcanmakeuseofit—notalwaysaneasytask.

FeLt shiFts

FeltshiftsinthebodyaretheHolyGrailweseekinFocusing.Theycancomeatanypointintheprocess—buthowdotheyariseinthisdanceofneurobiologyandphysiology?Somehow,bykeepingourattentionwiththebodyandallowingwhatwantstocometocome,thebodysometimesrelaxesandopens.Ourbreathingmaydeepenasthediaphragmmusclerelaxes,othermusclesmaystopbeingsotense,theheartmayslowdown,thegutmayrelax,andbloodchemistrymaychangeas,forexample,cortisolreleaseisstoppedandendorphinreleasestarted.Allthesechangescomeaboutthroughtheparasympatheticnervoussystem,ourautonomicswitchforrestandrelaxation.

more nervous systems: sympathetic and parasympathetic

The autonomic nervous system breaks down into two branches. The first is the sympathetic which gets the body aroused for action, stress, fight and flight. The second is the parasympathetic which does the opposite: it puts the body into rest mode, enabling good things like relaxation, digestion and sleep.

Myguessisthatafeltshiftenablesbrainandbodytocompleteanemotionalcyclethat got stopped midway, leaving the body marooned in a sympathetic state of nervousarousal.With theopenness tobodily feeling thatFocusingencourages, these incompletecyclescanruntocompletion.Andtheircompletiontriggersaparasympatheticresponse.Itcanseemtousasifthebodytakesoverfromthelimitedcapacityofthebraintothinkit’swaytofeelingbetter,sothebodymustbeclevererthanthehead.We’vealreadyunravelledthisunderstandablemisunderstanding,butlet’sgointoalittlemoredetail.

the enteric nervous system: a second brain in the gut?

As well as the central and peripheral nervous systems, we have an enteric nervous system in the lining of the intestines. This fact led Michael Gershon of Columbia University in New York to write about the ‘second brain in the gut’ in the 1990’s—and some Focusers got excited about it, as I recall. The enteric nervous system consists of neurons and synapses and the same neuro-chemicals (e.g. serotonin) that are found in the brain. But its job is to control digestion, so that the head brain need not bother with the detail of moving food around. As Gershon himself admits, the brain in the gut doesn’t write poetry or think philosophy. But it does have a big effect on how we feel in our guts—and therefore on how we feel.

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There is also a nervous system in the heart. Some rather wild claims have been made about the perceptual powers of this nervous system, but the reality seems to be that it looks after the movement of heart muscles. If this seems boringly mundane, remember that this nervous system governs the coherence and variability of heart rate which is of huge importance to our emotional and physical health.

When the parasympathetic takes over from the sympathetic nervous system, theintestinesstartdigestingfoodagain.Thisgutmovementiscalledperistalsis,andthetheoryofbiodynamictherapyisthatperistalsisincludespsychoperistalsis—thedigestionoffoodenablesthedigestionofstress(cortisolresidues)inthegut.Psychoperistalsisfeelsgood.

Whyelsedofeltshiftsfeelgood?Theswitchfromsympathetictensioninthebodytoparasympatheticrelaxationfeelsgood—welikerelaxing.Feltshiftsmoveusfromneu-roticstatesofisolationtomoreopenandconnectedones—werejointhehumanraceandfeelmoresociableagain.With theseshiftscomesendorphin release:endorphinsare thebody’snaturalopiatesthatdampenpainandstress,andthesubjectmatterofCandacePert’sMolecules of Emotion.Thereisprobablyalsoareleaseofdopamine,aneurochemicalasso-ciatedwith thebrain’s‘reward’systemthatcreatesfeelingsofpleasureandwith‘neuro-plasticity’—theabilityofthebrain,throughoutourlives,togrownewsynapsessothatwecontinue learning.Felt shiftshavebeen shown tocorrelatewithalphawaves, signifyingastateofrelaxedwakefulnessinthebrain(Don,1977).Finally,afeltshiftmayinvolveaswitchfromanegativefeelingstateintherighthemispheretomorelefthemisphereactivity.Anactivelefthemispherecorrelateswithfeelingenergisedandoutgoing,motivatedtogetonwithourlives.

Inageneral sense,bringingconsciousexperienceback into linewithunconsciousbodilyregulationfeelslikearelief.

body Wisdom, the FeeLing oF ‘right’, and Fresh Language

The‘wisdomofthebody’ismuchtoointelligentanaspectofmindforthelimitedneuralnetworksinthebody—orforanyotheraspectsofourphysiology.Rather,itpointstothesortofknowingthatcomeswhenwestepoutoflefthemispherecogitationintobodyawareness.It’sanintelligencerootedintherighthemisphere’sdirectconnectionswiththebodyratherthaninthevirtualrepresentationsofthelefthemisphere.Themindisnotinthebody,really,butweneedourfeltexperiencingtolinkmindandbodyandtherebyopenuptherealbreadthanddepthofourminds.

Likewise,when something ‘feels right’, it seems as if our body knows somethingourconsciousminddoesn’t.Butit’stherighthemispherethathasthisrightfeeling,initswholistic,linguisticallylimitedway.Thebody,however,isthecompassforourrelationshipwithourrighthemispheres—weneedittofindourwayaroundinourlessconsciousfeel-ingmind.


Wordsmayseemto‘comefrom’thebody,butofcoursetheydon’treally.However,words that arise in the right hemisphere—or that arise when the left hemisphere is notinhibitingtheright—feeldifferentfromwordsthatthelefthemispherejuggleswith.Lan-guage sometimes seems limiting,butnoonewould say thatpoetry,good literatureor aShakespeareansoliloquylimitsthehumanmind.Thepointhereishowweallowlanguagetoarise.

embodiment

McGilchrist summarises research that points to some surprising aspects of embodiment. Language is an embodied skill, the origins of which lie in the empathic communication of music. But in evolution its development has coin-cided with the grasping of objects, a left hemisphere specialisation. Syntax is rooted in the patterned sequences of limb movements in creatures that run. Metaphors derive from our experience as embodied creatures. The structure and content of thought lives in the body before we articulate it in language. Our concepts draw on the commonality of our bodies and of the environments we inhabit, so they are sometimes universal across cultures. And truth is mediated by embodied understanding and imagination, so that our common embodiment allows us to have common and relatively stable truths.

Intuitionisatermthatreferstowaysofperceivingandknowingthatariseintherighthemisphere.Andthemindchangesasemotionalstateschange.Justreflectonthedifferenceinyourmodeof thinking,andwhatyouthinkabout,betweenbeingcalmandcontentedorbeinganxiousandfearful.Cognitionisunderpinnedbyaffect,andneuroscienceturnscognitive psychology upside down by revealing how emotion arises in subcortical areasthat then change the cognitive state of the cortex. It’s called the primacy of affect overcognition.

the Listener brings the FoCuser’s inner eXPerienCe aLiVe

Sofarwehavelookedatonepersonalonewiththeirbrainandtheirbody,butthisisahopelesslyincompletepictureofrealexperience.Wearesocialcreatures,andourinnerlivesunfoldinaworldfullofotherpeople.

Therighthemisphereattendstothosearoundus(aswellastothebody),andhandlesbondingandempathy.Bycontrast, the lefthemisphere indulges incompetitionandself-belief.Whenthetwohemispheresareatoddsinarelationalsituation,yougetincongru-ence—whatever the lefthemispheresays, the righthemispherecommunicatessomethingdifferent,inpartviathebody.SowhenweturnattentiontothebodyinFocusing,alltheimplicitstuffofcommunicationbecomessignificant.TheFocusermayexperiencethelis-tenerassupportiveoftouchingintovulnerablefeelings,butthisdoesnotalwayshappen.

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the social engagement system: life threat, danger or safety?

Stephen Porges, a psychiatry professor in Chicago, describes a part of the autonomic nervous system centred around the vagus nerve, one of the bundles of nerves linking brain to body, in this case the heart, the intestines, the facial muscles and the pharynx and voice box. He calls it the social engagement sys-tem—it is found in all mammals and in its human form enables us to engage with each other actively without becoming aggressive or defensive. It can be in one of three states: ‘life threat’ where you run or freeze, ‘danger’ where the fight aspect of the fight/flight response is triggered, or ‘safety’ where you can engage with others in rewarding ways.

Sometimesbeingwithanotherpersonasweexplorebodyandfeelingtriggersdan-ger.InFocusing,wetrytocreatetheconditionsthatwillkeepboththeFocuser’sandthelistener’ssocialengagementsysteminsafety,otherwisethecapacitytoattendtoafeltsensegoesupinsmoke.Ifwearenotinsafety,wecanveryquicklyfeelquiteuncomfortable.Thebackgroundtothisdiscomfortmaylieinthechildhoodexperienceofempathyorthelackofit,butwearenotconcernedwiththisinFocusing.

affect regulation

This is the ability to cope with the ups and downs of our emotional lives. It is learned in infancy through our attachment relationships. Problematic attach-ment patterns lead to problematic affect regulation, so our feelings can get out of control and we are unable to allow others to help us manage them. We need others for emotional support throughout our lives if we are to be on good terms with our body and feelings. Affect regulation is looked after by the right hemisphere, generally beneath the surface of consciousness.

It follows that if inadulthoodourcapacity foraffect regulationneeds repair, thenweneedsomeoneelsetohelpus—torespondtousasmotherwasn’talwaysableto.TheexperientiallisteningskillsofFocusingareofgreatvaluehereincreatingaformofempathythatperhapsmirrorstheempathyyoungchildrenneed.

bodiLy attention eVoKes images, transCendent eXPerienCe—and VuLnerabLe FeeLings

Ihopeweallagreethatbodilyattentionevokesimages,transcendentexperience,andvulnerablefeelings.It iscertainlymypersonalexperience,andsomethingIhavenoticedmanytimeswhenteachingFocusingtoothers.

Why images?Probablybecause theyarea righthemisphere specialisation—letussay,therighthemisphereisbetteratimagesthantheleft.Thelefthemispheredealsinwordsandprocessesthemserially,whereastherightdealsinwholes—andanimageisawhole.

Focusing in An Age oF neuroscience • �1

Byengagingtherighthemispherewithbodilyattention,imagesaremorelikelytoariseinourstreamofconsciousness.Ofcourse,justbecauseonerighthemispherefunctionisstimu-lateddoesn’tmeanthatalltheotheronesare,aswell.Nevertheless,asalreadymentioned,righthemisphereareasaremoreinterconnectedthanlefthemisphereareasare,sothereisatendencyforoneofitsspecialisedfunctionstotriggeranother.ExperienceofFocusingwouldcertainlysuggestso.

Why transcendent experience? Because transcendent experiences also arise in therighthemisphere.Researchintomeditationshowsthattheparticularpatternsofbrainwaves(patternsofneuralfiringthroughlargeareasofthebrain)thatareevokedbeginintherighthemisphereandthenmoveintotheleft,aswell.Bodilyattentionsometimesmaybeawaytotriggertherighthemispheregoingintotranscendentmode.Meditationresearchalsoshowsthatlessactivityintherightparietallobecandissolvetheboundarybetweenthesenseofselfandthesenseofnon-self,leadingtoexperiencesofunitywithothers.Ofcourse,ifwegotoofarinthisdirectioninFocusing,welosethesenseofthebody.

Andwhyvulnerablefeelings?Theemotionalaspectofthehemisphericdividenowlookslikethis:thelefthemisphereisbiasedforanger,therightforsadness,whilepositivefeelings involveboth. InFocusing, it is common for sad feelings and tears to arise, andmuchmorerarethatangerunfolds(asopposedtorecognisingangerasanaspectofalargerfeltsense).ItisalsocommonfortheFocuser,especiallyifnewtoFocusing,toexperienceanxietywhenturningattentiontothebody.Manypeoplecarryafearofencounteringunre-solvedtraumaticexperience,andifweputourattentioninthebodywerunintoit,sowestayaway—whichmaybewhysomepeopledonotwanttodoFocusinginthefirstplace.ButFocusingisalsogoodforcreatingtheconditionsforsafetythatenablescaryandpainfulfeelingstobeapproached.

ConCLusion

Therearemanywaystogroundourselvesbackintotheinnerworldoffeelingandbodywhenwehavebecomedisconnected—inMcGilchrist’slanguage,toreturntheemissarytohismaster.Music,dance,art...thelistislongandincludeshavingagoodconversationwithafriend.Probablymost,ifnotall,spiritualpracticesachievethisgroundinginsomeway.Focusingisaparticularwayofachievingsuchagrounding,andithastheadvantageofembracingfeeling,thebody,creativeself-expression,andrelatingwhenwehavealistener.Hereisawaytoliberatethelefthemispherefromthetrapofthevirtualworldithascreatedforitselfandtowhichitissoattached,andreturnittotheembraceoftherighthemisphere,whenceallourexperienceoriginatedinthefirstplace.NowonderthereisbothresistancetoFocusinganddelightwhenweletgotofeltexperiencing!

the left hemisphere ‘re-presents’, the right ‘presences’Returning to the relationship of the cerebral hemispheres, McGilchrist details research showing that the left hemisphere is dependent on the right hemi-sphere, because it is the latter that is connected to the body and therefore the

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outside world. The problem is that the left hemisphere behaves as if it weren’t so dependent. It likes to grab what arises from the right hemisphere, con-ceptualise it, and then hold onto the concept while ignoring the experiential ground it came from. The left hemisphere just loves a good theory. It is always engaged in some purpose, while the right hemisphere has no designs on any-thing and is content to just notice what is. An outcome of this arrangement that may be of surprise is that while the left hemisphere likes to categorise things, the right likes to discriminate amongst fine detail, hence its tendency to throw up little feelings of ‘something doesn’t seem right here’. The right hemisphere sees things as wholes in their context, while the left sees things abstracted from their context and breaks them down into parts. The job of the left hemisphere is to make the implicit explicit, bringing things into focus so we can apply our will to what we see. McGilchrist says it re-presents, whereas the right hemisphere ‘presences’.

Theworldofthe‘unitmodel’thatGendlinberates,whereeverythingisbrokenintopieces and measured, would seem to be a left hemisphere one where the emissary maybetray the master. The world of his Process Model is an attempt to re-instate the righthemisphere and themaster in their rightful place, describinghoweven the concepts forunderstandingitareofadifferentnaturefromthoseweareaccustomedtowithalefthemi-sphereperspective.

Idon’tadvocatetryingtoexplaineverythingaboutFocusingwithneuroscience.Let’skeepaspaceforthemysteryofexperiencethatunfoldsfromwithin.Butneurosciencedoesoffersomefreshmapsoftheterritory.Forexample,howaboutseeingtheinner criticasthelefthemisphere’scommentsontherighthemisphere’soriginalcontribution...ifwefloatthequestionthisway,wheremightitleadus?

UsingsciencetolookatourFocusingexperienceisanexampleofintegratingbothhemispheres.Groundingthisexerciseinourexperiencemeanswecanavoidtheabsurdsitu-ationwherebysciencetriestoexplainevenwhereitdeniesourpersonalexperience.Wecanuseitinsteadtoelaborateonourexperiencewhereitseemstoshedsomelightuponit.

reFerenCes

Damasio,A.(2010).Self comes to mind.London:Heinemann.

Damasio,A.(2000).The feeling of what happens.London:Heinemann

Damasio,A.(1994).Descartes’ error. NewYork:G.P.Putnam’sSons

Gendlin,E.T.(1981).Focusing.NewYork:Bantam.

McGilchrist,I.(2009).The master and his emissary.London:YaleUniversityPress.

Nataraja,S.(2008).The blissful brain. London:OctopusPublishing.

Norman D. (1977). The transformation of conscious experience and its EEG correlate.Journal of Altered States of Consciousness.3(2).


Panksepp,J.(1998).Affective neuroscience.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

Pert,C.(1997).Molecules of emotion.London:Simon&Schuster.

Porges,S.(2011).The polyvagal theory. London:Norton.

Ramachandran,V. (2011). The tell-tale brain. London: Heinemann.

Peter Afford MA is a Focusing teacher and therapist in London, England. He also teaches courses on neuroscience to therapists. His webpage is: www.focusing.co.uk/bodybrain and he can be reached at: [email protected]—correspondence on the subject matter of this article is welcome!

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Quantum ConsCiousness: an explanatory model for Life Forward movement

in Wholebody Focusing Part 1

Karen Whalen, Ph.D. and Glenn Fleisch, Ph.D.

introduCtion:

ThisarticleexploreshowQuantumFieldTheoryinterfaceswithGendlin’sProcessModeloftheImplicit(1997)tofurtherourunderstandingofwhyandhowthefeltshiftandlifeforwardmovementoccurinsideofasessionofWholebodyFocusing(WBF)andWhole-bodyFocusingOrientedTherapy(WBFOT).AsWBFpractitionersandtherapistsweseeagainandagainhowbringingaparticularqualityofwholebodyawareness(consciousness)toanysituationwearelivinginbringsexactlythatwhichneedsourattentionforanextsteptooccur.ThissustainedawarenessofwhatisemerginginabodilywayactivatesfreshlifeenergyandreleasesnewinformationthatispreciseandappropriatetotheFocuser/Client’sexperience.

Whenthe livingbodybecomesawareof itselfasawhole, thefeltshiftcomesnotonlyasa small step ina seriesof forwardmovements (Gendlin,1996),butasachangeinthebodilylivingofthewholeorganisminitssituation(WhalenandMcEvenue,2010).ThesubtleyettangiblefieldofsharedconsciousnessbetweentheWholebodyFocuserandListenerfurtheramplifiesandinformsthewholebodilyimplyingofthesituationinawaythatbenefitsboth.

Part1ofthispaperwillsketchouthowthequantumfieldtheoryofconsciousnesshelpsusunderstandthisdirectexperienceoflifeforwardmovement(Gendlin,1981,1996)so familiar to Focusers. This theoretical description particularly supports the wholisticnatureof psycho-behavioral change that emerges from thepracticeofWBF.Part 2willillustrate the functioningof this theoreticalmodelwithWBF therapysessionanecdotes.Wewillconcludewithabriefdiscussionofthephilosophicalandclinicalramificationsofthe theoreticalconstructweareproposing.Possibledirectionsfor futureenquirywillbesuggested.

the hard ProbLem oF ConsCiousness, Quantum ConsCiousness, and Quantum FieLd theory

Ashumanbeings,wecanmoreorlessagreethatconsciousnessisadirectexperi-enceofself-awareness.Weareawareofourselvesandso,weareaSelf.Untilrecently,thestudyofconsciousnesshadbeenthepurviewofeasternmysticismandthedisciplinesofphilosophyandreligion.OnenoteworthyexceptionarethefindingsputforwardbyQuan-tumPhysicsand repeatedlyconfirmed for the last eightyyears.The thus farundisputedtheoryofthequantummechanicaluniversesuggeststhathumanconsciousnessplaysakey

QuAnTum consciousness PArT 1 • ��

roleincreatingthephysicalworld,fromthesub-atomicfluctuationsofelectronsspinningaroundanatomtothespinningofplanetsintheirorbits.TheCopenhagenInterpretationofquantummechanicsstatesthathumanconsciousness(theobserverofquantumphemonena)directs,predicts,andchangesthebehaviorofphysicalmatteratthetiniestsub-atomiclevel.ThishugestatementbeginstodescribetheprocessandsystemicchangesobservedduringsessionsofWBF.

Sinceeverythingintheuniverseismadeupofthesamestuffoflife,itisnotastretchtosuggestthatthesub-atomicbehaviorofelectronsspinningaroundeachandeveryatomofourbodiesaresubjecttothesamelawsofphysicsdescribedbyquantumtheory(Goswami,1995;Wolf,1989;RosenbaumandKuttner,2006).Electronsorbitthenucleusofanatom,whichismostlymadeupofspace.Atomsbindtogetherindifferentcombinationstoformmolecules thatbindtogether in their turn toeventuallygiveshapetovisibleorganicandinorganicmatter.Groupingsofmoleculesbindtogethertoformeveryexistingvarietyoflife,bothanimateandinanimate.Thespinningofelectronsaroundthenucleusofanatomradiatesenergyinadiscontinuousjumplikeprocess,calledaquanta of energy, thusthenameQuantumMechanics.Thisradiationofaquantaofenergyistheatom’swave-formfunction. The behavior of this quantum wave-form is discontinuous and unpredictable,showingupandmanifesting inunexpectedwaysalongmanypossiblepathways,oftenatthesametime.

the Quantum ConsCiousness hyPothesis:

The quantum mind or quantum consciousness hypothesis proposes that classicalmechanics (NewtonianPhysics)cannotexplainoursubjectiveexperienceofhumancon-sciousness.Itsuggeststhatcertainquantummechanicalphenomena,suchasentanglement,non-locality, uncertainty, and superposition, may play an important role in the brain’sfunction, and may form the physical basis of an explanation of consciousness (Penrose,1989,1994;Chalmers,1996;Bass,1975;Stapp,1979;Wolf,1989;Hamerhoff,1996,1998;SchwartzandBegley,2003).WewillbeexploringtheimplicationsofthishypothesisalittlefurtheronasitappliestothepracticeofWholebodyFocusing.Firstletuslookatthelargercontextofthisdiscussionabouthumanconsciousnessasaquantummechanicalprocess.

Conventionalneurosciencedescribesconsciousnessasanemergentpropertyofcom-puter-likeactivitiesinthebrain’sneuralnetworks.Thisviewsuggeststhatpatternsofneuralnetworkfiringcorrelatewith specificmental states andhumanconsciousness as anovelpropertyofcomputationalcomplexityamongthemillionsofneuronsofthebrain.Inshort,oursubjectiveexperienceissimplyafortunateby-productofthebrain,whichisacomplexalgorithmiccomputer.Thisclassicalexplanationofconsciousnesshasbeenhotlydebatedforthelasttwentyyears.

AustralianphilosopherDavidChalmers (1996)objects toacomputationalviewofconsciousnessbecauseitdoesnotexplainthe“hardproblem”ofsubjectiveexperience,whathetermsthe“qualia”orinnerlifeofanintegratedSelf.Hesuggestsinsteadthatatheoryofconsciousnessshouldtakeexperienceasaprimaryentity,alongsidethephysicalconceptsofmass, electrical charge, and space-time.Mathematical physicistRogerPenrose (1989,

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1994,1996)arguesthatconsciousnessisnon-computablebecauseitisneitherrandomnoralgorithmic,asareallcomputers,andthatthepersonalexperienceofconsciousnesscannotbesimulated.AnaesthesiologistStuartHameroff(1996,1998)raisesfurtherobjectionssuchas the need to explain the binding of spatially distributed activities into unitary objects(macro-binding)suchasvision,acoherentsenseofself,orasenseofatonenesswithselfandother.Oursenseoffreewillandourexperienceofsubjectivetimeflowallcollidewiththeclassicalcomputationalviewofconsciousnessastheresultofpurelyphysicalneurologi-calfunction.

Gendlin’sTheoryoftheImplicit(1992,1996)proposesthathumanbeingsareongo-inginteractionswiththeworld(theybreathe,eat,andinteractwithothersineverycontextandinanyfieldinwhichtheyworkorplay)sothattheirbodiesareaknowingwhichimpliesfurthersteps.Becausehumanbeingsareinanongoinginteractionwiththewholeenviron-ment, living in the world has a kind of ongoing experiential validity. As we know withGendlin’sProcessModel,thelivingbodyisincontinualinteractionwith,andisinseparablefromtheenvironment.Thebody-environmentconnectionisoneprocessthatiscontinuallyregeneratingitself.Thusourphysicalbodyiscontinuouswith,notseparatefrom,theenvi-ronmentandthewholeuniverse.Toknow(beconscious)andbenefitfromthisexpandedfieldofbeingrequiresustobringacertaintypeofawarenesstooureverydayexperiencingandsituations.Eachmovewemake,frompumpingbloodtodiscussingphilosophy,impliesanextstep,anorganiccarryingforward(Gendlin,1992).Ateachmoment,itispossibletofeelhowthingsaremovingandwhatisimpliednext.Withacertainqualityofbodilyaware-ness,wecanlearntoattendtothesefeelingsmoredeeply,sothatafeltsenseofthewholesituationcanform.AfeltsenseinWBFisabroaderwholebodyawarenessofthisongoinglifeprocess,intricatelyconnectedtoSelfandthewholeenvironment.

Withoutneeding to askourselveswhat consciousness is or is not, asFocusersweknowthatnewlifepossibilitiesemergefromchoosingtonoticeourdirectexperienceinabodilyway.Consciousness(awareness)bringswithitmoreconsciousness(awareness).Ifwetakethisalittlefurtherandinviteanawarenessofawholebody-environment-interactionwithWBF,wealsofeelourselves tobemorealive, integrated,andmoreconnected toasenseofself,other,andtheenvironment.Coulditbethatconsciousnessunderliesevery-thing in the universe? Is this why everything seems to be affected by consciousness, atleastinthequantummechanicalworldview?IfconsciousnesswereaquantummechanicalversionofGod,thenconsciousnessneedsme,aconscioushumanbeing,toparticipatewithit(toobserveit)forittofunctioninthewaynatureintended.ThisviewcorrespondstothewidelyacceptedCopenhagenInterpretationofQuantumMechanics(asstatedontheprevi-ouspage),themostprecisedescriptionofthephysicalworldtodate.

the Wacky and Weird behavior of the Quantum mechanical World:

Thefollowingisabriefsummaryof themajorfindingsobservedbyphysicistsforthepastcenturyandconfirmedbyrepeatedexperimentalevidence.Followingeachstatedphysicallaw,wewillexploreitsimplicationsforWBFandWBFOT.Theobservedbehaviorofthesub-atomicworldlookssomethinglikethis:


1) Anatomisbothawave-form(vibratingmovementofitselectroncloud=energy)andaparticle(massoftheatom)butneverbothatthesametime.Thewave-formfunctionofanatomneedsahumanobservertonotice(measure)eitheritsspeed(momentum=movementofthewave-form)oritsposition(particle=wave-formpopsintoexistencesomewhereasaphysicalparticle).Itisnotpossibletomeasurebothatthesametime,thusNeilsBohr’s(1935)complementarity principle.Humanconsciousnessplaysacrucialroleinthebehav-iorofmatteraseithermovingenergyorpositioningofmassinspace-time.

implications for WbF:

WBF uses a certain quality of body-in-environment awareness to bring into con-sciousnessnewinformationandlifeenergy,theveryessenceofforwardmovement,con-nected toasituation inour lives.Whereweplaceourawarenessandhowwedirectourawarenessactivatesorimpedestheforwardmovementoftheorganism.Humanbeingsseemtorelateparticularlytothequantum quality of position(wearealwayslocatedsomewhereaspartofourenvironment)whichisdirectlyrelatedtoourparticularexperienceofgravity.WithWBF,weconsciouslyrelatetoourpositionandgravityaspartoftheenvironmenttosupporttheforwardmovementofthewholeorganism.Whenwenoticetheweightbearingboundariesofthebody,thewaythegroundsupportsthefeet,thewaythechairsupportsourwholebody,thewaytheroomcontainsandsupportsus,differentpartsofthebodybecomeawareofthemselves.Westayconsciousinaneutralwholebodywaythatisconnectedtothewholeenvironment.Thisallowsustobothcontain(embody)andobservethewholefieldofawareness.Wearenowinapositiontonoticethesubtleinnermovementsofthebodywhicharisespontaneouslyoutofthebody’sconsciousnessofitself.

Forexample, Imightbenoticing thatmy foot is sore, that ithasbecomedifficulttowalkonit,andthemoreInoticemysorefoot,thesoreritgets.However,IcantakeamomenttonoticethechairI’msittingon,howthefloorholdsupmyfoot,howthefootisconnectedtomywholeleg,howthereisawholebodybeingheldupbyachair.Suddenly,thefootrecognizesforitselfthatitispartofsomethinglargerthanitssorenessbecauseIhaveinvitedittobecomeawareofthewholecontextofitspositionandlocationinspace.Nowthefoothasbecomemorepreciselyawareofitself,anditisreadytodiscovermorepossibilitiesfortheforwardmovementofthelife-in-foot.

movement of energy is the second quantum qualitywerelatetoduringsessionsofWBF.Weallowourawarenesstomovebackandforthfromtheprimordialinnerspaceofanembodiedpositioninsideoftheouterspaceofenvironment,totheinnerandouterbodyfluc-tuationsofspontaneousmovement.Awarenessofboththesestates,positionandmovement,supportandamplifytheforwardmovementofmybody,mind,anditssituation.Asahumanexperience,itseemsimpossibletobeawareofbothatthesametime.Norcanthephysicalworldreflectbothpositionandmovementatthesametime.Whenwedirectawarenesstonoticeeitherthepositionorthemovementofinnerorouterlifeprocesses,acertaineffectisachieved.Positioningprovidesthecontainerintowhichbodilyconsciousnessemerges.Subtle inner-directed bodilymovements are the harbinger of newconsciousness alreadyemergingintoawareness.Newinformationandenergy(consciousness)ariseoutofthese

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innerdirectedmovements,asarightmatchforoursituationandorganism,supportedbyourawarenessofinnerandouterspace.

Forexample,whenItakethetimetonoticethewholecontextofthefootinsideitsphysicalspace,withitsconnectionstothewholeenvironment, thefootbeginstoexperi-enceitselfinapreciselybodilyway.Thetoesbegintostretchoutwardtomeettheedgesofmyslippers.Therearesubtlesensationsofwarmthandtinglingspreadingoutfromthepainfularchofthefoot.Thefootcontinuestoinitiateitsownmovementsasthoughtheyareintentionalandseekingouttheirownrightfunctioning.Iobservemyfootanditsdirectexperienceofitselfinthispreciselyphysicalway.InoticehowthefootfeelssofternowandwhenIstandonitandmovearound,gingerlyatfirst,itseems,muchtomysurprise,tobecomfortablewithitself.

NeurophysiologistBenLibet(1982,1985)hasshowninrepeatedexperimentsonvoli-tionandfreewillthatthebodyreadiesitselftodosomethingwellbeforewebecomeawareofwantingtodosomething.Thereareelectro-chemicalprocessesinthebraincalledactionpotentialsthatfireoffwellbefore(550millisecondsprior)webecomeawareofdecidingtomove,takeactionofsomekindorevenhavingathought.Itisasthoughthebodyitselffirstdecidestodosomethingofitsownmaking.Somethinginthebrain/bodybubblesupoutoftheyetunconsciouslivingbodyandbeginstofireandmove.OnlythendoIexperiencesomethinghappening.Intheexampleabove,noticingmyfootingravitationalspaceimbuedmyfootwithconsciousnessofitself.Thenthefootwasabletoaccessnewinformationandlifeenergytomoveitselfforward.

InWBF,thequalityofawarenessorattention(theneutralopenandcuriouswholebodyobserverofgroundedpresence)determinesthenatureoftheconsciousnessthatarisesfromthelifeprocessesthemselves.Wewaitandobservetheinnerandouterspacefromaneutralstanceofnot-yet-knowingwhatwillemerge.When,outofthesesubtleinneroroutermovementssomethingdoesemerge,anewawarenesscomes—direct experiencing.Thefootexplorednewpossibilitiesformorewholefunctioning.Iexperiencedthebenefitofthatasacomfortablefoot,nolongersore.

2) Untilahumanbeinglooksateitheritsmovementoritsposition,anatomexistsonlyasapossibilityintheuniverse.Thequantumwave-formisthusdescribedasaprobabilitywave.Thereareaninfinitenumberofpotentiallocationsandspeedsoftrajectorythattheelectron may follow, ultimately choosing only one dependent on what the experimenterchoosestomeasure(observe), thus,Heisenberg’s(1958)uncertainty principle.Thepar-ticlesandwave-formsoccupyaninfinitenumberofsuperposedlocations,atthesametime,untiltheypopintophysicalform.Thus,manypossibleworldsexistuntilthehumanobserverchoosesoneamonganinfinitenumberofwave-formprobabilities.Thisisthelawofsuper-position (Schrodinger,1935,1967). Quantummechanicsdescribestheworldasbeinginastateofaninfinitenumberofemergingpossibilitiesateverylevelofexistence.


TheabovedepictioncrosseswithGendlin’sTheoryoftheImplicitandtheexperien-tialprocessmethodofWholebodyFocusing,whichoffersusaskillfulwayofrelatingto


theprobabilisticfunctioningofourbrain-bodies,oursituations,andourenvironments.Mybrokenkneecap,forexample,isn’tafixedentityafterall.IfIobservemybrokenkneeinaneutralwaywiththesupportofmyconscious(self-aware)wholelivingbody,mykneewillexploreitsownpossibilitiesofrightfunctioning,anditscellswillfireinnewways.WhenIoffermykneeanawarenessofitself,connectedtoanawarenessoftheankle,theshin,thefeet,thethighaboveit,thehipjoint,thefiringactivityofthekneediscovershowitisorisnotfiringandcannowsynchronizeitselfwiththefiringofthewholeleg.Thekneeitself,initswisdom,knowshowtoconnectwiththewholelegandbody.Bysimplynoticingmyknee,itnaturallymakesitsownconnectionswiththewholeorganism.Icaninvitewhatevermeaning might emerge from the consciousness of the knee itself—the knowing embod-iedwithin theknee’s cells, tissues, andmalfunctioning.Fiveyearspost-fractureand thekneehasentirelyforgottenthatitsstructureandfunctionhadeverbeencompromised—anunexpectedoutcomeforsomeoneover50!Thepotentiallyinfinitepossibilitiesoflifefor-warddirectionavailabletotheWholebodyFocuserandhis/herlivingbodyinterfacewithconscious awareness and emerges as the exact right fit for that person’s body and theirsituation.

3) TheCopenhagenInterpretationoftheabovefindingsstates:wheneveranypropertyofamicroscopicobjectaffectsmacroscopicobjects,thatpropertyis“observed”byacon-scioushumanbeing,andthusbecomesaphysicalreality.


Wheneverweobserveanypartofthebodyorfieldofexperiencinginanaccepting,open,curious,andpreciseway,thequantumpropertiesofitsatomsandelectrons,andtheirconglomerationsintomolecules,andonintomolecularstructures(proteins,enzymes,para-sites,viruses,cells,neurons,hormones,etc)aremobilized.Asaresult,thecellswillfireinnewwaysandwillthereforeaffectthemacrostructureandfunctioningoftissues,organs,bones,posture, andpsyche.Howweobserve thebody,mind, and itsvariousmanifesta-tionshasadirect effectupon them.Over40yearsofFocusingpractices throughout theworldprovideampleexperientialevidenceofthisfact.Acertainkindofhumanconscious-nesschangesthelivingbodyanditssituation,activatingtheimplicitenergyandknowingofanyparttoopentoitsownhealingdirection.BoththeoreticallyandexperientiallyweareproposingarichcrossingofquantummechanicsandGendlin’sTheoryoftheImplicit.Wheneverweinvitethebodilylifeprocessestobecome aware of themselves,ourneutralconsciousobserver-Selfactivatesthequantumfiringofthecellsofthevariouspartsofthebody-mind.

For example, my sore foot was able to rediscover its connection to its own innerknowingbecauseofitsconnectiontothephysicalsupportsofthewholelivingbodyandtheenvironment.Thesorefootneededmyconsciousnessofitwithinthecontextofitsconnec-tionstothewholeenvironmentsothatitcouldrediscoveramorerightfunctioningtomoveitsownlifeforward.Similarly,mybrokenkneecapcouldmoveitsownlifeforwardandachieveamorerightfunctioningbecauseIobserveditinthispreciselywholebodyway.My

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neutralobserving-Selfempoweredthesepartsofmybodytobecomeawareofthemselvessothattheycoulddiscovernewandmorerightwaysofinter-cellularfiring.

4) Anyobjectsthathaveeverinteractedinthepastcontinuetoinstantaneouslyinflu-enceeachother.Thus, thereisauniversalconnectedness to theentirephysicaluniverse.Inquantumphysics, thisphenomenonofsubtleandcosmicinter-connectedness iscalled“entanglement”.Therandomlyfluctuatingsub-atomicvibrationsofanisolationchamber,orbetweenanytwopointsinthefabricofspace-time,canbeorderedandmadecoherentbyahumanobserver(consciousness).non-localityisthetermusedtodescribehowtwopreviouslyconnectedparticles(ormoleculesorgroupsofmoleculesorlivingbodies)canbeseparatedacrossvastdistancesandcontinuetoresonatewitheachotherasthoughtheywerestilltouching,sidebyside,despitetherebeingnoenergyexchangebetweenthem.


Wehaveampledirectexperiencesandexamplesofsuchphenomenawithinfamilysystems,distancehealingphenomena,betweenclosefriends,andbetweenFocuserandLis-tener.DuringsessionsofWholebodyFocusingwetuneintotheinterconnectedwave-formfunctionunderlyingtheFocuser’ssituationinsideofthesharedspacebetweenFocuser,Lis-tener,andenvironment.Fleisch(2011)describesthisprocessofrelationalco-presencingasadynamicinteractivespacefromwhichariseawealthofinformationandenergyneededbyclientstosupporttheirforwardmovement.Whenweconsciouslymakespaceforourconfu-sion,suffering,andnotknowinghowitmightresolveitself,andsimplyobservethebodyasawhole fromasenseofgrounding,presence,andconnectedness to theenvironment,somethinghappenstorelieveandinformoursituation.ThebodilyfeltconnectionbetweenFocuserandListener supports this sometimes-mysteriousprocessof lifeunfolding in itsownrightway,informingusofthenextrightsteps.Often,theinformationthatemergesissonewandsoveryoutsideofoursphereofexperience,wearesimplyawarethatsomethinggreaterthanusbothhasinformedandinfuseduswithlifeenergy.BoththeFocuserandLis-tenerbenefitfromthenewlifeforwardmovementinawaythatneithercouldhaveaccessedalone.SeveralexamplesofthisphenomenonarepresentedinPart2ofthisarticle.

5) A later choice of experimental observation (peek in an isolation box) creates theatom’searlierhistorysothatweliterallyproducesomethingbackwardintime. Space-timeappearstobecurved,nolongerlinear.Howwerelatetospace-timecansomehowaffectitsobjects,events,andtheirimpactuponmylife.


Howwerelateinthepresenttoapastsituationinfluencesandaffectsthewayafamilysystemoperates—bothtodayandinthepast—bringingnewpossibilitiestotheexperienceofSelfinthepresentsituation.Thesameholdstrueforfuturegenerationsandforourances-tors.Acomplexfamilialtanglefromthedistantpastcanemergefreeandunburdened,pro-vidingnewlifeforwardmovementandfreshpossibilitiesforfamilymemberstoday.During

QuAnTum consciousness PArT 1 • �1

sessionsofWBFOT,whenonefamilymemberbringsconsciousnesstoacross-generationalpattern of violence, sexual abuse, or alcoholism, all the members of that family systembenefitandhealfromtheprocess—eventhoughtheyhavepassedawayordonothaveanyconsciousawarenessofpastandpresentcircumstances.

ThisdynamiccrosseswithGendlin’sexplicationoftime(Gendlin,TheTimeoftheExplicatingProcess,inpress), whereby adirectreferencetotheimplicitfunctioningofthelivingbodyopensuparetrospectivesenseof“was”.WhatemergesfromWholebodyfeltsensingismoreofwhatwas impliedbythebody.Thenextrightstepinlifeforwarddirec-tionwasimplicitinwhathadbeenstuckorblockedallalong,includingcross-generationally,andwasn’tyetpresentassomethingformed.Bringingone’swholebodyawarenesstotheedgeofwhatistherenowallowssomethingtoemergeinitsownrightway,fillinginthepresent,thepast,andthefuture.

experiential anecdote by glenn Fleisch: theater of the Living body

Doralee Grindler Katonah and I have been developing a process we call Transfor-mational Focusing, an integration of Wholebody Focusing/Spiritbody Focusing (Fleisch and Katonah, 2010). In this model, we have been exploring the active engagement of par-ticipants within the whole group called “theater of the living body”. Group participants are invited to play a certain person, role, or inner part showing aspects of a Focuser’s issue or inner dynamics. In a recent workshop, I demonstrated with myself as the client. Inside of this “embodied theatre” I explored a part of me that carries a strong sense of shame, often connected with a powerful inner critic that is dismissive of creative efforts. One man played my inner critic and the only information given was what I shared above. Each participant was first invited to connect with the self from a sense of his/her own grounded presence. Only then were they invited to embody a felt sense of the particular role or character. Finally, they were instructed to allow and follow whatever emerged into their field of awareness-as-a-part-of-me. During the process, I, as the Focuser, merely observed what was going on with the other characters. The person who played the critic, much to my surprise, was standing and began to wobble around, feeling very shaky and scared. The words “lost” came to him. At first, it seemed as if there was no connection to my own inner experience of the critic. My energy felt drawn to the critic in a very compassionate and comforting way. What came upon further reflection and mirroring was something new to my awareness and yet exactly right for carrying forward a part of my own experiencing inside of a much larger system. I became aware that the critical/dismissive aspect that I was carrying actually connects with generations of men in my family system that I had termed “lost souls.” I have since then felt a sense of healing, not just within my own experi-ence, but also relating to my father and grandfathers, as well as my own sons. Not only was the direction and space of the time-line transformed and enlarged around this issue in my life, but my connection to the space of the other living bodies and our shared environment was enlivened and expanded as a result.

6) Thereisnosuchthingasanabsolutevacuuminspace.Thereis,rather,anoceanofmicroscopicvibrationsinthespacebetweenthings.Anexampleofthisistheradiationof

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cosmicmicro-wavesfromtheoriginalBigBangwhichpervadesallofspace.Thewholeuniverseseems tobeaheavingseaofenergy,onevastquantumfield that iscontinuallyexpanding.Allofmatterandeverykindofenergymakeupthiscosmicfieldofvibratingenergy,includingus,alllifeforms,ourconsciousness,andourinteractionsinsidethisfield.Thesearerandompatternsofinformationandenergyunderlyingthephysicalworld.Humanconsciousnessappearstohavethesubtleabilitytocreateorderoutofthesearchetypalorfoundationalpatternsoflife.


Gendlin’s Theory of the Implicit (1997) proposes that the human being is alwaysimplyingitsnextstepsforliving.InsessionsofWBFwewitnesshowtheinformationandenergyoftheimplicitemergesintoourfieldofawareness.Whenwesimplyobservethisemerginglifeinformationandenergyandinviteittoexploreitselfinabodilywaywhilststayingattheedgeofwhatwantstohappenorneedsattention,thewholeorganismmovesforwardinitsownrightway.ThefindingsofQuantumFieldTheorysuggestthattheforwardmovement inWBFarisesnotonlyfromthehumanbeing’s lifetimeofembodiedexperi-ences,butalsofromtheinfinitepotentialofinformationandenergypatternspermeatingthewholeenvironmentanduniverse.WiththepracticeofWBFinparticular,thewholelivingbodyisinvitedtoawakentoitsownpossibilitieswithinthelargercontextandcontainerofthewholelivingenvironment.MoreintegratedandmorepreciseinformationandenergyaremobilizedbyabodilyawarenessofSelf,connectedtothelivingbodyoftheenvironment,andtothelivingbodyoftheWholebodyListener.

AswewillshowwithclinicalexamplesinPart2,weinviteawarenessofmultiplechannels of information—sensorial, kinesthetic, energetic, gestural, postural, emotional,imaginal. With the support of Grounded Presence, we resonate with the whole field ofvibrationalexchangesbetweenFocuserandListener.Weinviteinasenseofotherinsideourselves,supportedbythewholeenvironment.Whenwelistentotheclientinthisopenwholebodyway,thereisalovingandneutralconnectionthatismade,notofourownmak-ing.Somethinghappensintheinteractivefieldbetweenusthatamplifiesourexperiencingofthisneutrallovingpresence.Thisissomethingwedonotordinarilydoinourculture.Thepowerfulinteractivelisteningexchangeenlargesthepossibilitiesofbeing,becoming,andmovingtowardsnewrelationalandexperientialmeaningsinthelivingbodiesofboth.Twobeings,fullypresenttoSelf,yetseparatedfromotherinthishealthyway,allowalarger,moreintricateconnectiontobemade—insidebothandinthebodilylivingofthesituation.This“newspace”(Gendlin,ProcessModel,VIII)expandsandopensupthepossibilitiesforforwardmovementofitsobjectsandrelationships.

7) Quantumfieldsaremediatednotbyforcesbutbyanexchangeofenergythatiscon-stantlyredistributedinadynamicpattern.Solidparticlesofmatteraresimplylittleknotsofenergywhichbrieflyemergeanddisappearbackintotheunderlyingfluctuatingquantumfieldoftheuniverse.AccordingtoQuantumMechanicalTheory,humanconsciousnessisneededtoactivatetheflowofenergyandinformation,creatingmeaningfulpatternsinanever-changing,self-organizing,andforwardmovingbiologicalsystem.



Onapsychologicallevel,aparadigmshiftisimpliedregardingourwaysofrelatingtoSelfandOther.Wediscoverrealignmentsandcompatibilitywiththeenvironment,notbyforce,butratherinanintimatelyrelationalWholebody-environment-interaction.TheWBF-orientedtherapistusesconsciousnessofthewholelivingbody,connectedtothephysicalenvironmentviagravityandgroundedpresence,asanembodiedtuningfork.FromasenseofawholeembodiedSelf,connectedtoOther,FocuserandListenerresonatewiththeflowofenergyandchannelsofinformationthatverynaturallyemerge,bothinternallyandinter-actionally, as described above.When thebody is invited tobecomeawareof itself as afunctioningwhole,itresonatesinternallytowardstheSelf,synchronizingitsownquantumwave-formpatterns into amasterwave-formsignature signal.This internal synchronousfiringpatternofthewholelivingbodythenresonateswithsimilarwave-formpatternsintheenvironment,includingthebodyofListener.Theenergyandinformationavailableintheuniversalfabricofspace-timeistheoreticallyinfinite.Becauseeverythingistheoreticallyconnectedtoeverythingelseinsideoftheuniversalquantumfield, a synchronously firing living bodyattractstoitpreciselytherightmatchingofenergyandinformationwave-formsneededtomovetheorganismforward.

DuringsessionsofWBF,weoftenwitnesshownewenergyandinformationseemsto“come”fromtheenvironmentitself.TheFocuser’slivingbodyknowshowtotakethisenergyin,resonatewithit,andintegrateitintothefunctioningwhole.Thus,theWholebodyimplyingextendstotheimplicitenergyandinformationcontainedwithintheenvironmentandgreateruniverse.Wemightcallthisthewhole universal implyingwhichsupportsthebodilyimplyingoftheWholebodyFocuser.Energyandinformationemerge,popintoexis-tence,reconfiguringthemselvesinsideofafieldofdynamicinterchange.ItistheinternalwholebodyawarenessofaconsciousexpandedexperienceofSelf,whichinitiatesandsup-portsthisdynamicprocessofforwardmovement.Onceinitiatedbyhumanconsciousness,theactivatedenergyandinformationemergeequallyfromtheoutermilieuastheinternalmilieu.Theknowingofthewholeself-awarelivingbodyisalwaysinrelationshipwiththeknowingofthelivingenvironment.DuringmomentsofintegrationinsessionsofWBF,wemakespaceandtimeforthematchingandcongruencebetweenthisinnerandoutersharedknowing.Inverysubtleyetnoticeableways,theouterenvironmentandtheinternalhumanbeinginteracttogethertomovelifeforward.WhileGendlin’sProcessModeltheoreticallydescribesthisintimateandnaturaltransactionofthehumanlivingbodyascontinuationoftheenvironment,WBFoffersaprecisemethodthatlivesthisrealityinsidetheinteractivespacebetweenFocuserandListener.ThefollowingexperientialanecdoteisalivingexampleofhumanconsciousnessactivelyparticipatingintheunfoldingofthephysicaluniverseinaWholebodyFocusingway.

experiential anecdote by Karen Whalen:

According to quantum theory, my awareness of my physical body can change my physical body. Now we are in the thick of Wholebody Focusing. I have spent the entire summer playing with children, swimming in the ocean, and living under the old growth

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canopy of the maritime Cobequid Mountains. By observing my whole body in a neutral and frequently playful way, whilst being aware of the nurturing and effortless connection to my physical environment, I have experienced a stunning reversal in my body’s experience of itself. I began the summer with some challenging body symptoms. These included an upper body rash (severe, what western medicine would call shingles), digestive difficulties, chronic fatigue for many months, weight gain, and a subjective sense that something in me was dying and needed me to get out of the way so that this dying process could unfold. This unsettling whole organismic process was connected to an emerging awareness about the young child who raged inwardly when her love needs were not met. An unconscious holding pattern of “I need to do everything for myself if I want to get what I need” was lived in the body as an underlying efforting and tension approach to doing anything in life. My body and mind were letting me know that this way of being was no longer working for me and perhaps, no longer necessary.

I gave my body as a whole my full consent to proceed in its own right way and time with these symptoms. I offered it some sessions of Wholebody Focusing but I in no way spent time thinking or worrying about these mysterious symptoms outside of session. What I did offer my body and self was a detached observation of my whole body and its connec-tion to the whole environment in an ongoing way. This was easy to do given my location and proximity to nature and loved ones. Without visiting a physician or taking something for my body’s situation, by simply living my life and remaining aware in a detached and wholebody way, all of my symptoms have disappeared. The weight gain has disappeared without dieting or changing my eating habits in any way. My rash has disappeared without taking steroids or some such medicine. My fatigue has evaporated without needing to sleep more or exercise in a certain way. My appetite and digestive processes have returned to normal. I now feel like I am somehow connected to more of life, my own life, but also, in very subtle ways, to the lives of my friends, loved ones, and also the life of the land I live upon. Is this not an intriguing story?

discussion of experiential anecdote:

Itappearsthatmyneutralwholebodyawareness,beingpresenttoandawareofmyown life in aphysicalway, changed thewaymybodyexperiences itself. I observedmybody’s experience of itself, and I used my awareness of gravity and the support of theenvironmenttoanchorandcontainmyobservations.Somehow,somewhere,insomeway,thelivingbodyitself,thelifeprocessesthemselves,changedthewaytheywerefiringandrelatingtothesituationoftroublingsystemicbodysymptoms.InWholebodyFocusing,wecall thisthefunctioningofBodyWisdomor the body functioning as a whole in its own right way.Becauseofearlychildhoodtrauma,thebodyorganizeditselfinacertainwaytosurvive(theroadofefforting).The“flare-up”ofthecellsandtissuesintheformofarashwasthebodyasawholesayingitissafenowtocomeintomyawareness.Thisnewmeaningisthebody’simplyingoftheunderlyingholdingpattern.Whilemybodylivedthetensionofthatchildhoodstory,itwasn’tinterestedinthecontentsofthatstory.That’swhatI,withmyegoidentity,connectedtoandbuiltuponinmynervoussystem,thisstrongsenseofselfwhich“mustdo”thisandthattosurvive.Thebodyisessentiallyinnocent.Itlivedthedirect


experienceof thatstory(theunderlying tension).OnceIwasready to invite thebody toexploreitsownexperienceofthatbodily-livedtension,thebodyitself,initsownwisdom,couldsortitselfout.

Thelivingbodyhasevolvedovermillionsofyearsandeachcellofthebodyhasaknowingabouthowtobeinrightrelationshipwithallofthecellsofitsinternalmilieu.Thisisaresultofthenaturalprocessofevolution.Humanbeings,unfortunately,haveahabitofinterferingwiththeseinstinctuallifeprocessesbecauseoffear,trauma,andtheunconsciousconditionedresponsepatterns.Wecanchoosetointerfereornotinterferewiththeunfold-ingoflifeforwardmovementthroughthelivingbody.Inthisparticularlivedexperience,Ichosetonotinterferewiththeunfoldingoflifeoutofthathistoricalholdingpattern.Instead,I chose to relate skillfully tomybody and selfwithwholebody-environment-interactionawareness.

the interface between Quantum Consciousness and human biology:

Quantumwave-formsthatcorrespondtovibrationalfrequenciescontaininformationenergy-bytes that are attracted tootherwaveformsof similar vibrational frequency. Thecuriousqualityofmovingwaveformsisthattheyareefficientcarriersofinformation,andtheydonotlosetheirunderlyingcharacteristicsuponmeetingotherwave-forms.Thereissomethingabouttheinherentmovementandintelligenceofthequantumwave-formfunc-tion(movementofenergy),andhowhumanconsciousnesscontainsandmediatesit,whichsupportstheorderlylifeforwardmovementoftheorganism.Ahumanconsciousnessthatnoticestheflowandmovementofthesesubtlequantumwave-forms,oftenintheformofsubtleinnerdirectedmovements,canbesaidtobeconnectingtothefunctioningoftheirquantumconsciousness.

Howmightquantumconsciousnessfunctioninsideofabiologicalsystemduringses-sionsofWBF?Awholebody interactionbetweenSelfandenvironment inside theentirequantum field of consciousness may be mediated by the dynamic interplay between thecentralnervoussystem,ofwhichthebrainisapart,andtheperipheralnervoussystem.Thebrainistheexecutiveprocessorofenergyandinformationcominginandgoingoutofthebody.Thebrainandcentralnervoussystemlookalotlikeatreewithitsbranchingsofneu-ralcells,neuralnetworksandneuralextensionsgoingdownintothebodyandextendingoutintoeachandeveryoneoftheorgans,tissues,musclesandperipheralnerveendingsoftheskinitself.TheorganismconnectswithanexperienceofSelfinsideofthecentralnervoussystem.Fromasenseofgroundedpresence,theorganismcanthenopenuptoitsconnec-tionstotheenvironmentandbringinthelifeenergyandinformationthatareconstantlyflowinginfromtheperipheralnervoussystem.Thisinformationistakeninandprocessedcontinuouslybythecentralnervoussystem(spineandbrain).Iftheorganismisnourishedandsupportedbythisenergyandinformation,itwillremainconnectedtoitsnaturalfunc-tioningwiththeperipheralnervoussystem.However, if theorganismisoverwhelmedorconfusedbythisenergyandinformation(life)comingin,itwillstop anddisconnectfromtheflowoflifethroughthebio-system.

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Atacellularlevel,therearehundredsofproteinstructuresontheoutermembraneofthecellularbodywhichserveasakindofradioantennathatvibratesandresonateswithadjacentcellularunits.Thisisaself-monitoringandaninter-cellularcommunicationsystemthatbothtransmitsandreceivescomplexandpreciseinformationaboutkeybiologicalfunc-tioning.Moleculesofpotassiumandcalciummayormaynotbereleasedintothesynapticcleft,thespacebetweencellularbodies,causingneuralcellstofiredowntheline,engaginginthiselectro-chemicalway,withthecomplexfunctioningoflifeprocesses.

This built-in biological structure of the autonomic nervous system as the carrier,transmitterandenergeticreceiverofsub-molecularquantumwaveformsmayexplainwhyawarenessofthewholebodyactivatesasynchronousfiringcascadeoftheentirenervoussystemfunctioningasawhole,whileopeninguptopossibilitiesfornewandmoreintegratedinformationandenergycominginfromtheenvironmentandcreatingnewfiringpatternswithinthebody/mindsystem.DuringsessionsofWBFitisoftennecessarytocreateahold-ingspaceofnot yet knowingsothattheknowingofthebodyfunctioningasawholeandtheemergentknowingofanewpossibilitycanmovelifeforwardinawaythatisjustrightforthewholeorganism.Awarenessofthebodyfunctioningasawholedoesappeartogeneratealivingfieldofsynchronousfiringpatternswhichtheninfluenceshowthedifferentregionsofthebrain,anditsextensionsthroughoutthecentralandperipheralnervoussystems,fireandcommunicatewitheachother.

Hameroff andPenrose (1996)propose thatmircrotubulesact asquantumcomput-ers in thecellsof thebrain.Microtubulesarecylindricalstructures thatself-assemble toformtheshapeofthecellsthatformneuronsofthebrain.Theseareessentiallythepositedmicro-processorsofcellularlife.Theyconstitutethenervoussystemofthecellandprocessinformationinternallytoorganizewhathappenswithineachcellandalsohowcellsinteractwithothercells.WithWBF,weattunetoandresonatewiththedirectexperienceofthebodyfunctioningasawhole.Fromthissimplebodyawarenesspractice,wegenerateaquantumfieldwhichactivatesthefunctioningofquantumconsciousnessinsidethecellularmicro-processingsystemsofthelivingbody.Onceactivated,thisquantumfieldofconsciousnessentrainsamorerightfunctioninanypartofthebody/mindtowhichwechoosetobringourattention.Forexample,myawarenessofmywholebodysupportedbytheground,thechair,andthespaceofmylivingroom,somehowsupportsthepaininmylowerbacksothatitcanexploreitsownpossibilitiesofmoreorderlyfunctionandfiring.Goingbackandforthbetweenawarenessofwholebodyfunctionandfunctioningofthepart,thewholeandthepartcometoabalancedandmutuallysupportivefiringpatternwhichbettersupportsmybackandmywholelife.

ConCLuding summary oF theoretiCaL disCussion:

implications of Quantum Field theory and gendlin’s theory of the implicit:

QuantumTheoryhas revolutionizedhowweperceiveandunderstand thephysicalworld.New ideas arise inphysicsnotonlybecauseof experimentation,butbecauseourconsciousnessisreadytodiscovernewaspectsoftheuniversewithinourselves(Mindell,


2004).WhileQuantumMechanicsdescribesthefunctioningofmicroscopicphenomena,its lawsapplyveryaccurately to themacroscopic realmofvisibleobjects, livingbodies,andplanets.Matteris,initsessence,notassolidaswethought.Norarewereallyseparatefromanythingoranyone.Mychoicetobeconsciousofanysituationorbodilystatefunda-mentallychangesthenatureofthatsituationorbodilystate.Thefunctioningoftheuniversepotentiallyofferstheresourcesofinfinitepossibilitiesofinformationandlifeenergyforthemind,body,andlifesituations.Acertainkindofhumanawarenesshasthedistincteffectofpopping thequantumwave-form ofthispotentialenergyandinformation,intoasinglepos-sibilityasbodilyfeltandseenbytheobserver—theveryessenceofthefeltshiftinWBF.

InWBF,weareproposingthatQuantumConsciousness(QC)hasadualnature.QCfirstly functions as an electro-magnetic field of awareness that constantly attunes to thewholeoftheorganismviathemediationofanadultconsciousSelfingroundedpresence.Thecentralandperipheralnervoussystemsarethebiologicalcarriersandtransmittersofthissynchronizingmasterwave-formfunction.Secondly,QCarisesoutofthemicro-molecularcommunicationprocessing system (postulatedmicrotubules insideneurons)mediatedbythe self-aware life processes and biological sub-units themselves. QC interacts with andsupportstheemergenceofthebodilyimplyingofthewholeorganisminacontinuouswayduringasessionofWBF.Thetuningforkofthewholelivingbodylistensto,resonateswith,andtakesintheenergyandinformationwhichmatchitsmastervibratorywaveformsigna-turefromtheenvironment.McEvenueandWhalen(2011)recentlydescribedthiswholebodylisteningandresonancebothinwardlytowardstheselfandoutwardlytowardsthewholeenvironmentasaprocessof“HeartfeltListening”.Thosepartsofusneedingourattentionfeelthesupportandenergeticentrainmentofourmasterwave-fromsignatureasthoughahomingsignalwereremindingthemoftheirownrightfunctionandwholeness.Justlikethequantumwave-formspostulatedforallofthephysicalworld,thecellsofmybodyvibrateasapotentiallifeenergythatneedsmyawarenessofthewholebody,myconsciousparticipa-tionwiththelifeprocessesthemselves,sothattheycanchoosetopopintoexistence,firinginanewway,nowawareofthemselvesandoftheirbio-chemicalenvironment.

Part2willexploreclinicalapplicationsandramificationsofthistheoreticalcrossingofQuantumConsciousnesswith theTheoryof the Implicit.During sessionsofWBF, aslightmovement,gestureorimagecomingintoconsciousnesscanbethecarryingforwardofmanylevelsofBeingorhistoryallinterconnectedinsideofthismuchlargeruniversalfieldofpotentiallifepossibilities.Byconnectingtoawidermoresubtlefieldofawareness(quantumconsciousness)inanintentionalwholebodyway,wewilldiscoverhowthethera-pistandclientaccesssurprisingpossibilitiesforlifeforwardmovement.

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Quantum ConsCiousness: an explanatory model for Life Forward movement

in Wholebody Focusing Part 2

Glenn Fleisch, Ph.D. and Karen Whalen, Ph.D.

introduCtion:

ThedevelopmentandunderstandingofQuantumConsciousness(QC)hasemergedfromdecadesofresearch,experimentationandstudyinQuantumMechanics,aswedetailedinPart1.Wealsoexplored the implicationsof thesefindings for theunderstandingandpracticeofWBF,aswellashowtheycrosswiththeProcessModelandGendlin’sTheoryoftheImplicit.Part2willfurtherexplorethisrichcrossing,specificallyintermsofitspracticeinWBFOT.WewillfirstofferabriefsynopsisofGendlin’snotionofbodilyimplying—howthe whole body knows (is moving toward) its next bit of living in places where the lifeprocesshasbecomeblockedorstuck—andhowtheincipientenergyinthebody’simplyingcanemergeintoforms,i.e.objects,asavenuesforactivatinglife-forwardmovement.Withclinicalexamples,wewillillustratethetherapist’suseofQCasan“instrument”forcon-nectingandresonatingwiththefieldofenergy/sharedexperiencingwithclientsinthisnewwholebodyinter-relationalspace.ThevignettesandsubsequentdiscussionwillhighlightthefunctioningofQCinWBFOTasavehicle,viacarefullisteningandattuning,topotentiatewhatisbeingimpliedandfacilitatingawholebodilyprocessofcarryingforwardblockagesandstoppedprocessintonextstepsofhealingandtransformation.

WhoLebody imPLying and Quantum ConsCiousness in WbFot:

theoretical description of Wb implying and formation of “objects”:

One of the core aspects of Gendlin’s philosophy of the implicit is the notion thatthelivingbodyisalwaysmovingtowarditsnextbitofliving.Thistendencyoftheorgan-ism (body-environment-interaction process) to sense and live its next life movement hecallsbodily implying. Whatthewholebodyimpliesisitsimplicitunderstandingofwhatisneededtocarryforwarditslivinginasituation,i.e.nextrightstepsofdevelopment.Gendlin(Implicit Precision,inpress)statesthat:

When something implied doesn’t occur, the body continues to imply it. Until something meets that implying (‘carries it forward’, we say), the body contin-ues to imply what was implied and didn’t occur. If part of what was implied did occur, then only the part that did not occur continues to be implied. This‘reiterated implying’ is a basic concept. It explains howobjects in the envi-ronment become differentiated.The body is first constituted as environmental events and material, and some of this is always present in the environment. But some of it is intermittent; it disappears and reappears . . . Then the body


has separate processes just for these parts of the environment. The moment they re-appear, just these processes resume. So we call these differentiated parts of the environment ‘objects’.

Inorderforwhatisbeingimpliedtoactuallyoccur,aqualityofawareness,listen-ingandattuningthatwepracticeinWBFseemstoberequired.Thequantum field theory of consciousness describedinpartIisanaccuratedescriptionofwhatwehaveobservedandutilizedduringsessionsofWBFOT. Astherapists,weoftennoticethattheemergentphenomena is precisely that part of thebody-environment processwhere somethinghasbeenblockedorstuck.Somethingthatshouldhavehappeneddidn’toccur,sothatthelivingbodykeepsrepeatingthepatternofwhatisneeded.ThisiswhatGendlinreferencedaboveas“reiterative implying”, aphenomenonsimilartoFreud’snotionoftherepetitioncompul-sion.Thatpartoftheenvironmentthatemergesisoftenaspecificobject,i.e.aparticularavenueorinteractionthatmightcarryforwardclients’process.Fleisch(2008)forexamplehasexploredhowgesturescanpresentthemselvesasobjectswhichfunctionasthelivingbody’simplyingofitsnextrightstep.

WeareproposingthatQuantumConsciousnessisessentialinbringingtoawarenesstheseemergentphenomena,whichareoperatinginsideoftheinter-relationalfieldofimplicitexperiencingbetweentherapistandclient.Thetherapist’sQCpopstheinfinitenumberofsuperposedpossibilities that inhabit thisrich livingspaceof thewholebody-environmentinteractionintoanactualitycontainingnewinformationandlifeenergy.Anewawarenessisthusbroughtintoform(matter)arisingoutofthiscomplexandco-createdfieldofenergy(dualwave/particle functioning).Whatexistedasapossibilityhasbeenactivatedby thedualpresenceoftherapist/clientintooneactualitythatseemstomatchtheclient’sexperi-encinginaverypreciseway.Inthisway,QCinteractswithandsupportstheemergenceofthebodilyimplyingofthewholeorganisminacontinuouswayduringasessionofWBFOT.The tuningforkof thewhole livingbody listens to, resonateswith,and takes in the lifeenergyandinformationwhichmatchesitsmastervibratorywave-formsignaturefromthewholeenvironment.

Thebillionsofcellsofthebodyneedustoobservethem,inaverypreciselyphysicalway,withourawarenessofthebodyfunctioningasawhole,sothattheycanremembertheirownpossibilitiesofwholefunction.Thewholebodymasterwave-formfrequencyentrainsthewave-formfrequenciesofthepart/issue(anditsgroupingsofcellsandtissues)whicharewantingandneedingawarenessofthem.Thiswholebodyentrainmentallowsthemtoemergeintoanewfiringpatternorlifeforwardmovement.Thisiswhy,inWBF,weinviteourneutral, curious,andbodilyawareness tofloatbackand forthbetweenawarenessofwholebodyandawarenessofthepartthatiswantingattention.Inthisway,theself-aware(observed)livingbodyknowshowtomoveitselfforwardinmostsituationsinawaythatwe,asconsciousobservers,cannot.

Thus, our consciousness is part of and always influences what is observed andexperienced.Weareactive participants inthetherapy/healingprocess,and,asshowninquantumphysics,theobserver’sway of beingaffectsthephysicalsystemactedupon.Thequalityandfunctioningofconsciousnessisinseparablefrom,andisanintegralpartofthe

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wholebody-environmentprocessofliving.Thereisnowaytoknowinadvancewhatwillemergeuntil it hasbeenobserved and thus experienced.Weenter the inter-active spacebetween therapist (listener)andclient (Focuser) fromastanceof‘not-knowing’ whatwewill discover there. When we connect with ourselves and the client from an expandedsense of our Grounded Presence, we simply wait and invite/notice what shows up. Ournoticingofwhatshowsupaswecompaniontheclientinthiswayappearstopopthewave-formfunctionandbringswithitanewemergingawarenessandacarryingforwardoftheclient’ssituation.

Let’slookabitfurtherintohowtheimplicit(wholebodyimplying)comestoaware-nessasaphenomenonofthisfieldofsharedexperiencingasco-constitutedbyclientandtherapist.ThiscomingtoawarenessisbothaproductofimplicitfunctioningasexplicatedbyGendlinandasaresultofwholebodyattunementtosubtleenergy/vibration/resonanceasdescribedinWholebodyFocusing.Withawarenessofthebodyfunctioningasawhole,theWholebodyFocusergeneratesamasterwave-formfrequencysignaturethroughoutthewholequantumfieldofthelivingbody.Thisproposedmasterwave-formsignaturethenentrainsthebillionsofsuperposedwave-formsofeachofthecellsofmybrain/bodytoremembertheir ownpossibilities for emerging into existence and thusfiring as an actionpotentialacrossthesynapticdividewithinthemicroandmacro-structuresofthebrain/body.

Withinthissharedfieldofawarenessweobservethedualfunctionofconsciousness.First,wholebodyawareness is areceptor of information from thefieldof sharedbeing.Second,bythissharedwholebodyawareness(consciousness),thisexpandedinter-relationalfieldofawarenessactivatesthepotentialenergyandconsciousnessofwhateverpart/placeisimplyingitsownforwarddirection.Somethinginformsourwayofbeingwithclientsattheedgeofanemergentlife-forwardmovementasweshareawholebodyawarenessofthis“invisible”yetclearlyfeltdimensionofembodiedlivingbetweentherapistandclient.Thetherapist’sawarenessofthelivingprocessofimplyingallowsforafeltsensingofsomethingbeingimpliedorneededbothateachmomentoftherapyandforthelargertransformationandhealingprocesswehopetoengender.

WbFot session Vignettes-application of Quantum Consciousness in therapy:

HowdoesaWBFocusing-orientedtherapist“sense”thesignsoflife-forwarddirec-tionorwholebodyimplyingthatis(orcouldbe)emergentinthesharedfieldwithclients?Whatarethedifferentavenuesorobjectsthatindicatethatsomethingisbeingimpliedinthetherapyspace?Howdoweknowwhattosayordoatthesejunctures,withouthavingapre-setagenda,yetbeinginformedbywhathascomeintoawareness?Howdoesquantumconsciousness function in sensing the implying, this awarenessof something formingoremergingasanobject-interactionthatcancarryforwardtheimplyingintothenextstepsoflivingandhealing?Whattypesofinteractionsallowfortheblockedorstoppedprocesstoactivateandlivefurther?Weareparticularlyinterestedinexploringthesequestionsfromourclinicalexperienceasavenuesforaccessingthequantum consciousnessofthesharedtherapist-clientinteraction.

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Using examples from our clinical practice, we will demonstrate how wholebodyimplying and quantum consciousness function in the therapist-client interaction. Ourexampleshighlightthevariouswaysthatthisprocessallowsforanimplyingtobecarriedforward.Theyillustratehowbodilyconsciousnessattunestothevariouschannelsofinfor-mationandenergythatcomeintoawarenessmomentbymoment,andhowwecansensethe“something”fromthisflowofinformationthatemergesintoan“object”thatisimplied.Thewholebodyimplyingcanbeexperiencedorobservedinmanyforms,suchasstirringofsensationandenergy,asatension,anemotionalquality,asmovementorgesture,aposturalawareness,animage,orlanguage.Anyoneoftheseoracombinationofseveralindicatesanemergentsteporurgetowardsomethingthatwantsattentionorneedstohappen.

Thefourexamplesthatfollowillustratethepowerofquantumconsciousnesstoacti-vateenergyandlifeforwardmovementfromthewholebody—environmentinteraction.Asharedembodiedawarenesscanattunetoandresonatewiththewholefieldoftheimplicitbetween client/therapist. Embodied consciousness starts from grounded presence whichthenallowsthepractitionertoenterthefieldwiththeclient(Focuser)withanattitudeof not knowingandnon doing,thusstayingpresenttowhatactuallyemergesintoawarenesswith-outpreconceptionsandwithanopenness toexperiencewhatcomesfreshlyanddirectly.At this edge, we can sense the ‘something’ that comes to awareness and starts to showitself,whichisoftenthepreciseplacewherethewholebodyisimplying(showing/indicat-ing/movingtoward/urging...)aninteractionorexperiencethatisneeded.Astherapist,wearecontinuallyresonatingwiththisimpliedenergyandinformationinawholebodyway.Theemergingenergyandinformationguideswhatwesayordomomenttomomentduringasession,andthetherapistsupportsthisemergencewithaspaciousinnerattitudeof letting come,invitingclientstocheckiftheycanallowwhatisemergingto show moreofitself.

Clinical example #1: A client is in a difficult life situation. He feels overwhelmed and stuck. The more he talks about the situation or goes into it, the more his body becomes agitated and stressed. I observe that his old postural alignment begins to contract the whole body and pulls his head downward. I resonate with this whole body energy, and the felt sense in me is a posture of submission or resignation. I share this sense with the client. He says, “Yes, that’s exactly right, a big part of me feels very defeated.” As we stay with that place, inviting a welcoming attention and awareness of the body as a whole, I begin to sense a slight easing and loosening in the body, as if something new were emerging or coming to life. The client’s body begins to sway ever so slightly in the upper body. I wonder internally if there is more movement and energy there. I share this wondering with the cli-ent, and he affirms this, saying that he would like to stand.

We stand, first sensing feet on ground and the whole postural alignment and vertical position. I suggest that we just stay present to whatever wants to come, in whatever way it needs to. The client’s body begins to sway in a more and more organized way. The client reports that he feels a vibration coming from his belly up to his chest. As we stay aware of this vibration, he says that he feels like something “growling” inside—a very powerful voice that is screaming, “How did I get into this situation? How did I allow it to happen?” In making space for this powerful growling voice, I observe that his whole body posture

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has shifted. It is now more upright and more expansive in the chest and shoulders. When I resonate with this new posture inside my own body, I get an image of a big cat, like a tiger or lion. I share this with him and invite him to sense if that feels right. He says that it does so we stay with this embodied image and energy of the big cat. He senses a bodily energy here that he had not felt before. This new energy is directly connected with the movement in his whole body and with expanded shoulders feeling strong. He reports that this body energy and expanded shoulders can protect him and create safely for the other parts to also be more present. This sense of holding both in awareness, the energized body and the “defeated part” allowed him to experience a new step in resolving the situation.

discussion: Theaboveexample illustrateshowconsciousnessofandattention to (directreferencingof)postureandenergycanfacilitateacarryingforwardprocess.IutilizedQCtoresonatewiththefeeloftheoriginalposturalalignmentandsharedwhatcameforme.Allowingthisplacetobewelcomedthenallowedsomethingmoretoemerge,signaledbythe coming forth of inner-directed movement (swaying). Letting myself be informed bytheenergyandfeelofthismovementopenedfurthertoadeepervibrationwhichbroughtastrongerandmorepowerfulenergeticfeel(growling;bigcat).Thus,weseeherehowIstayattunedattheedgeofwhatiscoming,allowingforanewpossibilityofbeingtoemerge.Thequalityofholding bothinawarenessiscrucialtoallowingbothpartstobefeltandinvitingthemtofindtheirownrightwaytointegrateandcarryforwardinlife.IoftengiveattentiontothefeltsenseofpostureasanimportantavenueinWBFOT,engenderinginformationofhowapartofself iscarried,andinvitingmoreenergy,movement, imageryandposturalshiftstonaturallycomeforward(FleischandWhalen,2010).DirectreferencinginWBFformeincludesthisqualityoftheimplicitrichnessofthewholelivingbody.Itisapauseoftheusualsymbolizingoreventhenecessityofputtingintowords,sothatsomething“comesinthebodyofitsownaccordbutinasomewhatdifferentspacethantheliteralspaceofthebody”(Gendlin,1997,p.231).

Clinical example #2: The client describes a kind of inner circular movement in her torso that is mirrored by a slight physical movement of her whole body. My own body spontane-ously begins to move in a similar way, mirroring the movement and energy of the client. As we stay with this movement, I begin to notice a feeling of awkwardness and discomfort, as if it were moving in the ‘wrong’ direction, leaving something feeling a bit disoriented or unstable. I do not share this with the client, concerned that it might be something in my own living process, and/or could disrupt the flow of what is coming. I do however invite the client to sense what the movement might be conveying to her, and she says, “It feels like it’s moving in a counterclockwise direction,” then in another moment, “You know it feels like the body is winding back the clock, wanting me to discover something that happened in the past.” As we make space for this new awareness, we stay with the movement until it actually ‘lands’ in a time in her early life that was traumatic, extremely unsettling and life altering for the client. As her awareness settles there, I notice that my whole body energy has shifted into a much more upright, solid, very still and heartfelt place. Throughout the remainder of the session, this shift in me becomes very important as our interaction begins very slowly to fill in something that had been missing during those earlier life events. This

QuAnTum consciousness PArT 2 • 10�

began a process of sensing and integrating a more stable, loving, and protective aspect of Self with that very young, vulnerable, wounded place.

discussion: Inthisinstance,IwanttopointtotwogeneralprinciplesthatarepartofmyfunctioningofQCinWBFOT.OneisthemirroringfunctionofQCandthesecondisthefeltsenseofwhen/what/howtoactuallysharewhatcomestoawarenesswithclients.Ioftenfindquitenaturallyandspontaneouslythatmybodyismovinginaccordwiththemove-mentsoftheclient—andthisallowsme(QC)toresonatewiththefeltsense,informationandenergyofthebody-in-motion.Sowhenmybodymirroredthemovementsoftheclient,itopenedupthesenseofwhatthatfeltlikeinmyfieldofconsciousness.Ichosenottosharethisfeltawarenesswiththeclient,asIcouldsensethattherewasmoreemerging,andIdidnotwant toboth interrupt thatflow.Ialsowanted tobecareful thatwhatwasemergingwas from the interactive spacebetweenus, andnot just frommyown life situations (ofwhichtherewassomesimilarity).ThiscarefulattunementtothesharedfieldisextremelyimportantandagainmyQCcoulddiscernnottodiscloseatthatmoment.Thisvignettealsoshowshow theprecisemovement (wave function)of the livingbodybecame intentionalwhenmaintainedinawareness—i.e.disclosedafeltmeaningof“windingbacktheclock,”connectingwitha“past”experiencethatwaswantingattentionandhealing.Tome,thisisawonderfulexampleofhowsharedconsciousnessactivatesandinteractswithbody-wisdomtogenerateanimportantstepintransformingtrauma.

Clinical example #3: A particular client who had suffered severe childhood abuse would often have an image/sense of his body wanting to curl up in a ball and writhe with pain. Although the invitation to allow the body to move into that position had always been there in our work, it felt clear to both of us that it would take a long while for him to actually per-form that curled-up movement because there was another very strong pattern that would block any movement or awareness that might bring us closer to the actual traumatic events. Thus, I provided a consistent attitude of “no pressure,” nothing needs to happen, that it’s okay just to be here in the room with me. It took many, many months for him to trust my reassurance, but over time, he was able to safely feel more in presence and more aware of his body, sensations, physicality, and my own presence with him. During this time, there would be micro movements toward this “fetal” position. In me, I felt a very strong gentle sense of extreme patience and need to go ever so slowly. Gradually he allowed his whole body to move into that curled up position, sitting on the couch, bending over so that his head nestled in his lap with his hands interlocked behind his head. I felt in me that we were creating a kind of sacred space—where everything in me became very quiet, still and atten-tive. He never asked me to do anything special, so I trusted in my own body wisdom to show me how I needed to be with him. In a recent session, I noticed my arms opening wide, my feet on the ground and gently leaning forward towards him—with my heart open. From a very neutral observer’s stance, I could feel my spirit touching the spirit of that abused child and at the same time, welcoming the emergent adult client self. It was as though the bridge of my embodied awareness, heartfelt, grounded, and without an agenda, allowed the adult self of the client to safely and directly contact the abused child self in a way that brought life to both. For the first time in our years of working together, he experienced sadness, and

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allowed tears to flow outward, describing a sense of compassion toward the child who had suffered so much.

discussion: Oftentimes,somethingthatwantstohappenmayrequireaprolongedperiodbeforeit isreadyorsafeenoughtoallowitselftohappen.Onecannotunderestimatethepowerofagentleandpatientconsciousnessasasupportivebody-environmentinteractiontothebodilyimplyingthatisbothfrightenedandalsowantingtoemerge.Withthisclient,Ihadtoremainverypatientandtrulyholdaspaceofno-expectationorpressureatall.ThisisakintowhatGendlindescribesasholding andletting come, whichisacornerstoneofWBFpractice.“Icanonlyletitcome.Ican’tmakeit.Inlettingitcome,Iallowmybody-feeltostir,tomove,to do whatever it does independently of my deliberate control...”(Gendlin,1997,p.230,emphasisadded).Thisexampleshowshowtheprocessunfoldedwiththiscli-ent,thequalityofbothholding(anopenandaccepting)spacewhileallowing‘something’tocomeofitsownaccordandownpace.AsGendlindescribes,thisisawholebodyprocessand isacoreaspectof thesharedfield insidewhichourQCoperates.Thevignettealsoshowedmehowawarenessofwhatthebodywantstodooftensurfacesinitsownimplicitorder:inthiscase,firstasanimage,thenasafeel,andfinallythenasslow,smallmovementsthatalsoholdawarenessofplacesoffear.Thiskindofprocessrequiresalargespacesothebodycanfinditsownwayandinitsowntimetophysicallyinhabittheposture.Myfeltsenseofenteringasacredspaceisawaythatmyconsciousnessinformsme/usthatweareinthefieldoftrauma—andgivesmeadeeperrespectforlisteningtoandfollowingthewisdomofthelivingbody.

Clinical example #4: A client had been struggling with many very difficult life situa-tions in which she felt very stuck and overwhelmed. In one session, she reported sensing something like a cold hard block in her chest area, as if it were covering her heart. As she described this sensation, I got an image of a block of ice that had hardened to protect a vulnerable place in her heart. I invited both of us to bring attention to this block, without knowing if anything would happen. As we both directed attention to the block,the client began to experience a gradual thawing and loosening of the block and could feel energy moving toward her extremities, especially her arms and hands. We followed the gradual unfolding, and I noticed that her arms were moving into a sort of cradling posture in front of her body. Together we went back and forth from awareness of the whole body to aware-ness of the place that was thawing to the energized arms and hands. As we remained aware of all of the incoming bodily energy and information, I got a clear sense that something new was emerging. When I shared my perceptions with the client, she affirmed what had been implicit in my awareness—that she was experiencing her whole body—self as a mothering figure that was cradling her heart (her hands had moved right next to her heart area). I asked if there was something more that she needed from me, and she replied that she would like me to move closer (we were now standing), and just gently put my hands under her elbows. She guided me to just the right amount of pressure. I sensed a very sacred interpenetration of this nurturing, warmth and support that was coming from our living bodies as well as a larger force coming from the whole environment. Gently and softly her arms started rocking side to side. She had a tender loving look on her face toward this little


one in her heart. As the session ended, she invited the strong sense of needing to care for, protect and nourish the wounded place in her heart (that had been so deeply traumatized and hurt) to continue to offer it support outside of session.

discussion: The above instance illustrates the power of co-consciousness (whole bodyawarenessinthesharedfield)toactivatelifeforwardmovement.Thefirstpartoftheexampleshowshowawareness(QC)canactivateenergythathasbecomeblocked(hardened)—likedenseenergy(cells/tissues/particles)startingtocomealive,startintomotionwhenitcon-nectswithourWBawareness.Ourjointconsciousnessallowstheenergy(wave-formfunc-tion)toawakenandcomeintobeing.Oncethathappens,wecanseehowthebodybegantoopentoalife-forwarddirection,e.g.handsandarmsmovingintothe“cradling”position.WBFopensupmanynewavenuestothedimensionofdirection asimpliedinstageVIIIof theProcessModel, thesenseofnot-knowingwhatwillemerge,yet trustingthatwhatwillcomeismorerightthanwhatonemightthink.SowhatunfoldedhereisapowerfulinstanceofwhatGendlincalls“abodilysolution”(1997,p.247;1978),wherethelivingbodygeneratesanobject,i.e.thatpartoftheenvironmentorinteractionthatisneededtocarryforwardfromwheretheprocessbecamestopped(reiterativeimplying).MyawarenessasatherapistinaWBFwaystaysattunedtothecomingforthoftheseobjects—e.g.images,energy,gestures,postures,emotionalexpression,movementsetc.,anyofwhichcanformasadirectreferentcapableofcarryingthewholeorganismforward.Thesituationpresentedin thisvignetteexemplifies the importanceofacaring-sensitiveCo-Presence thatallowsforthetypeofinteractionneededtoestablishclientsafetyandsupportthenextstepsoflifeforwardmovement.Here,frommyCo-PresenceemergedaninvitationandawillingnesstobeamoreactiveanddirectparticipantinthebodilyexpressionoftheformingofanewqualityofSelf,onethatiscapableofholdingandnurturingaveryhurt,woundedplace.AsinanyFocusingprocess,whatIofferandhowithappensisalwaysguidedbytheclient’spermissionandherfeltsenseofrightness.

summation of clinical examples:

ThesevignettesattempttoprovideabriefwindowintohowquantumconsciousnessoperatesinthetherapistinsessionsofWBFOT.WeofferedspecificexamplesthatillustratetheprinciplesofquantumphysicsastheycrosswiththoseoftheProcessModeltoshowhowtheimplicitfunctionsinthesharedfieldofexperiencing.Theseinstancesrevealtherichnessofpossibilitiesthatopenwhenourawarenessstaysattunedtotheresonatingvibrationsandenergyofthelivingbody-environmentprocess.Manyavenuesforcarryingforwardexperi-encingopenandinter-affecteachother—suchaswasevidencedintheexamples,includingawarenessofgestures,posture,movement, energy, imagery, impulses, etc.—thatariseattheedgeofawarenessinsessions.Theseedgesarethebodilyimplying,theinternalurgingof thebody-environmentasconsciousness inGroundedPresence.QCconnectswith thewave-formfunctioningofthewholebodysoitcaninterrelatewiththefrequencyofblockedorstuckplaces.Wheninvitedtosenseinwardlyandtomoveoutwardly,theseplacesstartvibratingandcomingalive to theirownpossibilities thathadbeenstoppedor impaired.Theycontaintheimplicitenergy(quanta)thatknowshowtohealandreturntoaconnection

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andintegrationwithourbodilywholeness.Buttheyneedustonoticeandwelcometheminorderforthesepotentialitiestocomeintobeing,toformtheirownpathwaytowardamoreright,functionalandintegratedbodilyliving.

ConCLusion:

Whichever proposed models of quantum consciousness turn out to be the mostaccurate description of how consciousness emerges out of the living body, WBF offersusamethodof relating skillfully toourbodies,mind,and life situations inaconsciousway that supports life forward movement. The quality of radically new awareness thatarisesduringsessionsofWBFandWBFOTseemstomatchthedepictionsofnon-localityandthesuddenemergenceintoformofsomenewentity,bothofwhicharenativetothefunctioningofquantumevents.Patternsofcurrentpsychologicalandcorrespondingneuro-biological conditioning are transcended and integrated with current functioning of con-sciousness,opening theorganismuptoverynewpossibilitiesof lifeforwardmovement.Holdingpatternsofstructural functioningareequally transformed,expanding thewholeorganism’spossibilitiesofmovementandnewwaysofbeing-in-the-world.Forexample,ifweareawareofaholdingpatternofbothwantingconnectionanddenyingconnectiontootherbecauseofpasthistory,thiscanresultinbodilyandmentaltensionanddiscomfort.Withthesupportofthewholelivingbodyingroundedpresence,awareofitselfandboththesepatterns,wecantoleratethediscomfortofholdingbothtruthsuntilanewpattern,anewwayofreceivingsupportandconnectingtoother,spontaneouslyemergesoutoftheholdingofboth.

Themoreweallowconsciousnesstoexpandanddeepeneventothecellular,tissueandmicroscopiclevelofwave-formenergy,weeventuallyreachanopenspacebetweenthenucleusandtheelectrons.Weoftenexperienceakindof“smoothness”whenweopenuptotheunderlyingspaceofourinnerbeing.Ifwecontinuetoobservelifeunfoldingthroughthisinnerbody-environmentspace,webecomeawarethatatthefundamentalleveloftheuniverse,thereispureinformationandenergy.Theseprimalpatternsofinformationandenergy seem to carry conscious precursors that give rise to our complex consciousness.Eventually though, the objects of our conscious life processes inevitably bubble up outofourinnerbody-environmentspace.Newinformationsuddenlyappearsfromaplaceoflisteningtoourselves,thesituation,andtheenvironment.Mywholebodyawarenessmasterwave-formsignatureattractstoitselfnewlifeenergyandforwardmovement.Something comes,emergingintocomplexandpreciseinformationandenergybytes,whichmatchtheclient/Focuser’spersonalsituation,andoftentheirwholehistoryofthatsituation.

InWBFOT, thepossibilitiesforhealingandreturn towholefunctionare theoreti-cally infinite.ThepointofentryformostFocusingpractices is thebodyassensedfrominside, especially the middle or torso area. In contrast, WBF opens up to four distinctspacesofthewholelivingbodyincluding:1)thewholephysicalbodyspace2)theouterenvironmentalspace3)theinnerspaceofsubtlesensoryandprioprioceptiveexperiencing,and 4) the relational interactive space of co-presencing between Focuser and Listener.


Startingfromandincludingawarenessofthesefour“types”ofspaces,thewholebody-envi-ronmentalinteractionasonelivingprocessis thehugespacethatsupportstheformationof thedirect referentand forwardmovement in stageVIIIof theProcessModel.Asweillustratedinourexamples,

To carry forward the whole of a situation, [is] to be in a full-bodied pro-cess . . . Just how would it be to live full-bodiedly, to carry forward the whole of routine situations? It would be a new stage. Some new kind of “environ-ment” could render the whole of our situation, and let us live it forward as a whole. (Gendlin,1997,p.225)

AsGendlin explicates, “InVIII anewspaceopens . . . in interactionwithanewsenseofSelfandanewkindof‘feel’.”(1997,p.218)InWBF,this“feel”istheactivationofenergyandmovementfromthewholelivingbody-environmentspace,onethatismuchlargerthanpreviouslyacknowledged.Thisnewstageorlevelofbeinghuman,asexplicatedbythequantumfieldtheoryofconsciousness,connectsourparticularity(wherewearenowasindividualsinourprocess)withauniversality(theentirefieldofBeingthathasinfinitepossibilities).ThisiswhatwebelieveGendlinreferstowhenhestatesthat,“ . . . This is why the VIII space is empty, and yet is sensed as so full of the life meanings being carried forward as a whole complexity” (1997,p.246).

Itistheholdingofboththatactivatesthequantumfield,enlivensitsenergyandinfor-mation,andtherebymovesustowardourownrightwayofbeing-in-the-world—andwhatGendlinmaybereferringtoasanewsequencethatchanges/transformsthewholecontext.SimilartoHolographictheoryinwhichthewholeiscontainedineverypart,andeachpartisintertwinedwiththewhole,inthisnewsequence“thebodyalwaysfocallyimpliesanextstep,alsoimplicitlyincludesall sequences that ever were, inameshsotheyareimplicitineachother...”(1997,p.220,emphasisadded).Inthissequence,thefrequencyandenergyofpartsofourselvesmovetowardreorganizingthemselvesinharmonicresonancewithourmasterwavefunction.Whatresultsisourlivingbodybecomesmorealignedwithinitself,withitsownoptimalwayofbeing(FunctionalWholeness),withothersandwithallofLife(UniversalFieldofBeing).

Wehavefound thatWBFexpands theprocessofFocusingboth in therapyand inpartnershipstowardsafulfillmentofGendlin’svisionoftheProcessModelandphilosophyoftheimplicit.Furthermore,thefunctioningofquantumconsciousnessasdescribedabovedemonstratestheefficacyofthiskindofwholebodyawarenesstosensemoreinsideofthesharedfieldofexperiencingbetweenFocuserandListener(orclientandtherapist).WeviewthegrowthofFocusingasanexpansionofconsciousnessthatcontinuestobemoreinclusiveofavarietyofchannelsofinformation,energy,andknowingthatcomesfromthewholelivingbody-environmentinteraction.WebelievethatWBFisacarryingforwardin practiceofwhatQuantumPhysicsandGendlin’sworkhavealreadylaidout,includingnewavenues,edges,andconceptsthatallowformoretobeincludedinFocusingtheory,teaching,andpractice.

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direCtions For Future inQuiry:

FutureresearchmighttakeseveraldifferentapproachestotestthemodelofQuantumConsciousnessfunctioninginsideofsessionsofWBFandWBFOT.First,itwouldbehelp-fultomapoutthecharacteristicsoforganismicwholenessinaprecisewaysothatwecouldbegintomeasurethebeneficialeffectsofWBFandWBFOT.Inalaboratorysetting,itmaybepossibletomeasuretheelectromagneticfieldeffectsofwholebodyawarenessduringthefeltshiftandforwardmovementphasesofactualsessions,bothforFocuserandListener.Astechnologycontinuestodevelopitsabilitytomeasuresubtlementalandenergeticphe-nomena,itmightbecomepossibletotracktheactualmomentofthepostulatedmasterwaveform signal signature and its correlated effects onfiring throughout thebrain/body. Forexample,inarecentstudy,Senba(2011)reportsusingvideoandcomputertechnologytomeasuredifferencesinpsycho-physicalresponsepatternswhensubjectsarebothinandoutofgroundedpresence.Thisevidence-basedresearchprojectoffersusanewmethodologicalandtypologicalframeworktoexplorethesubtletiesandcomplexityofWholebodyfeltsens-inganddirectexperiencing.

Second,aspractitionersandtrainersofWBFandWBFOT,wecancontinuetorecordlivesessions,transcribethem,andcodifythepatternsthatemergeasevidenceofquantumconsciousnesseffectsonbothFocuserandListener.Third,weencourageadetailedtypo-logicalexplorationofthevariousavenuesandobjectsofexperientialcarryingforwarddur-ingsessionsofWBFandWBFOT.Thistypologicalexplorationmightincludefurtherstudyoftheroleofgestural,posturalandkinestheticawareness,aswellasthevariousmodesofoutwardexpressivenesswhichalsobringnewlifeandenergytoourissuesandsituations(Fleisch,2010).

Wehope that thisarticlehas fueled the reader’spassion forWholebodyFocusing,FocusingOrientedTherapy,andGendlin’sTheoryof theImplicit.Wealsohopethat thescientificinformationandthebroadscopeofitsphilosophicalandclinicalimplicationshaveofferedthereaderssomefoodforthoughtastopossibilitiesforfutureapplicationsandlifeforwardmovement.

Acknowledgement:WearegratefultotheinsightfulsupportandgenerousassistanceofourguesteditorJudyMooreaswellasfromFolioeditors,BalaJaison,andPaulaNowick.Thisfinalversionistrulyacollaborativeeffortandtheirhelphasimproveditimmensely.

reFerenCes

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Davidson,R.J.,Kabat-Zin,J.,Schumacher,J.,Rosenkranz,M.,Muller,D.,Santorelli,S.F.,et al. (2003).Alterations inbrain and immune functionproducedbymindfulnessmeditation.Psychosomatic Medicine,65(4),564-570.

Fleisch,G.(2011).Co-presencinginwholebodyfocusingorientedtherapy:Carryingforwardblockedprocessandstructureboundstatesthroughinteractiveengagement.InThe Focusing Connection.XXVIII(1),Jan,2011.

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Fleisch,G.&Whalen,K.(2010).WholebodyFocusing-orientedtherapy:Fouravenuesofwholebodyfeltsensingfortransformingsymptomsoftrauma(unpublished).

Frohlich, H. (1968). Long-range coherence and energy storage in biological systems.International Journal of Quantum Chemistry 2:p.641-649.

Gendlin,E.T.(1978).Thebody’sreleasingstepsinexperientialprocess.InJ.L.Fosshage&P.Olsen(Eds.)Healing. Implications for psychotherapy.NewYork:HumanSciencesPress.

Gendlin,E.T.(1978/1981).Focusing.NewYork:BantamBooks.

Gendlin,E.T.(1992).Thewiderroleofbodilysenseinthoughtandlanguage,InSheets-Johnstone,M.Giving the body its due.Albany,NY:AlbanyStateUniversityofNewYorkPress.

Gendlin, E.T. (1996). Focusing oriented psychotherapy: A manual of the experiential method.NewYork:Guilford.

Gendlin,E.T.(1997).A process model.Chicago:UniversityofChicagoPress.

Gendlin,E.T.(1962/1997).Experiencing and the creation of meaning: A philosophical and psychological approach to the subjective. Chicago:NorthwesternUniversityPress.

Gendlin,E.T.(inpress).Implicitprecision.InZ.Radman(Ed.).Knowing without thinking: The theory of the background in philosophy of mind.Basingstoke:PalgraveMacMillan(forthcoming).

Gendlin,E.T. (inpress)The timeof theexplicatingprocess. InS.C.Koch,T.Fuchs,&C.Müller(Eds.).Body memory, metaphor and movement.Amsterdam:JohnBen-jamins (forthcoming). From the Gendlin online library. http://www.focusing.org/gendlin/pdf/gendlin_the_time_of_the_explicating_process_o.f.pdf

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Goswami, A. (1993). The self-aware universe: How consciousness creates the material world.NewYork:Putnam.

Hameroff,S.R.&Penrose,R.(1996).Consciouseventsasorchestratedspacetimeselections.Journal of Consciousness Studies. 3(1):36-53.

Hameroff,S.R. (1998).Fundamentalgeometry:ThePenrose-HameroffORchORmodelof consciousness. In: The Geometric Universe: Science, Geometry and the Work of Roger Penrose.Eds.S.A.Huggett,L.J.Mason,K.P.Tod,S.T.Tsou,andN.M.J.Woodhouse.Oxford,UK:OxfordPress,pp.135-160.

Heisenberg,W.(1971).Physics and beyond. NewYork:Harper&Row.

Heisenberg,W.(1958).Physics and philosophy: The revolution in modern science.NewYork:HarperPerennial.

McFadden,J.(2002).Theconsciouselectromagneticinformation(CEMI)fieldtheory:Thehardproblemmadeeasy.Journal of Consciousness Studies 9 (4):23-50.

Mindell,A.(2004).The quantum mind and healing: How to listen and respond to your body’s symptoms.Charlottesville,Virginia:HamptonRoadsPublishingCompany.

Penrose,R.(1989).The emperor’s new mind.Oxford,UK:OxfordPress.

Penrose,R.(1994).Shadows of the mind.Oxford,UK:OxfordPress.

Radin,D.(1997).The conscious universe: The scientific truth of psychic phenomena.SanFrancisco:HarperCollins.

Rosenblum,B.&Kuttner,F.(2006).Quantum enigma: Physics encounters consciousness.NewYork:OxfordUniversityPress.

Schroedinger, E. (1935). Discussion of probability relations between separated systems.Cambridge Philosophical Society Proceedings. 31(555).

Schwartz,J.M.&Begley,S.(2003).The mind and the brain: Neuroplasticity and the power of mental force.NewYork:HarperCollins.

Senba,J.(2011).Measuring the Differential Effects on Psycho-Physical Response Patterns comparing Subject’s Felt Experiencing of Focusing Attitude (Grounded Presence).Master’sthesistranslatedfromJapanese.

Siegel, D.J. (2007). The mindful brain: Reflection and attunement in the cultivation of well- being.NewYork:W.W.Norton&Co.

Stapp,H.(1977).Theoryofreality.Foundations of Physics. 7:313.

Stapp, H. (1979). Whiteheadian approach to quantum theory and the generalized bell’stheorem.Foundations of Physics. 9:1.

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VanderKooy,A.&McEvenue,K.(2006).Focusing with your whole body.Toronto:ReprintPress.

Weiser-Cornell,A.&McGavin,B.(2002).The focusing student’s and companion’s manual.Berkeley,CA:CallunaPress.

Whalen,K.(2009).ParticipatorySpirituality:Theinter-relationalfieldofsharedpresencebetweenWholebodyFocuserandListener.In Focus. IX(1),Jan.2009.

Whalen, K. (2009). Using Wholebody Focusing Oriented Therapy to reduce stress andtrauma. Paper Presented at the First World Conference of Focusing Oriented Therapies. StonyPoint,NewYork.

Whalen,K.&McEvenue,K.(2011).Wholebody focusing, Active consciousness, and the living body. ReprintSelfPublishedManuscript.

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Part 2

researChing FoCusing

O

incorPorATing reseArch inTo your exPerienTiAl And FoT PrAcTice • 11�

inCorPorating researCh into your eXPerientiaL and Fot PraCtiCe:

midwifing the implicit

Kevin C. Krycka, Psy. D.

abstraCt

ThinkingfreshlyisattheheartofanapproachtoresearchIcallImplicitInquiry.ImplicitInquiry has a process-oriented methodology with practical ways to carry forward one’swholeimplicitknowingintoaformthatcanbepubliclyshared.ItispartThinkingAttheEdge,partembodiedphenomenologyandpartaesthetics.

Withthisapproachinmind,anyonecan‘do’researchbetter,butmainly,Iwanttoemphasizethateveryonewhoisusingtheirfelt-sensingisalreadyengagedinthefundamen-talprocessesofImplicitInquirythatmakesforcreatinginspiredknowledge.TheaimoftheImplicitInquiryapproachistoopenupthearenaofFocusing-relatedresearchconceptuallyandpracticallysothatnewknowledgeflowsintotheworldfrommultiplesources(e.g.psy-chotherapy,business,economics,physics,andsoforth).Especiallyimportanttothehumansciencesistheideathatweadvanceandcreateknowledgethatisrelevant,responsive,andable tomove forward the focusof inquiry—regardlessof content or location.Listening,dwelling, and responding are key attributes of this approach that are well known to theFocusingcommunitythroughbothpracticeandthroughGendlin’sphilosophy.

Mypersonal hope is to build an atmospherewithin theFocusing community thatholdsitselfasalegitimatesourceofnewknowledge.

inCorPorating researCh into your eXPerientiaL and Fot PraCtiCe: midwifing the implicit

IthinkitafaircharacterizationtosaythatmanywithintheFocusingcommunitydonotfirstseethemselvesasresearchers.Ontheonehand,thisisagoodsign,asitshowsweareprimarilycommittedtodwellingdeeplywithinasthisisthefulcrumformovingfor-wardinallsortsofdirectionsandsituations.Being-with,dwelling,restingalongside—theseareinourblood.Ontheotherhand,ourcommunityismaturingandisnowinthepositionto offer to our respective specializations new forms of knowledge and new methods forbirthingthatknowledge.TheFocusingcommunitycanoffertoallresearchersagenerativeattitude that includesacceptance,humility,andaestheticappreciation.Thatanarticleonresearchisshowingupinourcommunitynow,andinavolumehighlightingtheconfluenceofourworkwithscience,doesnotsurpriseme.Weareready.

ThepoetRainerMariaRilkegavethisobservationtohisyoungapprentice,FranzKappus,regardingthemomentapoem’slifeemergeswithinthepoet:

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For they are the moments when something new has entered us, something unknown; our feelings grow mute in the shy embarrassment, everything in us withdraws, a silence arises, and the new experience, which no one knows, stands in the midst of it all and says nothing.

Letters to a Young Poet, (Rilke,1992),p.64.

Mostlikelymanyofushavehadthisexperienceandhavelearnednotonlytohonorthebuddingidea,butalsotocultivateit.WeknowtoosomethingthatRilkedoesn’tmention.Weknowthat‘the new experience, which no one knows . . . and says nothing’,infacthasagreatdealofwisdom.Researchformeiscultivatingthoseunknownfeelings,especiallyatthebeginning,andinfact,throughoutitsentirelifecycle.Itinvolvessensingsomethingfromtheinside,lettingitdwellperhapsinsilence,butnotalways,andthenhavingitassistmeasIdevelopthat‘something’intoaprojectthatwillhelpgivevoicetosomeexperienceorsituation.

I realizeda fewyearsago thatwhenIampurposefully tapping intomyfeltsensewhileworkingonaresearchproject,Iwasgivingsomethingtothealreadydefinedmethodthathadn’texistedbefore.My felt sensecontinuedon in the sequences.When I refer toresearchapproachesassequences,Imeanthattheycarrywiththemtheirbasicassumptionsand thehostofpossibleapplicationsand refinedpractices thatwillcomewith theiruse.Butnowmyresearchcontinuedinoriginal,creative,andevenunexpectedways.Indoingqualitativeresearch,whichismyspecialty,myfeltsensingopeneduptheinquiry,takingmebeyondtheparameterssetbythemethodology.OutofthisgenerativeconditionImplicitInquirydeveloped.

Inbrief,ImplicitInquiryistheintentionaluseofbodilysensingfortheproductionofknowledge.

Iask thereader to take thispaperasanexampleofaway inwhichaknowingofsomething(inmycase,knowingresearchmethodologies)becamesilent,assomethingnewwantedtocomeintoit.Bybodilyreferringtothesomethingthatwantedtocomeintoanalreadyestablishedcontext(e.g.researchmethodologies),Idonotabandonthecontextanditsspecificity(e.g.itssequencesandsymbolizations).Rather,mybodilystirringsbecomefresh sequences and spaces from/with new research conceptualizations and meaningscancome.

ProbLematiCs inVoLVed in doing FoCusing-oriented researCh

Choosing between Kinds of sequences

All researchstrategiesaim to reveal somethingabout life,whileat thesame timetheyrevealassumptionsaboutlife.Themanyresearchapproaches,whicharealreadylaidoutandavailabletous,functionaswholesequences.Eachsequencehasitsownimplyings:meanings,patternsandpotentialforcarryingforwardcertainspecificdistinctions.Ifweusearesearchapproachasitstheoryandpracticesdictate,wewillgetmoreofthatsequenceandwhat theapproachesimplying, imply.Inotherwords,wewillgetmoreof thesame,


onlymore complex.Admittedly I amputting this in either/or languagewhile the actualpracticeofresearchofteninvolvesacreativeelementunanticipatedbytheoriginalmethod(sequence).

Gendlin’sProcessModel (1997a)points tohowfelt sensingencouragessomethingnewtocomefromagivensequence,therebychangingthatsequenceandallitwillfurtherbe.Inchaptereight,hediscusseshowthefeltsensecanworktoopenup‘newsequencesandspaces’fromthesequenceweareusing.Letmedescribeitthisway.Whenweuseasequencewithprecisionandthoughtfulness,suchasaparticularmethodofresearch,wemaynoticethatakindofparticularspacehasopenedupforusthatwecanfeel.Perhapsyouhavehadthisexperienceandrecognizethisspaceas‘beinginthezone’or‘droppinginto’acreativerhythm.Thesequenceisstillthereworking,butnowinadifferentway.

Gendlinexplainshisspecializeduseoftheterms‘sequences’and‘spaces’inchap-terssevenandeightofA Process Model (aPM)(Gendlin,1997a).InthisspiritIrefertothemajorresearchparadigmsaskindsofVIIsequencesthatopenupfreshsequencesandspacesinwhichtheVIIsequencewillgoforward,evenifunpredictablyso.AsDunaetz(2011)haspointedout,inchaptereight,Gendlinalsoindicatesthatwholenewapproaches(sequences,inGendlin’slanguage)cancomefromthegenerativefeltsensingwedo.Thefreshlygenerativesequences‘dropout’awholenewspace.

Inthecontextofresearch,thefirstchallengeinworkingwithourwholefelt-sensingprocess(whatGendlintermsVIII processinhisProcessModel)istheconundrumofchoos-ingbetweenthedominatingresearchsequences:quantitative,qualitative,ormixed.Itmightalsoappearthatthisisamuchtoosimplisticchoiceanddoesnotfitthedeeperunderstand-ingthatlifecannotbecontainedbythesesequences.Forthosesoinclined,determiningtheunderlyingphilosophical,ontological,epistemological(threekindsofVIIsequences)basisofeachmethodologyiscritical.However,asIdiscusslater,therealchallengeistobeabletothinkfreshlywithandbeyondthesesequences.

Pragmatically,workingfromone’simplicitknowingdoesn’tnecessarilymeanchoos-ingbetweenmethodsforresearch,butdoesimplythatwehavesomebasicunderstandingoftheirunderlyingmethodologicaldimensions(theirVIIcharacteristics).BeforeIpresentmoreonImplicitInquiry,letmesayalittleaboutthethreepredominantkindsofstrategiescurrentlyusedby themajorityofsocialandhumanscienceresearchpractitioners. Iwillnecessarilyleavetoothersmorequalifiedtodiscussresearchproceduresandissuesastheyrelatetobiological,neurological,orenvironmentalconcerns.

historical overview: three Classical research methods

Quantitative.Mostcurrentapproachestosocialandhumanscienceresearchempha-sizecreatingaquantitativemeasurementtodemonstratethetruth/validityofahypothesizedtheoryaboutacondition,situation,behavior,thoughtprocess,etc.—basically,anythingthatcanbetransformedintoanumericvalue.Quantitativemethodologyasksthequestions‘why’and ‘how’,based largelyonapositivistworldviewof causeandeffect relationsbetweenindependentparts.Inthisview,theworldisgiventousalreadycomplete.Weunearthits

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hiddenpartsandarrangethemincasualrelationsthroughdevelopingtheoryandmethodsthatcan‘prove’theirexistenceinspaceandtime.Quantitativemethodshavesetnotionsof what constitutes validity, reliability, and generalizability. Validity refers to whether ameasure(e.g.anytest)willactuallymeasurewhatitintendstomeasure.Reliabilityreferstotheconsistencyofameasure.Ameasureisconsideredvalidifthetestitemsarefoundtorelatetotheintendedconceptunderstudy.Itisreliableifwegetthesameornearlythesameresultsrepeatedlyofthemeasureovertime.Specificmethods(e.g.surveyandexperimentalresearch)aredesignedtotestthehypothesesbyaskingwhysomethingisso,(e.g.whyitisasitis)andhowwecanstoporencouragewhatisso...fromhappeningagain.Forexample,wewanttostudytheeffectofFocusingondepression.TohelpusdetermineifFocusinghasanyeffectondepression,thequantitativeresearchermayhaveparticipantsfilloutthesamedepressionscalebeforeandafterreceivingFocusinginstruction.Theresultsgiveusameasurementofthelevelofdepressionwhichwecancompare.

InmanyplacesGendlinreferstotheapproachtorealityunderlyingquantitativemeth-odologyasthe‘unitmodel’(Gendlin,1993;Gendlin,1997c;Gendlin&Johnson,2004).Limitationsof thisstrategy includerelianceuponcausalityanddeterminism,andreduc-ingvastandnuancedexperiencetonumericvalues.Additionally,quantitativeapproachesfocusondemonstratingeffects.Asignificantpartofqualitativeresearchinvolvesevaluatingeffects(i.e.outcomes)baseduponmeasuresofvalidity,reliability,andgeneralizabilityoffindings.IntheFocusingcommunitytherearemanyfineexamplesofquantitativeresearchthathelpaddressquestionslike,‘WhydoesFocusingwork?’or‘Towhatextentdoesbody-awarenessmakeforsuccessfulweightreduction?’AgoodresourcetofindoutmoreaboutquantitativestudiesandFocusingcanbefoundathttp://www.focusing.org/research.html.

Qualitative. Qualitative methodology is best described as a family of approachesthatcanhelpusunderstandandarticulatesomeaspectoflife,andourlivingoflife,byask-ingquestionsrelatedtorevealing‘what’islife?The‘what’issometimesreferredtoasanessence(e.g.HusserlianandGiorgidescriptiveapproach),itsinterpretedmeaning(e.g.Hei-deggerianandHermeneuticapproaches),itslinguisticstructure(e.g.Narrativeapproach),oritssituational-environmentalstructure(e.g.GroundedTheory),tonameafew.AnexampleofaqualitativeapproachusingFocusingcanbefoundinmystudyontheimpactoflearningFocusingonpersonswithAIDS(Krycka,1997).

Detractorsofquantitativeapproaches like tosay thatqualitativeworkbringsbackthehumanelement intoresearch,andourunderstandingof theworld inwhichweexist.Likequantitativemethodology,aqualitativeapproachisbasedonaparticularworldview,butadifferentworldviewthanthepositivistone.Qualitativeworkemphasizestheworldasgiven,interpreted,constructed,orparticipatory.Qualitativemethodologiesarereallylikea‘family’,andlikemanyfamilies,arefullofdifferentopinionsregardinghowtobestgatherdataanddescribe‘what’thephenomenonunderstudyisorrepresents.Unlikequantitativemethodologywherethereisacentralgroupofguidingprinciplesforconductingresearch(e.g.establishingvalidity,reliability,andgeneralizability),thereareavastnumberofguid-ingprinciplesandversionsofqualitativemethodology,toomanytopresenthere.


The limitationsof this approacharegenerallyvoicedas contrasts to thedominat-ingquantitativestrategies.Qualitativemethodologiesviewvalidityandreliabilityascon-stituted through the rigorof studyand systematicwaysabouthowweconduct research.Sincequalitativestrategiesareaboutproducingdeepknowledgeandnotgeneralizabilitytolargepopulations,thisisnotaveryimportantissueforthequalitativeresearcher.Examplesof qualitative strategies include, Ethnography (LeCompte & Schensul, 1999), GroundedTheory(Strauss&Corbin,1990),CaseStudies(Stake,1995),Phenomenological(Giorgi,2009;Moustakas,1994),Narrative(Clandinin&Connelly,2000),Heuristic(Moustakas,1990),Embodied(Todres,2007),andIntuitive(Anderson,2004).Asyoucanseethereareprobablyasmanyqualitativeapproachesasthereareself-definedqualitativeresearchers!

TwoveryfinegeneraltextsonbothapproachesareCreswell’s,Qualitative inquiry & research design: Choosing among five approaches, (Creswell&PlanoClark,2007) andResearch design: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches, (Creswell,2009).Additionally,AndersonandBraud(2011)haveanexcellentbookontranspersonalresearchmethodsthatmightbeofinterest.

mixed methods.Aseeminglycreativesolutiontothelimitationsofquantitativeandqualitativeapproachesinthesocialandhumansciencesisto‘mix’themtogether,bylook-ing at one phenomenon through both lenses (Creswell, Klassen, Plano Clark, & Smith,2011).Theaimistobroadenunderstandingofanareaofinterestandthusbetterexplainit.Itisassumedthatdoingsowillhelpcoverthedeficitsofthequantitativeandqualitativestrate-giesandgiveusamore‘truthful’accountingoftheworldinwhichwelive.Manymixedmethodsstrategieshaveevolvedin thehealthsciences,suchasnursingandoccupationaltherapy(Lysack&Krefting,1994),communicationsstudies(Daymon&Holloway,2010),AIDSprevention,(Janzetal.,1996),andeducation(Johnson&Onwuegbuzie,2004)areotherexamples.

AsIhavementionedabove,aproblematicfordoingFocusing-orientedresearchliesinunderstanding theorientation (e.g. thephilosophical, ontological, andepistemologicalground)uponwhichthemethodswechoosestand.Mixedmethodsstrategiesdonotreleaseusfromthetoughquestionsanddecisionsthatarisefromattemptingtoblendtwometh-odologies; in fact, theymaymake it all thatmuchharderbecause theycome fromverydifferentstartingpoints.Partofanysuccessfulprogramofresearch,evenifitinvolvesoneproject, is thoughtfully considering thebasicorientationof themethods at ourdisposal.Focusing-orientedresearchhasmanyoptionsforresearch.Thequestionformehasbecomewhether theexistingmodelsandmethods,mixedornot,doindeedhavewhat it takestorevealwhatisgoingoninthemanypracticesofFocusingandfelt-sensingthathaveemergedoverthepast50years.

thinking from Whole Felt-sensing Process, not distinctions First

Another,secondproblematicissuefordoingFocusing-orientedresearchexiststotheextent that we are learning to think from implicit knowing. Anyone who has tackled A Process Model (aPM)will likelyattest to thechallenges itbrings.Butunderstandinga

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densephilosophicaltextlikeaPM,withitsmanyphilosophicallyimportantterms,isnotas important tomeas thechallenge in recognizingwhenIamreflexively thinkingfromsequences,particularlythoseVIIsequencesweknowasquantitative,qualitative,andmixedmethodologies.

Tobetterunderstand Implicit Inquiry it is important toknow thatwedonotneedthephilosophicalconceptsofaPMtomakeourwayfreshlytoanewarea.Theprocessofthinkingfromone’swholefelt-sensingofsomethingisalreadyavailable(evenifyouarenotaPMgeek!)Forexample,Imaystartoffwitharelativelysmallitemtoworkon,andthenfindIamcreatingawholenewdiscipline,ormaybere-conceptualizingawell-knownfield.TheImplicitInquiryprocesscallsmetomakeroomforabigpauseinside—atanyjunctureinthework—sometimesfollowedbyanaccompanyingbigsmileofrecognition,andthenintentionallyturninginwardtofindtheimplicitwholefromwhichImeantowork,andthethreadsinherenttherethatImeanttogetto.Simplyput,thinkingfromimplicitknowingwithintheImplicitInquiryframeworkrevealsthatIcannotbesurewhereIwillendup!

Letmeoffertwoexamplesofknowledge-buildingthatmayhelpfurtherdistinguishthinkinginunitmodeltermsandthinkingfromtheimplicit.Eachexamplemightappeartobelikeprocessthinking(VIIIprocess)butactuallyisn’t,atall.Iwillthensuggestawayforustorevealwhat(Idobelieve)Focusingcanoffertoresearchandscience.

example one: the relativity of approaches. ItisclearthatinourvarioussettingsweFocusingresearchersdemonstratethecapacitytolivealongsidedifferingorientations,even fostering well-matched connections between apparently divergent strains of theoryandpractice.Wedothis,Ibelieve,withgoodintentions.Weseethatwedonot‘own’theworldofideasandpractices.Wetrynottoexhibithubrisorsolipsism.Still,weruntheriskofstoppinggeneratingnewauthenticityinoursituations(ourfreshlylivingofthislivingsequence)whenweforestall thecreative impulsefoundinwardlyasweattendthere.Werightlysenseweare‘crossing’differentkindsofknowingwhenwedoso.Weareindeed‘crossing’asGendlindescribesitinaPMwhenwe‘makeconnections’tootherconceptualfamiliesandpractices,if wearenotmerelythinkingreflexivelyfromthatconceptualfam-ily.Wearecrossingkindsofsequences,forinstance,aswemovetowardmakingconnec-tionsbetweenFocusingandMindfulness(e.g.morethinkingfromVIIpatterns).WeareinvolvedinImplicitInquirywhenweuseourfeltsensespace(VIII)tomaketheconnec-tionandpossiblythenre-conceptualizethementirely.InImplicitInquiry,crossingkindsofsequenceshelpscarryforwarditsdistinctivecontributionswhiletheirverymeetingchangeseach(Gendlin,1995).Everybitoflivingisalsoanimplying,acrossingofeverythingbyeverything.Ifweweresimplybridging,orbringingclosertogetherwell-formedideas(VIIsequencekinds),wegainasmallstepbutpotentiallyforfeitsomethingnewintheworld.Thisisgoodworkinsofarasweprimarilywishtoretaincitizenshipinourinterestdomains,butwecandomore.

example two: the apparent gulf between body-sensing and sociality. ItisclearthattheFocusingcommunityhaschampionedtherightandrelevanceoftheinner life inmanywaysandplacesacrosstheplanet.TheongoingtransformationalworkbeingdoneintheMideast(Omidian,2011;Lawrence,2005)andCentralAmericaarejusttwoexamples.

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This work is a significant and ongoing revolution. I heard Mary Hendricks once say ata conference (2000, Fifth International Conference on Client-Centered and ExperientialPsychotherapy),thatFocusingwithitsattendancetoinwardtruth-tellingbringswithitfree-domfromtheconstraintsofjudgment,suspicion,andoppression—inwardlyandoutwardly.Inthissense,shecorrectlycapturedthesocialimportoflivingalifewithfelt-sensingatitsheart.

Aproblemcanarisethough,whenweassumethattherichnessofourinnerworldpossessesaguaranteeofaplaceinthepublicworldwhereallweneeddoisgoinsideandfindthecorrectwordforit.Ourbody-sensingtellsusthatourinnerrealityisprecious,butittellsusmore,Ibelieve.Whenweopentotheknowledgewithin,wesometimesseethatit(whateverITis)ispresenttous,notonlyinfindingasymbol’s‘fit’toourinwardbody-sense,butalsoinourmakinganefforttobringthewholeprocesssequence(notjustthissymbolfittingnow)out intotheworld.AsGendlin(1997a)puts it,“Thebody-sensingisthenewrendering, thenewregistry, thenewenvironmentalversioningofwhat thebodyis,implies,justwas”,(p.239).Inthisregard,Iunderstandfeltbody-sensingtofunctionnotonlytomakeabridgebetweenmajorconceptualwaysofunderstandinghumanexistence(thegoing on inaVIIsequence),butalsotofunctioninitsownway—awaythatisbothinnerdirectedandyetultimatelysocietal.ButjusthereIhaveleftGendlinabit.Iamtakinghis ‘newrendering’ further to implyanewenvironment,asocietalenvironment that theVIIIsequencegoesonin.

implicit inquiry as midwifery

Throughthenewrenderingbroughtforththroughembodieddwelling,listening,andresponding,wehavealreadycreatedanopenspaceforemergingformsofknowledgebysimply ‘doing’ what we know so well to do as Focusers. But this kind of open/creativespace,thegenerativekind,alsoneedssomeassistancefromus(andbyextensionourFocus-ingcommunity).Ametaphorthatresonatesformeisthatofthemidwife.Midwiferymaynotbewellknowntotraditionalscienceasametaphor,butforthoseofusworkingwithbody-sensing, it is likely something very well known. Midwifery helps me imagine thelegitimatizationoftheartofbirthingknowledgethroughandwiththeembodiedorganiza-tionofmyinnerness.

AsGendlinhaspointedoutsincehisfirstpublishedarticlesandbook,itisthroughourconsciouslyattendingtoandfollowingourfeltsensethatwebirthfreshthinking(Gen-dlin,1997a).Howhumanbeingscan‘Dothinking’fromtheirfeltsenseisthefocusofmuchofhisphilosophicalandpsychologicalwriting.ForGendlin,sensingiswhatgivesrisetoourthinking,Hisconceptspointtohow‘thinking’comesfromawholeprocess,notmerelycognitionorfeeling.Ifindthinkingfrommyfeltsensetobeamazinglygenerativework.Itispersonallyrefreshingandinterpersonallycompelling.Myhopeisthatdoingresearchfromthinking(inGendlin’sway)willlikewisebeasrefreshingandcompellingtoyouinyourlifesituation.

Asmentionedearlier, tostart researchfrominnerexperiencemayseemoddlyoutof place in traditional methods—such as quantitative ones—as they appear too slippery

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and ‘subjective’. Arguably body-sensing is everywhere, ubiquitous to everything we are,do,contemplate,andenvision.Embodiedknowledge,ontheotherhand,presentsuswithapreciseformofknowledge(embodiedfelt-knowledge)thatwecanintentionallyutilizeinourwork.ImplicitInquiryusesthisprecise,innerknowing(inherentinallofus)tofreshlyformandexplicateideasandalsotodistributetheseideasandresearchinthemanyformstheymaytake.

ImplicitInquiryisanemergingmodelforresearchthatunderstandsanyphenomenonbeingstudiedasadistinctionfromamuchbroaderimplicitlyfunctioningworld.Theongoing occurring of environment, body, and language as oneisawaytodescribeboththeimplicitfunctioningofexistenceandourexperiencingofit.‘Implicit’knowingisdifferentinchar-acterandfeelthanknowledgebasedonalreadyexplicated,logically-orderedunits.JustasBodyisnotjusttissueprocesses,knowledgeisnotmerelylogicalinorigin.TheBodyanditsknowinghasitsownexperientialorder,awiderorderinwhichprocessesandsequencesaredistinguishedfromtheexperientialorder(Gendlin,1997c;Krycka,2007).Thisexperientialorderismoreprecisethantheprecisionofourlogicalthinking.Forinstance,weknowfarmorethanwecaneversay.Howisthisso?

Gendlin,andnowmanyothers,haveproducedasignificantbodyofworkthatattempttogiveanswerstothatquestion.Gendlin’sresponseisfoundthroughouthisworks,butisnotablyarticulatedinhisnewphilosophyof‘entryintotheimplicit’(A Process Model).Inmyreadingofit,A Process Model presentsamodelaboutlivingthathasagreatdealtosayaboutresearch.Init,GendlinspeaksofkeyprinciplesthatIbelievecanbeshowntodirectlyrelatetoresearch:Occurring into Implying,Interaction First,andInteraffecting.Eachisaveryrichterritorythatdeservestheattentionofaresearcher.Forourpurposeswewanttoseetheseprinciplesinactionandseehowtheycaninformafundamentallymoregenerousviewofresearch.

occurring-into-implying (oi)

Events are studied inquantitative,qualitative, andmixedapproaches.Thegeneralattitudeinscienceandinmostquantitativeandmixedresearch(andevensomequalitative)startsnotwithprocesseventsbutdistinctevents(e.g.perceptions,feelings,behaviors,etc.).Gendlin’sgeniusistostartwithprocesseventsbymakingnewdistinctions.Processeventsarethusstartlinglyfreshandrelevant.InasmuchasImplicitInquiryhelpsusthinkfreshly,it arises from any process event that can be studied as freshly specified distinctions. Incommonlyusedresearchmethods,theentireprocessisfirstsubdivided,payingverylittleattention to thewhole that isprior to itsdivisionsneededforstudy. Ifwefirstname thesequences(e.g.kindsofresearchpractices,behaviors,events,feelings,complexthoughts)as such,wecan thenmove towardmakingof any aspect (the entire sequence, event, orbehavior)ofthewholeprocessourfocusofstudyandexperimentation.Anysequenceisstillitsownoccurring-into-implyingthatcanbebodilyrecognized,butisnowalsoa‘separate’event.Distinction-firsttendstoleaveoutourwholeliving,buttheOIconcepthelpsusbringalongtheentiresequencingofeventsintoourresearch.


interaction First—everything by everything

Beforeweare,thereisinteraction.Wehumans(alsocaterpillars,governments,events,etc.)donotbeginasseparatedunits.Thisistrueforbodies,fish,concepts,ecosystems,andtheuniverse.Itiseventrueofdoingresearch.Wearewholefirstandthecharacterofthat‘wholeness’isa“giganticsystemofhereandotherplaces,nowandothertimes,youandotherpeople—infact,thewholeuniverse”(Gendlin,1982p.77).Thisisabitofaphilo-sophicalphrase,onethatmayseemoutofplaceindiscussingresearchpractices.However,ifweextendinteraction firstintoresearch,wewillseethatphenomenoninterrelatealready,waitingforustodistinguishsignificantaspectsforstudy.Thus,insteadofseeingresearchasinvolvingdiscretepartsthatcanberearrangedandmergedintosome‘whole’,wecanseetheresearchenterpriseasaprocess,keepinginmindthatthe‘things’and‘parts’wefindtostudyareproductsoftheconceptsweemploy.ImplicitInquiryencouragesresearcherstomakenewconceptsthatwillenhanceexperiencinginnewways.Thus,thereisnooneentirethingthatwestudy;thesumofthepartsdoesnotequalawhole,butweneedthefreshlyarrivingnewpartstodoourwork.

interaffecting

Thisisanothernewtermthatfurthersignifieshowinteractionfirstfunctionsintheworld.Themanypossibilitiesarealreadyaffectedbycountlessotherinfluences,whicharethemselvesalreadyaffectedby(....).Aversionofthisstatementseemscommonknowl-edgetodayinthehumanandsocialsciences,butitretainstheoldmodel—thoughsomewhatimproved.Intheoldmodels,possibilities,events,anddeterminantsstillactbythemselves.Butanyalternativehasnotbeendescribedorexplainedwell,untilnow.Interaffectinghelpsexplain/describehowperception,feeling, thinking,andbehavingcometobeasashared(derived from unseparated ongoing living). Additionally, interaffecting describes howalready distinct things relate (they inter-affect) and change each other (carry each otherforward).InresearchdevelopedfromImplicitInquiry,interaffectingisakeyprinciple,asitcanhelpusconceptualizehowthisorthatphenomenonunderstudyexistsasitdoes,alreadyshapedandconstitutedbyahostofotherunseeninfluences,suchashowthephenomenonchanges(evenbyjustlookingatit).

implicit inquiry: three Principles in a new Kind of research Practice

Thesethreeprinciples(occurring-into-implying,interactionfirst,andinteraffecting)formaconceptualscaffoldinguponwhichresearchpracticescanbeshapedandcarriedout.Sincewearelivingbeings,it isreasonabletosuggestthatwearealsoineachandeveryaspectofourwork.Bringingthehumanalongintoresearchisjustnowbeingdone,butwehavealongwaytogo.

Including ‘felt knowing’ (e.g. embodied experience) as a fundamental aspect ofresearch is relatively new to qualitative, quantitative, and mixed practices, in general.Phenomenologyhasadeepphilosophicalappreciationforembodiedexperience,butwith

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someexception(e.g.Moustakas(1990),Finlay(2011),Todres(2007)),hasnotrecognizeditsimportancebeyondphilosophy.Nowfeltknowledge,referredtosometimesasembodiedknowledge,isthebasisforanewfamilyofhumanscienceresearchandprofessionalprac-ticesthatreturnembodiedhumanexperiencetotheircenter.

ImplicitInquiryisthetermIgivetoadistinctdevelopmentwithinabroaderemerg-ingfamilyofhumanscienceresearchpracticesemphasizingBodyastruthteller.ImplicitInquiryhastwoaims:toprovideaconceptualscaffoldinguponwhichtheentireresearchenterprisecanbere-enlivenedandextendedfromthegroundoftheBodyandtoprovidenewwaystoconceive,engage,andevolvecurrentresearchpractices:qualitative,quantita-tive,andmixedmethods.

ImplicitInquiryexplicitlyemploysournativewisdom,sometimescalledembodiedfelt-knowledge,orfeltknowingorbody-sensing,atallstepsinresearch—fromitsinnovativebeginnings, tomodelinghowtoproceed, tofindingtherightmethodandformofanaly-sis,anddisseminatingourfindings.Itcanbeusedtoenlivenexistingmethodsandcreatenewones.

TABLEI

Body-sensing as Implicit Inquiry in Quantitative, Qualitative, and Mixed Methods

innovating® Procedures & analysis®

• Exploration:Findingbody-senseoftopic,determiningfitandpotential

• 1stPhase:Refinespecificproceduresbaseduponbodysensing&knowledgeofsubjectmatter

• Expansion:Periodforideadevelopmentusingbody-sensing

• 2ndPhase:Employprocedures

• Development:Determiningthemethod;Considersubjectselection,interviewprotocolsadoptedorcreated,surveys,experimentation

• 3rdPhase:CollectData(frominterviews,surveys,experiments,etc.)

• Refinement:Returntobody-senseofproj-ectasawhole,adjustmethodasnecessary

• 4thPhase:PerformAnalysispermethod

Verification® Furthering®

• IntersubjectiveResonance:Findingyourselfthere,backtotheoriginalideaasbody-sense

• DerivingConcepts:WithaidofprocesseslikeTAEnewconceptscomefromanyresearchproject

• Expressive(written)Product:Determinerightformandplacement,publish,dis-seminateinsomeappropriateform

• GettingFeedback:fromaudience&self

• Concept&TheoryFormation:Someproj-ectsdevelopwholenewareas


In this very brief table, I am attempting to demonstrate how body-sensing, as itsown,newenvironment,cancarryacrossalllevelsofresearchbothimplicitlyandexplicitly.ImplicitInquiryisnotconfinedtoaparticularmethodofresearchorapproachtoresearchpractices,neither to the idea-formationstage,nor therevisionstagewhenwritingupourresults. Body-sensing (and directly referring, though ubiquitous to our existence) is alsoaspecialkindofenvironmentthatcanbeengagedthroughoutourresearch.TheImplicitInquirymodel,quitenew,isevolving.Ithinkofitasaholdingspacefornew,moreinnova-tiveapproachesandpracticestodevelop.InImplicitInquiryourbody-sense, thatfreshlyformingsenseofthewholeof(....),becomesanewenvironmentenablingustocreatenewversionsofthecontexts(VIIsequences/spaces)inwhichwework.

FinaL thoughts

Knowledge that is demonstration-focused (e.g. cause-effect oriented) is often pre-ferredtoday;thiscannotbedenied,butatitsworst,inmyopinioncanbeamutekindofknowing,akindofknowledgethatmayeasilyturnitsearawayfromthesomethingthatisyettobeseen.AsGendlinconsistentlypointsout,knowledgethatisoforaboutanoutcomeorprocedureisonlyhalftheequationofamorepotentknowledgethatisgroundedinpro-cessdistinctionsratherthanincrementalbitsofdata(Gendlin,2004;Gendlin&Johnson,2004).Asweemphasizethedemonstration-focusedapproachinresearch,wefallriskofbecomingnumb to thenuances, character, and situation accompanying thephenomenonunderstudy.Insteadofplacingdiscreteinformationfirstinourphilosophic,epistemic,andaestheticwaystowardunderstandingsomephenomenon,wecanexplorebodilysensingasitcanbeappliedtoresearch.

Gendlin’sProcessModelleaveslittleopportunityforreflexivethinkingandspeakstothekindofresearchthatinherentlyandsimultaneouslyoccupiesintrapersonal,interpersonal,andsocialspacesinbothimplicitandexplicitforms.AsIseeit,processmethodologiesandmethods(developedfromtheProcessModel)may,atsomepointinthefuture,standoutagainst/withquantitative,qualitative,andmixedmethodsapproachesasnewstrategiesforunderstandinghumanandnon-humanliving.Unfortunately,wearenotthereyet.

However,whatwecanoffertoresearchnow(andtoscientificinquiryingeneral)isthetriumviratefoundationwefindinourFocusingpractices:embodieddwelling,listening,andresponding.Thesethreeelementssetourworkasidefromothers’whorarelymakecred-ibleand legitimizedwelling, listening,anddoing(Fiumara,1990).These threeelementsform‘how’wecometobirthknowingingeneral,andnewresearchideasinparticular.Itformsourbasicepistemicapproach.

Forme,theconceptslaidoutinthelatterpartofThe Process Modelhavethemostexciting application for research, asGendlinoffers anew formorplatform for thinkingand doing: the body-sensing occurring environment (Gendlin, 1997, VIII space). Theseconceptshavenotbeenofferedelsewherewithasmuchthoroughness.TogofurtherintoGendlin’s insightscontained inThe Process Modelwouldrequiremanymorepages,butletmeaddthispiecefromit thatIbelievespeaks tohowFocuserscanbetterappreciateresearchspace:

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Thevastnessofthatspace[body-sensing]isthereforeunderstandable:Itisn’tthekindofspacethatsituationsare.Weareinthem.Hereisaspaceinwhichthewholesituationmoves.Wearenotinthesituationanymore,butinthenewspace,andwearehere,thesituationisnowasomething,anewdatum,there,overagainstus(p.239).

Tothinkaboutresearchasa‘wholesituationthatmoves’isawonderfulwaytoimag-inehowwemightincorporateresearchintoourFocusingwork.WhenIconsiderresearchasawholesituationthatmoves,Ibecomelessinterestedinmixingapproachesinthehopethat‘themanyapproacheswillhelpmeunderstandtheone’situationIamstudying.Fromthatsenseofmovement,Iknowwehaveanalternative,oratleastpotentiallyso.Wehavethebody-sensingenvironmentfromwhichtodwellandtakewhatarises‘there’inthebodyintothepublicrealmthroughresearchorsomeotherformthatcanaffectsociety.

Icontendthatitispreciselyatthemomentthatwearetemptedto‘mixmodels’ofknowledge(includingmixingresearchmethods)thatwearealsopronetobecomingnumbedto their different and varied philosophical foundations and epistemological directions. Ihavealsoemphasizedthatwehavethepotentialasacommunity,toseriouslyconsiderhowthe Process Model can inform our research, and how, by intentionally using our bodilysensingwecanproducenewknowledgeingeneralandanewfamilyofresearchpracticesinparticular.

IwillsayagainthatIbelievetheFocusingcommunitycanofferadistinctphilosophi-calandepistemicapproachtoresearchthathasyettofullyexistintheworld.Perhaps,fairtosay,wealsoneedtoworkatenvisioningourselvesasholdingauniqueinwardly-orientedmap,theVIIIspaceofbody-sensing,thatisreadytolistenevenwhensuchlisteningmayinescapablydrawustogiveupourpreciousassumptionsandpatternedthinking.Itgivesustheadvantageofawillingnesstotakeleaveofthosepatternedformssothatwecanspeak‘when something new has entered us’(Rilke,p.64.)

Icautionusnottothinkthat‘freshconcepts’,suchasthoseIhopewesomedayformthroughImplicitInquiryorsomeotherprocess,emergeoractivelywork‘fromnowhere’.Wedonotwanttogiveupthepowerthattheexistingconcepts(VIIsequences)offerandhave.InGendlin’swayofsayingit,wecannoteven‘giveup’VIIsequencesaswearealwaysliv-ingVII-ingly(symbolically).Thatis,wecouldnomorelivewithoutelectricity(whichwasdevelopedfrommanyversionsofVIIpatternsandsequencesinscience)thanwecanlivewithouttheairwebreathe.Rather,itmightbebetterthatwezig-zagbetweenthealreadydistinguishedmethodsofresearch(asVIIsequences)andthefreshlyarrivingsenseofthewhole(....)thatmarksVIIIprocess.IhopethatImplicitInquiry,orsomeothermodelbuiltfromVIIIsequences,canresultingenerativespacefordoingresearchthatbringsnewandhelpfulVIIdistinctionsandmeanings.Itisimportantthatwebreakthehabitofmindinwhichweendlesslyreordertheknownsequences(e.g.methodsofresearch),eventhroughcreativelyblendingthem.Undoubtedly,thiswilltakesometime.

Weare,afterall,notpanderersinthesensethatwesimplyprocureotherknowledgefromdiverseareasorpracticesandsqueezeourkindofembodiedknowingintothem.We


donot‘wed’differingorientationsinanattempttomakeofthembetterpartners.Instead,weofferscience,andinfactanykindofthinking,awaytomidwifethebirthofnewthoughtrelevanttoitsownfocus.Andaswecontinuetodevelopourownuniquewaysforwardinresearchoranyotherareaofinterest,withImplicitInquiryasamodelornot,wewillbelegitimatingbody-sensingasanimportantpartofcreatingknowledge.Oneday,verysoonperhaps, our felt-sensing will lead to many more new avenues for exploration of humanlifethanwealreadyhaveandhelpfurthersecurethestrongtraditionofFocusingforyearstocome.

reFerenCes

Anderson,R.(2004).Intuitiveinquiry:Anepistemologyoftheheartforscientificinquiry.The Humanistic Psychologist, 32(4),307-341.

Anderson, R. & Braud, W. (2011). Transforming self and others through research: Transpersonal research methods and skills for the human sciences and humanities. Albany:StateUniversityofNewYorkPress.

Clandinin,D. J.,&Connelly,F.M. (2000).Narrative inquiry: Experience and story in qualitative research.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.

Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches(3rded.).ThousandOaks,Calif.:SagePublications.

Creswell,J.W.,Klassen,A.C.,PlanoClark,V.L.,&Smith,K.C.(2011).Best practices for mixed methods research in the health sciences.Washington,D.C.:NationalInstitutesofHealth,USA.

Creswell, J.W.,&PlanoClark,V.L. (2007).Designing and conducting mixed methods research.ThousandOaks,CA:SAGEPublications.

Daymon,C.&Holloway,I.(2010).Qualitative research methods in public relations and marketing communications. NewYork:Routledge.

Dunaetz,N.(2011).DistinguishingfeltsenseformationasaKINDofprocessinGendlin’sphilosophy.Paperpresentedatthe23rdInternationalFocusingConference,Asilomar,CA.

Finlay,L.(2011).Phenomenology for therapists : Researching the lived world.Chichester,UK:J.Wiley.

Fiumara, G. C. (1990). The other side of language: A philosophy of listening. London:Routledge.

Gendlin,E.T.(1993).Humannatureandconcepts.InJ.Braun(Ed.),Psychological aspects of modernity.Westport,CT,US:PraegerPublishers/GreenwoodPublishingGroup.

Gendlin, E. T. (1995). Crossing and dipping: Some terms for approaching the interfacebetweennaturalunderstandingandlogicalformulation.[JournalArticle].Minds and Machines, 5(4),547-560.doi:10.1007/bf00974985

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Gendlin,E.T.(1997a).A process model.Chicago:FocusingInstitute.

Gendlin,E.T. (1997b).Experiencing and the creation of meaning; A philosophical and psychological approach to the subjective.NewYork:FreePressofGlencoe.

Gendlin,E.T.(1997c).Theresponsiveorder:Anewempiricism.Man and World, 30(3),383-441.

Gendlin,E.T.(2004).Fivephilosophicaltalkingpointstocommunicatewithcolleagueswhodon’tyetknowfocusing.Staying in Focus, 4(1),5-9.

Gendlin,E.T.,&Johnson,D.H.(2004).Proposalforaninternationalgroupforafirstpersonscience.Retrievedfromhttp://www.focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2184.html

Giorgi,A. (2009).The descriptive phenomenological method in psychology: A modified husserlian approach.Pittsburgh,PA:Duquesne.

Janz,N.K.,Zimmerman,M.A.,Wren,P.A.,Israel,B.A.,Freudenberg,N.,&Carter,R.I.(1996).Evaluationof37aidspreventionprojects:Successfulapproachesandbarrierstoprogrameffectivenss.Health Education Quarterly, 23(1),80-97.

Johnson,R.B.&Onwuegbuzie,A.J.(2004).Mixedmethodsresearch:Aresearchparadigmwhosetimehascome.Educational Researcher, 33(7),14-25.

Krycka,K.C.(1997).RecoveryofwillwithpersonswithAIDS.Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 37(2),9-30.

Krycka,K.C.(2007).Thinkingattheedge:Wheretheoryandpracticemeettocreatefreshunderstandings.Journal of Indo-Pacific Phenomenology, 6,36-41.

Lawrence,N.J.(2011).FocusinginAfghanistan.FocusingConnection.RetrievedfromFocus-ingInstitutewebsite:http://www.focusing.org/newsletter/sif4-2-2004/sif4-2-1.html

Lecompte,M.D.,&Schensul,J.J.(1999).Designing and conducting ethnographic research.WalnutCreek,CA:AltaMira.

Lysack,C.L.,&Krefting,L.(1994).Qualitativemethodsinfieldresearch:Anindonesianexperience in community based practice. The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 14(20),93-110.

Moustakas, C. E. (1990). Heuristic research: Design, methodology, and applications.NewburyPark:SagePublications.

Moustakas, C. E. (1994). Phenomenological research methods. Thousand Oaks, Calif.:Sage.

Omidian,P.A.(2011).Whenbamboobloom:Ananthropologistintaliban’safghanistan.LongGrove,IL:WavelandPress,Inc.

Rilke,R.M.(1992).Letterstoayoungpoet.SanRafael,CA:NewWorldLibrary.

Stake,R.E.(1995).The art of case study research.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.


Strauss,A.,&Corbin,J.(1990).Basics of qualitative research: Grounded theory procedures and techniques.ThousandOaks,CA:Sage.

Todres, L. (2007). Embodied enquiry: Phenomenological touchstones for research, psychotherapy, and spirituality.London:PalgraveMacmillan.

Kevin C Krycka is director of the Master of Arts in Existential-Phenomenological Therapeu-tic Psychology at Seattle University, Seattle, WA USA. He specializes in phenomenological research on peacebuilding and the processes of change. Kevin is a certifying coordinator with the Focusing Institute. He can be reached at [email protected]

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thoughts about adVanCing FoCusing reLated to the broader sCientiFiC Community

Zack Boukydis, Ph.D.

introduCtion

ThispaperpresentsanotheropportunitytopromoteFocusingbyindicatingseveralstrategies which could place Focusing more solidly on the map of traditional scientificinquiryandscientificendeavor.TherearedifferentwaystoadvanceFocusingandwaystodevelopresearchonFocusing.ThispaperhaspracticalsuggestionsrelatedtoFocusingandscience.AsFocusingisseenovertimeasbuildinginlegitimacyasa‘paradigm’worthyofscientificattention,thereisasubstantialincreaseinresourceswhichcanbedirectedtowardresearchonFocusingandFocusing-relatedpractice.

hoW reLiabLe and VaLid are the measures and measured reLationshiPs?

Ifwe lookat someof thecentral criteria fordevelopinga scientificparadigm,wehavetounderstandtheissueofreliabilityandvalidityinthemeasuringprocessandhowthis is understood in many scientific circles. While there are many diverse methods ofdoingresearch,thesecriteriaprovidealinkbetweenresearchonFocusing,typicallyseenasresearchinthepsycho-socialsciencesandresearchindifferentareasofscience.Withtheissueofreliability,onecanaskwhetherthemeasuringprocessisdoneinaconsistentorrepeatablefashion.Thusforinstance,withmanyscalesthereistrainingofnewinterviewersorraterssothattheyareas‘reliable’(thatis,canobtainthesameratings)astheexperiencedinterviewer.

With the Focusing process itself, the issue of reliability can be very challengingbecausetheFocusingprocessisaboutchange,andinessencethe‘contents’arechangingwiththeperson’sexperiencing(meaningcreating)process.Onesolutionhasbeentodevelopmeasures of the person’s ‘mode of experiencing’ or paying attention to their bodily felt sense.ThissituationgaverisetotheExperiencingScale.Indevelopingthisscaletheissuesofreliabilityandvalidityhadtobeaddressed(Kleinetal,1969).Relatedtoreliabilitythequestionis:Is it possible that different ‘raters’ can obtain the same rating while listening to an audiotape of an interview or a psychotherapy session?

Further,isitalsopossibletodetermineiftherearecertainreliablepatternswhichcanbemeasured‘in’aperson’sbodyconcurrentlywiththeirFocusingprocess?ThisissuewillbeaddressedbelowinaconsiderationofwaystocombinemeasuresoftheFocusingprocesswithimmunologicalandneurophysiologicalmeasures.

Anotherway that anewphenomena (in this case, the intricate, complexFocusingprocess)gainscredibilityinscienceisthroughthreetypesofvalidity:concurrent,predic-tive,andconsensualvalidity.Whenanewphenomenacanbeshowntohaveastableand

ThoughTs AbouT AdvAncing Focusing relATed To The broAder scienTiFic communiTy • 1�1

strong(butnotperfect)relationshipwithacceptedmeasures,theworkrelatingmeasuresofthenewphenomenontoacceptedmeasuresissaidtosatisfycriteriaforconcurrentvalid-ity.ConcurrentvalidityrefersspecificallytotheempiricalrelationshipbetweenameasureofFocusingprocess andanother alreadyestablished, acceptedmeasure.For example, isthereanacceptablerelationshiporcorrelationbetweenameasureofFocusingprocessandastandardizedmeasureofdepression?

In the context of this paper, one might ask what is the relationship between, forinstance, the Experiencing Scale category and a person’s blood pressure response to astressful situation?Onemightexpect that regardlessofexperiencing level,peoplemightshowa similar physiological response to a stressful event, but that peoplewho arehigh experiencinghaveamorerapidrecoverytonormalbloodpressurelevelsthandothosewhoarelow experiencing. Thus,experiencinglevelhasgainedinvaliditybecauseithashelpedtodiscriminatethebloodpressurerecoveryrateofpeopleexposedtoastressfulsituation.The relationships in this example are somewhat hypothetical, and initially in a researchprotocol,itwouldbeimportanttoseeifinitialstressreactionsandrateofrecoveryvarybyexperiencinglevel.

Theissueofpredictivevalidityiscomplex,butoneessentialfeatureisthat,giventhatthenewphenomenaarereliablymeasured,howwelldoesitpredictfromone’scurrentstatustofuturestatusoroutcomeinthefuture?Forexample,wemightask:Howaccuratelyareweabletopredicthow‘well’(andinwhatsituations)anewlytrainedFocuserwillfocusinthefuture?Further,wemightaskhowwellcanwepredictameasureoftheFocuser’sdepres-sion,lifesatisfaction,andabilitytocontroltheirbloodpressure,etc.inthefuture?

Consensual validity usually means that recognized experts come to an agreementthatanewphenomenahasbeendocumentedandisworthyofmorecomplexscientificatten-tion.ThisissueoftheFolioisoneattempttobuildconsensualvalidityaboutFocusingandresearch related toFocusing in theeyesofabroaderscientificcommunity.AnotherwaytoestablishconsensualvaliditywouldbetoinviteFocusing‘researchers’andrecognizedscientiststotalkwitheachotheraboutwhattheimportantquestionsarerelatedtoadvanc-ingresearchrelatedtoFocusing.Theycouldjointlyreviewquestionswhicharisefromtheexistingbodyof researchonFocusing anddecidehowcollaborationsbetweenFocusingresearchersandotherscientistsmayadvanceresearchonFocusing.

a CaLL For researCh on FoCusing and sCienCe

Thereare fourbroadareasof research.Thefirst ison theFocusingprocess itself,includingwhatpeopletelluswhiletheyareFocusing,people’sprocesswhileengagedincounselingandpsychotherapy,andhowFocusingistaughtandlearned.MuchofthisworkwasreviewedbyHendricks(Hendricks,2001).AvaluablereviewoftheseissuesandothersindevelopingresearchonFocusingandscienceisavailable(Iberg,2000).

ThesecondarearelatestowhatdifferencelearningFocusingmakesinotheraspectsof people’s living. How does learning Focusing or engagement in Focusing consultationpredictothertypesoffunctioning?

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The third area involves scientific collaboration between Focusing researchers andcolleagues fromother areas of scientific research.This area involves theways inwhichFocusingisrelatedtoacceptedmeasuresinscienceandincludeswhathappensconcurrentlyinpeople’sbodies(onameasurableneurophysiologicallevel)whiletheyareFocusing.

Thefourthareainvolvesdevelopingcollaborationswithscientistswhichmightchangehowweareabletofreshlysee/attendtotheFocusingprocessandchangehowscientistsaskquestionsintheirownfields.

Iwill expandon the second to fourth areaof researchhere. (SecondArea):HowdoeslearningFocusingorengagementinFocusingconsultationpredictothertypesoffunc-tioning?Foranumberofyears, Iworkedwithamedical researcher toaddressaseriousconcern:stress,disease,andhealthinairtrafficcontrollers—and—todevelopaprotocolusingFocusinginstructioninordertoexaminepotentialreductioninstress(Bidwell,1990).Theplanwas tousea randomizeddesignwith twogroups: those in thefirstgroupwhoreceivedonlythecurrentstandardofhealthcareforairtrafficcontrollers,andthoseinthesecondgroupwho,inadditiontothestandardofhealthcare,wouldengageinanOptimalFunctioningInquiry(OFI)whichincludedattentiontoFocusingprocessandexperiencing.Oneofthekeypointsinthisresearchwastomeasurebloodpressureatthesamepointintime,beforethetrainingforbothgroups,andthentorepeatthebloodpressuremonitoringforbothgroupsafterthetrainingwasconcluded.Forseveralreasons,mainlytheinabilitytoattractenoughfunding,thisprojecthasnotbeencompleted.IincludedthisprojectasanindicationofthetypeofresearchthatcanbeconsideredindevelopingFocusing.ThiskindofFocusingresearchcouldmakeaprofounddifferenceinmanyotheraspectsofpeople’sliving,includingtheirgeneralhealthandaveragedailybloodpressure.

Grindler&Flaxman (2011) reported a study “Focusing: An adjunct treatment foradaptiverecoveryfromcancer”.Iencouragethereadertoreadtheresearchreportformoredetailedunderstanding.Usingamatched-pairsexperimentaldesign,Grinder&Flaxmanmatchedpeoplebasedon theirhavingasimilarclinical ratingof survivalprognosis fol-lowingacancerdiagnosis.OnegroupreceivedtraininginClearingaSpaceduringsix90-minutesessions,andtheothergroupwereawaitlistcontrolorcomparisongroup.Grindler&Flaxmanthencomparedbothgroupsonfivemeasures,examiningtheresultsforbothgroupsonthesemeasuresimmediatelyfollowingthetraining,andsixmonthsafterwards.

Theresults“showedasignificantdecreaseindepressionandasignificantimprove-ment in body attitudes for the treatment group when compared to the control group. Atrend toward improved scores for the treatment group appeared in hardiness scores andbodycathexisscores.At thesix-monthfollow-up, treatmentgroupscoresdidnotchangesignificantly,suggestingthatsubjectssustainedthechangesachievedwiththisinterventionovertime.”(Grindler&Flaxman,2011;Resultssection).RelatedtotheissuesinthispaperonFocusingandscience, thisstudymakesan importantcontribution, includingshowingthat the trainingdecreaseddepressionandbodyattitudescoresand that the resultsweresustainedoverasix-monthperiod.Thisfindingreflectstheissueofpredictivevalidity,andthattheClearingaSpacetrainingcanbeshowntoindicatedifferencesinbothestablishedquantitative(depressionmeasure=MinnesotaMultiphasicPersonalityIndex—depression

ThoughTs AbouT AdvAncing Focusing relATed To The broAder scienTiFic communiTy • 1��

score)andqualitativemeasures.VeryimportantwastheGrindler&Flaxmancomment:“Itwouldbeveryinterestingtolookattheimpactoftreatmentonmoreobjectivedependentmeasures,suchasbiologicalmeasuresofimmunocompetence.”(Grindler&Flaxman,2011,Discussionsection).InessencethiscommentreiteratesthemainpointofthispaperbuildcollaborationsbetweenFocusingresearchersandscientists(expertswhomeasureimmunesystemfunctioningandpossiblyresearcherswhomeasurechronicstressusingneurophysi-ologicalmeasures).

AnotherrecentstudyreportedontheFocusingwebsite,“Effectof‘ClearingaSpace’onQualityofLifeinWomenwithBreastCancer”(Klagsbrun,Lennox&Summers,2011)showssimilarpromiseandreflectspositivedifferencesforthosewhoparticipatedinclear-ingaspacetraininginaquantitativemeasureTheFACT-B(a44-itemself-reportinstrumentdesignedtomeasureseveralfacetsofqualityoflifeinpatientswithbreastcancer)andaqualitativeselfreportinstrument.AsintheGrindler&Flaxmanstudy,itwouldbeinterest-ingtolookattheinfluenceoftreatmentonbiologicalmeasuressuchasimmunocompetence. In other work, it has been shown that writing-therapy can have a positive effect on theimmunesystem(Frattoroli,2006).LutgendorfandUllrich(2002)haveshownthatinusingtheExperiencingScale,themoreexperientialthewritingis,thegreaterthebenefitistotheimmunesystem.

Drawing on these studies and others, I advocate for the inclusion of measures ofimmunocompetenceandneurophysiologicalfunctioning(seebelow)asvalidoutcomesandpotentialcorrelativeindicatorsoftheFocusingprocess(seebelow)infutureresearch.

ThethirdareaofpossibleresearchishowFocusingisrelatedtoacceptedmeasuresin science? In 1977, Norman Don, a colleague of Gene Gendlin’s at the University ofChicago,publishedapaper:“TransformationofConsciousExperienceand itsEEGCor-relates”,dealingwiththerelationshipbetweenselfidentifiedfeltshiftsandpatternsinEEGfrequency spectra. According to the article, five people, previously trained in Focusing,gave‘verbalreports’about‘internalexperiences’whichwereaudiotapedduringsessionsthatlasted‘upto43.7minutes’(Don,1977,p.151).Duringthesessions,eachperson’sleftoccipitalEEG’swererecordedontotape,andlaterFourieranalyzedbyadigitalcomputerintocomponentfrequencyspectra.Afterward,peoplereviewedtheirownaudiotapesandselected1.)Momentswhereunusualinsightandpsychologicalmovementwerebeginning(called‘feltshifts’inthestudy)and2.)Momentswheretheyexperiencedtheleastamountofpsychologicalmovement(called‘negativeshifts’inthestudy).Thestudyreportedthattherewere significant patterns in theEEG that could be identified about 75-80% of thetime—especiallywhenpeopleindicatedthattheywerestartingtohavefeltshifts.Inaddi-tion,theresearchersfoundaverydifferentdistinctpatternwhenpeopleindicatedthattheywerehaving‘negativeshifts’.

ThisresearchisanexampleofthekindofcollaborationthatIpropose.Whilethereareuniquelyexperiencedeventstakingplaceduringeachindividual’sexperientialprocess,theremaybepredictablepatternsattheneurophysiologicallevelwhichcanbemeasured.The measures themselves, in this case EEG frequency spectra, can be recognized inbroaderfieldsofscientificendeavor,andassuch,havetheirownhistoryofdevelopmentand

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applicationtootheraspectsoffunctioninginthehumanbody.Othermeasures,forinstancechangesinbloodpressure,cortisol levels,orvagal tone(Porges,2007),arealreadyseenas acceptable markers of, for instance, ‘healthy’ or ‘stressful functioning’. These resultscanbeusedinresearchparadigmsliketheoneabovetoinferthatFocusingitselfcanbeahealthy,stressreducingprocesswhichisprobablynotharmful,andwhichcanbereliablydemonstratedtobeavalidindicatorofhealthyhuman(neurophysiologicalfunctioning).IdonotmeantoimplythattheonlyareaofresearchrelatingFocusingtoscienceshouldbestressreductionorhealingandhealthyliving.However,theseareasaffordcollaborationsofthekindIsuggest,andtherearealreadyprecedentsinpreviousresearchontheFocusingprocesswhichcouldbebuiltupon.

The Don study (1977) was limited and only suggestive of potential relationshipsbetweenselfidentifiedfeltshiftsandEEGfrequencyspectra.Theresearchwouldneedtobereplicatedwithmorepeopletoseeifthesamepatternsexisted.AlsothestrategycouldbereversedsothatpatternrecognitionoftheEEGspectracouldbedonefirst,toidentifytheuniquepatternsthoughttobeconnectedtoFocusingevents.Andthen,thedataforself-identifiedfeltshitscouldbeexaminedtoseeifjustbyexaminingtheEEGspectraalonetherewastheabilitytoidentifythetimeswhenfeltshiftswerebeginning.Further,onecanask,‘AretheseEEGpatternsforeachpersonreliableovertime?’Anotherquestioniswhetherpeoplewhohavethispredictablepatternaresimilarordifferentinothertypesofphysiologi-calandpsychologicalfunctioning?Aretheredifferencesbetween‘selfidentified’(peopleindicatedonthetapewhenafeltshiftwasbeginning)ascomparedwith‘otheridentified’,(others,forinstance,thosetrainedintheexperiencingscale,indicatewheretheythinkafeltshiftisbeginning)?Finally,EEGmeasurementhaschangedsincetheDonstudy.TherearenewwaystoquantifyandanalyzeEEGpatternsandothermeasuresofneurophysiologicalfunctioningarebeingusedinmorerecentstudies,suchasfunctionalM.R.I.’s.

Despite limitations in this study, themethodology ispromisingas aprototype forrelatingeventsduringFocusingtoneurophysiologicaleventsinthebody(Gendlin&Berlin,1961).WhileexaminingtherelationshipbetweeneventsinFocusingandneurophysiologicalevents,itisalsopossibletoconcurrentlyrelatethepotentiallinkagetoothermeasuresofpsychologicalfunctioning.So,forinstance,onemightaskwhetherpeopletrainedinFocus-ing(andwhohavetheseuniqueEEGfrequencyspectra)alsohavelowerdepressionorbetterdocumentedperformanceinjobinterviews,etc.

The fourth area of research potentials centers on two related questions, namely(1) how developing collaborations with scientists might change the way we are able tosee/attend to the Focusing process and (2) how a knowledge of Focusing could changethewaysthatscientistsaskquestionsintheirownfields.Anexampleofthefirstquestion,howscientificdiscoveriesmayhelptoshedlightonprocessesoccurringduringFocusing,hasbeenthediscoveryofmirrorneurons—areasofthebrainwhichappeartobeactivatedwhenweobserveor are in thepresenceof someone else (Rizzolati&Craighero, 2004;Molnar-Szakacs &Overy, 2006; Iacoboni, 2009;Ramachandran, 2011). In away, thesefindingsaretheclosestthatthistypeofscientificmeasurementhascometoindicatingthatsomeaspectsofevents‘between’twopeoplecanbeexperienced‘concurrently.’


Soforexample,whenweobservesomeoneelsereachingforanobject,theneuromo-torassociationareasinone’sbrainrelatedtoone’sownreachingforanobjectare‘activated.’Theactivationofmirrorneuronshasbeenconnectedtowatchingphysicalevents,watchingsomeonetouchingsomeoneelse,hearingsounds/musicandpossibly,watchingemotionalexpressionsonanother’sface.Thetypicalfocusinnewresearchwithmirrorneuronshasbeenonbrainfunctionandneurochemistry.WiththeunderstandingsoftheexperiencingprocessduringFocusing,eventsarenoticed‘in’thebodyasone’sfeltsenseoftheevent.DuringaFocusingsessionwithtwopeople,itwouldbeinterestingtoseehow,andunderwhat circumstances, the listener’smirror neurons are activated when the Focuser is, forinstance,readytohave,orhavingafeltshift.Parenthetically,Ithinkitisproblematictocallthisevent,aneventindicativeof‘empathy’.Thelistenermaybeattentivetosubtlechangesinthebodyprocessofthelistener,butcannotknowthedifferentiatedinnerexperience,ormeaning-formingthatisoccurringfortheFocuser.

AsaFocusingteacher,Ioftenwonderiftherearedifferencesintheabilityofalis-tenertoattendto,beawareofeventsinthebodyoftheFocuser,especially,forinstance,theformingorchangingof‘energy’thatcanoccurasafeltshiftistakingshape.IexpectthatthereareindividualdifferencesinwhatIamdescribing(somepeoplemaystartFocus-ingtrainingwiththisabilityandsomemaynot).Itwouldbeinterestingtoseeiftherearechangesinmirrorneuronactivation(duringthebeginningoffeltshifts)overtimeduringthecourseofFocusing training.While this isabriefstatementofacomplexproblem, ithighlightshowadvancesinneurologyandmeasurementofmirrorneuronactivationmayshedlightonquestionsrelatedtoFocusingtrainingandpractice.

ThesecondquestioninthefourthareaofpotentialresearchconcernshowscientistsmaychangetheirthinkingastheybuildcollaborationswithFocusing-orientedresearchers.WemightstudyhowscientistswholearnFocusingforthemselvesbegintochangethewaytheyaskscientificquestionsandthereforemodifythenatureoftheirinquiry.Clearly,thesechangesareoutlinedintheworkonThinkingAttheEdge, includinganinnovativepro-gramusingtraininginThinkingAttheEdgewithPh.D.studentsbeginningtheirresearch(Tokumamru,2011).

buiLding FoCusing and sCientiFiC CoLLaborations

WithintheFocusingnetworkitiscommontothinkof‘Focusingand...’forexample,FocusingandArtTherapy(LauryRappaport)orFocusingandPreparingForJobInterviews(JimIberg),andsoon.Itmaybeusefultothinkofwhat‘FocusingandScientificEndeavor’cancontributetomedicalandhealthconcernssuchas:excessiveuseofprescribedmedicines,lengthoftimetohealfromcertaintypesofphysicalinjury,andsoon.ItwouldbeworthstudyingwhetherFocusingcancontributetoadeeper,moredifferentiatedunderstandingoftheissue,forinstance,ifhealingprocessesmightbecomplementedoracceleratedbyFocus-ing.AsFocusingcontributestounderstandingandchangingthe‘and’,thenthereisanotherphasethatlooksbacktoFocusing,i.e.,whatisitaboutthisperson’sFocusingprocess?...andaretherestabledifferencesinindividualswhereFocusinghelpssomeanddoesnothelpothers—andsoon.

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Insummary,thispaperhassuggestionsforwaysofbuildingonthesecontributions(findingneurophysiologicalorbiochemicalcorrelatesofthechangeprocessesinfluencedbyFocusing,andusingmultiplemethodsofinquirysuchasmeasuresfrom‘within’Focusingresearchrelatedtootherstandard,acceptablemeasures;continuingtovalidatewellusedmeasures with concurrent validation and predictive validity research designs and devel-oping collaborations with researchers who are addressing serious well funded researchconcerns).

ThepaperpointstoamodelencouragingthoseintheFocusingnetworkwhowanttodoresearchtobuildbridgesandcollaborationswithpeoplewhoareinvolvedinotherareasofempiricalscientificendeavor.ItisthroughthesecollaborationsthatacommongroundforinquiryandevaluationcanbefoundwhichmayincreasethevalidityofFocusingintheeyesofabroaderscientificcommunity.Ihaveoutlinedsomeofthebasicsofwhatisoftencalled‘programmaticresearch’involvingaseriesofconnectedstudiesandwaystolookataresearchquestionfromdifferentanglesusingdifferentmethods.Ifthescientificcollabo-ratorscometoknoworlearnFocusingforthemselves,thenthenatureoftheirquestions,overtime,maychangeandimportantlifeconcernscanthenbecollaborativelyresearched,embracingbothscienceandtheintricacyofinnerexperience.

This topic, “How knowing Focusing has changed the way I ask questions in myscientificwork”isworthyofaconferenceoranotherissueoftheFolio.Onesimplesugges-tionarisingfromthispaperandthisissueoftheFolio istohavepeoplewhoknowandvalueFocusingresearchtalkandmeettogethertooutline:1.Anonlineconsultingserviceand2.A‘researchprogram’onFocusingandsciencewhichcanhaveseveralkeyinterrelatedtopics.Allof the researchdoesnotneed tobehoused inoneplace,but there shouldbearespected‘lead institution’and innovativecommunicationandnetworkingstrategies toallowFocusingresearcherstocontributetothebuildingandadvancementoftheresearchprogram.

reFerenCes

Bidwell,H. (1990).Stressandchallenge in theaccountsof individualair trafficcontrol-lers. Unpublished manuscript: Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School.

Don,N.(1977).ThetransformationofconsciousexperienceanditsEEGcorrelates.Journal of Altered States of Consciousness,3(2),147-168.

Frattaroli,J.(2006).Experimentaldisclosureanditsmoderators:Ameta-analysis.Psycho-logical Bulletin,132(6),823-865.

Gendlin,E.T.,&Berlin,I.T.(1961).Galvanicskinresponsecorrelatesofdifferentmodesofexperiencing.Journal of Clinical Psychology,17(1),73-77.

Grindler,D.&Flaxman,J.(2011).Focusing:Anadjuncttreatmentforadaptiverecoveryfromcancer.Available at: www.focusing.org /focusing into/research.


Hendricks,M.(2001).Focusing-oriented/experientialpsychotherapy.InCain,D.,&See-man, J. (Eds.) Humanistic psychotherapy: Handbook of research and practice,Washington:DC,AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.

Iacoboni,M.(2009).Imitation,empathy,andmirrorneurons.Annual Review of Psychology,60,653-670.

Iberg, J. (2000).Exploringpsychotherapyscientificallyandexperientially. InFeuerstein,H.J.,Mueller,D.,&WeiserCornell,A.(Eds.)Focusing im prozess: Ein lesebuch.GwG Verlag: Köln. (Available in English at: www.experiential-researchers.org/methodology/research_foc.html)

Klagsbrun,J.,Lennox,S.L.,&Summers,L.(2011).Effectsof‘clearingaspace’onqualityoflifeinwomenwithbreastcancer.Available at: www.focusing.org/into/research.

Klein,M.H.,Mathieu,P.L.,GendlinE.T.,&Kiesler,D.J.(1969).The experiencing scale: A research and training manual Volume 1,Madison,Wisconsin:WisconsinPsychiatricInstitute.

Lutgendorf, S.K., & Ullrich, P. (2002). Cognitive processing, disclosure, and health:Psychologicalandphysiologicalmechanisms.InLepore,S.J.,&Smyth,J.M.(Eds.)The writing cure: How expressive writing promotes health and emotional well-being (pp.177-196).Washington,DC:AmericanPsychologicalAssociation.

Molnar-Szakacs,I.&Overy,D.(2006).Musicandmirrorneurons:frommotionto‘e’motion.Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience,1(3):235-241.

Porges,S.W.2007.Thepolyvagalperspective.Biological Psychology,74(2):116-143

Ramachandran,V.S.(2011).Theneuronsthatshapedcivilization.Available at: www.ted.com/talks

Rizzolati, G. & Craighero, L. (2004). The mirror neuron system. Annual Review of Neuroscience,27:169-192.

Tokumaru,S.(2011).QualitativeresearchwithTAEsteps.InThinking at the edge: Theory and Applications.Tokumaru,S.(translatedbyMariyoKida).Hiroshima:Keisuisha.

Zack Boukydis, Ph.D. is a developmental/clinical psychologist, Focusing coordinator and teacher / practitioner of Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy .He is also a Fulbright Fellow, Visiting Professor, Semmelweis Medical School & Institute of Psychology, Eotvos Lorand, University, Budapest, Hungary. He can be reached at: [email protected]

ManythankstoFransDepestele,M.D.forhisverythoughtfulreadingofanearlierversionofthispaper.

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researCh on CLearing a sPaCe

Doralee Grindler Katonah, Psy.D., M.Div.

Gendlin(2004)proposedthedevelopmentof‘firstpersonscience’—amethodofsci-entificinquirythatavoidsthepitfallsofascienceof‘things.’Alongsidetraditionalscientificmethods,heproposesa‘modelofprocesses’wherethehuman‘self-reflexivedimensionofliving’becomesthecontentofourscientificinvestigation.Inthismethod,scientificinquirybeginswithdifferentiatingdifferenthumanprocessesandlookingattheircontributionstohumanliving.

ClearingaSpace(commonlyknownasthepreparatorystepforFocusing)hasbeendeveloped as an experiential process in its own right and explored and applied tomanyissuesandspecialpopulations.ResearchstudieshaveinvestigatedtheeffectsofClearingaSpaceonphysicalandemotionalwell-being,itsimpactuponspecificphysicalillness/syn-dromes,asastressreductiontool,workwithchildren,education,andasawayofaccessingspiritualresourcesrelatedtoone’ssituationalstruggles.Inaddition,theroleofClearingaSpaceinlong-termpsychotherapyhasbeeninvestigatedinseveralqualitativestudiesandotherstudieshavespecificallyinvestigateditscontributionstotraumawork.

The results of these many studies both confirm and further clarify how Focusingimpactsphysicalwell-being,emotional/mentalshifts inmeaning, thepsychologicalheal-ingof significantwounding for both children and adults, and spiritual development thatincreasesempowermenttomakechangesinone’slife.Theseresultsnowenableustofur-therunderstand thenatureof theprocessofClearingaSpace(alsoreferred toasCAS),andunderwhatcircumstancesitmaybeofparticularvalueforfacilitatingchange,healing,learningandtransformation.

ThepurposeofthispaperistopresenttheresultsofthiswiderangeofresearchontheeffectsofClearingaSpace.Clinicalvignetteswilldemonstrateresults.AbriefoverviewofthescalesdevelopedfortheoriginalresearchonCASisincluded

WhenFocusingwasfirstdiscovered,therewasanemphasisonthedifferenceFocus-ingmakesinaddressingproblems.Atthisearlystage,whatwassignificantaboutFocusingwas that the felt sensecarries thewholeofour situationandknowsmoreaboutwhat isneededtocarrylifeforwardthanwhatwecanfigureoutorthinkabout.Thisdirectaccesstothecomplexityofthefeltwholechangedourunderstandingoftheunconscious(Gend-lin,1964).Whatiscarriedforwardthroughexactsymbolizationwasn’t‘alreadythere’butratherbecomesthenextstepofliving.

ClearingaSpacewasinitiallyunderstoodasapreparationforFocusing.Oneisinvitedtobringone’sattentioninsidetonoticewhatlifeissues“keepmetenseinside.”Aseachissueis sensed inside, it isacknowledgedwithaFocusing Attitude, and thenplacedata littledistance,inametaphoricalway.Whenthisprocessiscomplete,aspaceopensupinsidetheperson,andfromthereoneisinvitedtosensefreshlywhatissuewantsattentionnow.

reseArch on cleAring A sPAce • 1��

SincethisinitialformulationofCAS,thevalueofdirectlyattendingtoandworkingwiththeClearedSpaceitselfhasfurtheredourunderstandingofthenatureandvalueofthisprocessinitsownrightandsuggestsalargerunderstandingofnotjustparticularproblemsperse,butofawiderfieldoflivingthatshiftsourrelationshipstoourproblems.Whatisthiscapacityandwhatisthisspace?ThecurrentresearchseemstoindicatethatCAScanbegenerativeofakindofchangeprocessthatmovesoneinthedirectionofgreaterself-careandphysicalwellbeingaswellasinthedirectionofalargerself-integrationthatrestsinthevastspaceofthelargerSelfthatsomedescribeasaspiritualconnection.Theexperienceof‘themore’thatisnot‘theseproblems’alsoshiftstheperson’srelationshiptoaproblemandbecomesadirectlyfeltconnectiontothepotentialintheirlives.InasessionwiththeauthoroneFocuserdescribesCASlikethis:

It’s like I came home to myself . . . It was like I had been away from myself for a long time. It was incredible. I could just rest there with all of Me. I did not know about this, that there is this inner home, that is like the essence of me . . . and it is free of my ‘problems’(GrindlerKatonah,2010,p.160).

i. CLearing a sPaCe and heaLth

1. stress reduction

There are many known techniques for stress reduction—progressive relaxation,mantrameditation,guidedimagery,yoga,etc.Oftenoneexperiencesdeeprelaxationaftera practiceperiod.However, the actual issues in one’s life that are creating ‘stress’ don’tgo away, and after a respite of relaxation the body tenses up again. As Gendlin (1999)says:“Allthestressesarewhatwecallcrossedinthebody.Ratherthanbeingnexttoeachother,eachgetsintotheotherssothattheyaddweighttoeachother.Alargeoverallstressweightresults.”(p.178)WiththepracticeofCASthestressesareidentified,separated,andencouragedtobeplacedoutsidethebodyinametaphoricalplacethatholdsthestressorinarelaxedway.“Wefindthateachstressisfarlighterwhenreleasedfromcrossingwiththeothers . . .Theydonotreconstitute thesamedegreeofweightednessaswhentheywerecrossed”(Gendlin,1999,p.178).

Inaddition,theplacingofaparticularconcernatadistanceinafriendlyway(nottrying to get rid of it) shifts one’s relationship to the problem in such a way that freshinformationbecomesavailableandmoves thepersonbeyond thestuckpattern.“As longasthebodyiscarryingtheimplicitmeaningsunexplicated,thebodyremainsstressedandourcapacitytocontinuetocreateandliveoutourmeaningsisbroughttoahalt”(Gendlin,1999,p.178).

Example:

“I suddenly feel like I have the energy to stand up to my husband. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time, but I felt dragged down by guilt”(GrindlerKatonah,2010,p.163).

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2. medical decision-making

Peoplediagnosedwithaseriousmedicalconditionoftenhavetomakedifficultdeci-sionsquickly.Physiciansoftenpresenttreatmentoptionsandrespectivestatisticsregardingoutcomes.Oftenthereisnodefinitiveconclusionastowhatisbest,norarethereguaranteesofacure;whileatthesametime,physicianscommunicatethesenseofurgencytodecide.Patient’semotionsareintense,andfamiliescanbeleftfeelinghelpless.Inthisstate,itisnoteasytothinkthroughadecision,toweighalternatives,ortoprocessthemedicalinforma-tionproductively.

Thereareseveraltypicalwaysinwhichpeopletendtoapproachthisdecision-makingtask.Someweighthelogicpresentedbythedoctorstomaketheirdecision.Sometimesfam-ilymembershaveastrongopinionaboutwhatisbestandpushforit.Thisfamilypressureoften silencesanddisempowers thepatient.Others just assume“thedoctorknowsbest”andabdicateamoreactiveinvolvementindecisions.Bothpatientsandfamilymembersareoftendrivenbyfearinmakingadecisionandaretooanxioustoreallycomedownintotheirbodies.Research indicates thatpatientswhoareactivelyengaged in theirhealthcaredobetter.(Greer,1991,WiebeandWilliams1992,Graham-Pole2000).ThepracticeofCASenablespatientstoplacefearsatadistanceinordertodistinguishconcerns,andthenwhenthe‘clearedspace’becomesaccessible theyareable to listen toadeeper layerofbodilywisdombeforeadecisionismade.

ThefollowingcasestudysegmentdemonstratestheeffectsofCAS:

Sarahisa69year-oldwomanwhohasbeenlivingfortwoyearswithasecondoccur-renceofovariancancer.Whenthenewtumorwasdiscovered,herphysicianpresentedherwiththechoiceofdoingnothingortryingchemotherapyagain.

Whenshecametoseeme,shewasquitedistraught.Shefelttheburdenofthisdeci-sionandfelthopelessthatshecouldcometoadecisionthatreallyfelt“right”toher.Herheadwasspinningwiththoughtsgoingroundandroundaboutthisultimatedecision.Shewasinanon-processstatebecauseshewas‘tooclose’tothesituation,makingitdifficultforhertoformafeltsense.

Iinvitedhertoclearaspace:

DGK: There is so much you are feeling about this right now . . . how crucial this decision is and how you don’t really know what is right for you. Could we take some time now, to imagine taking all of that and putting it outside you at a little distance . . . Just notice how it all feels in your body . . . we are not going to figure anything out right now . . . Just be with it . . .

M.T.: (Takesadeepbreath) . . . (quiet) . . .Well, I was just noticing all that is there and then the thought came . . . put it in God’s hands. But it wasn’t really just a thought . . . I could really imagine placing it outside of me . . . in the center of a flower . . . (beginstocry) . . . Oh, my God . . . I feel such relief . . . just in letting go like this . . . I didn’t know I could feel this way at this time . . . I really need this . . . (Sighsandbecomessilentforawhile)... But I still need to make a decision . . .

reseArch on cleAring A sPAce • 1�1

DGK: Yes, I know . . . but, perhaps you could begin by continuing to listen within . . . Ask-ing that place that is now held by a flower, in God’s hands . . . what is needed next to help.

M.T.: (Silence) . . . Oh, what came was . . . it’s time to wait now . . . and the answer will come . . . That feels right . . . I know that will happen . . . I feel more relief and confidence . . . that in time I will know what I need to do for myself.

ForfurtherexamplesseeGrindlerKatonah(1999)andHendricks(1999).

3. Clearing a space impacts quality of life for people with cancer

Research demonstrates the need for interventions that address social and psycho-logicalneedsofbothindividualsandfamiliesdealingwithlife-threateningandlife-alteringdiseases(Carlson&Bultz,2003).SeveralresearchstudiesevaluatedtheusefulnessofCASforpeoplewithhealthconcerns.

Klagsbrunandcolleagues(2010)taughtCASto17breastcancersurvivors,age43-65,during6weekly,45-minutesessions.Thefirstandlastsessionwasinpersonandtheremaining4sessionswereconductedoverthephone.Quantitativeresultsshowed:

• Asignificantimprovementpreandpostintervention(comparedtothecontrolgroup)intheFACT-Bmeasureofqualityoflife.

• No significant differences between the delivery methods. Participants achievedequivalentscoresontheCASChecklistwhethertheinterventionwasdeliveredliveorbytelephone.

• Equal preference was expressed for both phone and in person delivery of theintervention.

• Qualitativeresults foundthesecommoncharacteristics: reducedsomaticconcerns,increasedemotionalself-regulation,mentalclarity,andcalmmood.

Klagsbrun, J.,Rappaport,L.,MarcowSpeiser,V.,Post,P.Byers, J.,Stepakoff,S.,Karman,S. (2005) investigated the impactonqualityof lifeof a twoone-day intensiveretreatfor18womenwithbreastcancerthatintegratedbothCASandexpressiveartstherapy(dance,movement,visualart,andcreativewriting).CASwastaughtpriortothebeginningoftheworkshop,atthestartofeachday,andpracticedoncewithapartnerbetweenthetworetreatdays,andafinaltimeattheendofthesecondretreatday.Resultsshowed:

• SignificantincreaseinCASscorespre-and-posttreatment.(p.01).

• SignificantincreaseinqualityoflifeasmeasuredbytheFact-Bscale(p.01).

• SubjectswithHighEXPshowedgreaterimprovementinBodyAttitudesandabilitytoCAS.

• SignificantimprovementinBodyAttitudesforsubjectswithlowtomediumexperi-encinglevelatthebeginningoftheintervention(p.05).

• Significantcorrelation(.7)betweenEXPScaleandCASCheckList,suggestingCASisavalidindependentmeasureof‘experiencinglevel’.

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GrindlerKatonah(1999)evaluatedtheusefulnessofClearingaSpaceasapsycho-logicaltoolinthetreatmentof12cancerpatientsbetweentheagesof30-55,whohadcan-cerwithinthelastfiveyears.Subjectswerematchedforseverityofillness,andrandomlyassignedtotheimmediatetreatmentortoawaitgroupoffourweeks.Thetreatmentcon-sistedof6weekly,11/2hourtrainingsessionsinCAS.ThisCASprotocolemphasizedaFocusingprocessontheclearedspaceitself.Asix-monthfollow-upshowedthefollowingchangesovertime.

• Astatisticallysignificantdecreaseindepression(p.025)andimprovementinbodyattitudes(p.02)forthetreatmentgroupwhencomparedtothewaitgroup.

• Atrendtowardssignificanceappearedinthehardinessscoresandthebodycathexisscores.

• Atthesix-monthfollow-up,nosignificantdifferencesinthescoresemergedforthetreatmentgroup, suggesting that subjectshadsustained thechangesachievedwiththisinterventionovertime.

• Qualitative results revealed that through sustained practice, patients experiencedincreasedself-carebehaviors.

ForfurthercasestudyresultsapplyingCAStoworkwithpeoplesurvivingcancersee:Kanter(1999),McDonald(1983),Gendlin,GrindlerKatonah,andMcGuire(1984).

4. Clearing a space and weight loss

MostcurrentweightlossinterventionscontinuetobeconceptualizedfromtheCar-tesianmodelthatseparatesmindandbody.Eitherthefocusisonchangingthephysiologythroughphysicalmechanisms(exerciseandchangesineatinghabits)orthroughbehavioralinterventionsthatemphasizechangesinbehaviororenvironment.Mostoftheseapproachesonlyshowshort-termresults.Theexperientialtheory(onwhichFocusingisbased)positsthatthemindandbodyarenotseparateprocesses,butratherareoneinteractivewholethatchangesinrelationtoallaspectsofone’sliving.

Antrobos,J.(2008)evaluatedthesubjectiveexperiencesoffourwomen,age23-32,andconcernedaboutweight,duringacombinedtreatmentofCASandyogaoveraperiodof6weeks.Onceaweekeachparticipantattendedaone-houryogaclassfollowedbyaFocus-ingsessionguidedandaudiotapedbytheinvestigator.Resultsinclude:

• Reportofweightlossrangingfrom2-5pounds.

• ThescoresontheGrindlerBodyAttitudesScaleincreasedfrompre-testtothethree-monthfollow-upbyanaverageof10%.

• Threeofthe4participantsstatedatthefollow-upinterviewthattheywerelesscon-cernedwiththeiractualweightthanwiththeiroverallsenseof‘feelinghealthy.’

Qualitative results include reporting thatduring theCASsessions theparticipantsdiscovered‘uniqueinstructions’fortheirself-care.Forexample,oneparticipantreportedthat she isnowable to recognizewhat feelsgood inherbody.Allparticipants reportedlearningmoreeffectivewaysofhandlingtheirstress.


Holstein,B.(1990)examinedtheeffectsofClearingaSpaceandFocusingonthemaintenanceofweightlossfor14subjectsfollowinga10weekcognitivebehavioralweightlossprogram.Halfofthegroupreceived10Focusingsessions.Allsubjectsreceived10ses-sionsinCognitiveBehavioralTherapyweightlossstrategies.Resultsshowed:

• Controlgrouplost6.7lbsattheendoftreatmentandatthe3monthfollow-uptheaverageweightlosswas3.3lbs.

• TheFocusingtreatmentgrouplost3.3lbs.attheendoftreatment,andatthe3monthfollow-uptheaverageweightlosswas7.7pounds.Maintenanceweightlosswassig-nificantlyhigherfortheFocusinggroup.(p.05).

• Qualitative results in both studies show that the subjects who practiced CAS andFocusingdidnotFocusonweightasanissuebutratherattendedtothepersonalissuesthatarosefromthebodysuggestingthattheabilitytoloseweightispartofalargerholisticprocess.

5. Clearing a space and aids

Krycka,K.(1997)researchedtheimpactofCAS,whichincludedFocusingontheclearedspaceitself,asaninterventionforfourmenwithAIDS.Fourmalesbetweentheagesof19and45whotestedHIVpositiveandhadstagefourHIVinfectionparticipatedinthisstudy.TheyreceivedtraininginCASoverasix-weekperiod.Resultsshowed

• AsignificantincreaseinHardiness,SelfandBodyCathesis,andBodyAttitudes.

• Twosubjectsevidencesignificantdecreaseindepression.

Throughaphenomenologicalanalysisoftheaudio-recordedsessionsKryckaidenti-fied three distinct phases on the ‘recovery of will’. 1. The process of attending to one’sfeelingsandbodyawarenessweremoredifficultthanimaginedforthesubjects.2.Anewfreshdialoguewasestablishedbetweenformerlydisowned,ordeniedaspectsofexperience.3.Ashiftineachperson’ssenseofmeaningrelatedtotheirillnessoccurred,withareturnofvitalityandtheintegrationofpreviouslydisownedparts.

6. Clearing a space and Chronic Pain

Ferraro(2010)investigatedtheimpactof6weeklyFocusingsessions,includingCAS,for4chronicpainpatients.TheCASprotocolincludedbecomingawareofthequalityofthepain,tokeepthepaincompany,toplacethepainatadistance,andtofindapain-freearea.Aseriesofmeasuresadministered5times(includingbase-linemeasureandattwo-weekfollow-up)overa10-weekperiodassessedlevelsofsymptoms.Resultsindicate:

• 28%decreaseindepression

• 23%decreaseinanxiety

• 21%decreaseinlevelofpain

• 34%improvementinbodyattitudes.

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• Increased alertness and re-engagement with family and life outside of painexperience.

• Qualitativeanalysisoftranscriptsindicateparticipantsfoundapainfreeareaintheirbodiesandlearnedaboutapersonalbeliefsystemthatrestrictedtheirlife.

Theyalsogainedanew,activecopingstrategy.

Followingisanexampleofonesubject’snewawarenessofhislimitingbeliefthathewasn’t‘supposed’tobepain-free:

T: So what’s it like to be a person who knows that you can actually be relaxed and free of pain sometimes?

C: It’s kind of . . .(pause)it kind of makes me nervous a little because . . .(pause)oh . . . am I supposed to be like that? I still have that thing of ‘are we allowed to be this?’

T: Comfortable and relaxed?

C: Yeah, yeah . . . not me!

T: Ummm . . .

C: You know, are we allowed to be that comfortable?

T: So here you’ve been wondering inside, even as you’re feeling . . .

C: Right.

T: Your ‘something’ is creeping up saying, “Wait! Is this okay?”

C: Right. DO I have the right to be like this?

T: Do I have the right to be what I asked to be?

C: To be this relaxed?(Ferrarop.53)

ii. CLearing a sPaCe in other ConteXts

1. Clearing a space and Children

YubaandMurayama(1988)reportedcasestudiesinwhichCASwithdrawingwasusedinplaytherapy.ThequalitativeresultsindicatethatCAS:

• Helpsthechildexperienceasenseofhimselfthatisnotinvolvedintheproblems

• Bringsphysicalandmentalrelief

• Increasesthechild’scapacitytoattendtoproblemsinaconstructiveway

• Positivebehavioralchangesinschoolwereobserved

Santen(2007)(reportedtheresultsofthreecasestudiesapplyinghismodelofBodyMaps (a spatialmodelofClearingaSpace) forhelpingseverely traumatizedchildren toreconstitutetheirexperiencing.Santonrecognizedthatchildrenandadolescentswhoscore


highondissociation-scalesreportexperiencingdissociation-linkedphenomenaaslocatedinfixedspatialpositions.Withthisunderstanding,Santondevelopedatreatmentmodelthathelpedchildrenmaketheavoidedplaces‘exist’inanout-therespace(outsidetheirbody)asadoorwaytoaccesstheseplacesinthein-herespace(insidetheirbody).“Myexperienceisthatitcanbeveryhardfordissociatedchildrentoconnectwithafeelingplace;theirbodiesdonot‘talkback’easily.Itisdifficulttoreachandmaintaintherequiredquietinnersens-ing”(Santon,p.61).

His treatment approach begins with offering dissociated clients life-sized empty‘bodies’,drawnonpaper.Thesecouldbeusedasout-therecontainersthat—usedasreflec-tors—stirredupandclarified thecurrentspatialpositionsofdissociationmechanisms intheirbody.Inmostofthecasesthisappearedtoceasethegripoftheiranxietyandreleasethereconstitutionofexperiencing.

ThecaseexampleofRaphaelsummarizestheresults:

After 4½ months of treatment the landscape of a newly-made-second bodymapconfirmedwhatRafaëlhadtold:theimpactofshocksonhislifehadbeenminimized. His parents reported considerable change. Rafaël’s nightmareshadalmostgone.Symptomslikehisvomitingandbeing“deadlyfrightenedofdeath”haddisappeared.Hewascopingbetterwithunexpectedevents.School-resultsimproved.Hebegantotakemoreinitiative.Therapywascutback;wefinishedshortlyafter(p.67).

2. Clearing a space and education

Zimring, et. al. (1974, 1983, 1985, 1990), in a series of five studies demonstratedincreasedperformanceoncomplexmentaltasksthroughCAS,especiallytasksthatrequireattention to internally generated stimuli. These results suggest that CAS, which trains aperson to reflect inwardlyandfindaspace freeofproblems, strengthensone’sability toconcentrateone’sattention.

However,itisnotjustyoungerstudentswhoneedhelptoreducetheirstresslevelsbeforesettlingdowntolearn;acomplexanddauntingseriesofstressorsbesetcollegeandgraduatestudents,aswell.SeeKlagsbrun(2008).

iii. CLearing a sPaCe and PsyChotheraPy

Successfulpsychotherapyrequiresadirectlyfeltbodilyprocessthatisexperiencedbothwithintherelationshipbetweenclientandtherapistandwithintheclient’sinnerrela-tionship tohis/herown subjective experiencing (Gendlin, 1984).CAScanbe integratedwithinaFocusing-orientedpsychotherapyinmanyways.What impactdoes ithaveforaclienttoshifttheirrelationshiptoanissue(toocloseortoodistant)andwhatimpactoccurswhentheclearedspaceitselfbecomesadirectreferent?ThepotentialcontributionsCASmayofferpsychotherapyhavejustbeguntobeinvestigated,andthefollowingstudiesgiveusmoreinformationaboutthevalueofthisprocessasitisintegratedintoapsychotherapyrelationship.

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Leijssen(2007),differentiates‘microprocesses’thatareaspectsofthefullFocusingexperienceandmaybeneededatdifferenttimesandfordifferentreasonsduringathera-peuticprocess.Shedescribeshowclientscanfeeloverwhelmedorinastateofheightenedanxietywhentalkingaboutaverysensitiveissue.Whatisneededistocreatearelationshipbetween‘me’andthesensitiveissue.

Sheoffersmanysuggestionsabouthowtohelpclientscreatesomedistancebetweenthemselvesandtheproblem.Forexample,shedescribeshowCASallowsconcernstosur-facespontaneouslyinresponsetoaninterestedcuriosityabout‘whateveristhere’andthengivingeachaplace tobe fora fewminutesbeforeadeeperexploration.Hercase studyresultsindicatethatclientsreport“experiencingadeepfeelingofpeace,rest, lifeenergyandbeingcentered...whichmaycomeneartoaspiritual/religious/transcendentalexperi-ence”(p.11).Thissensingwhatitisliketobefreeofaproblemcreatesroomforan“influxofpositiveenergyandlightness”(p.11).“Thisprocessisinitselfahealingone;itcreatestheexperienceofa‘newme’,untouchedbydifficultiesbutcapableoffindingabetterwayofrelatingtoone’sproblemsfromitspositionasobservingself”(p.11).

Rappaport(2009)introducesCASwithartasafundamentalapproachinFocusing-OrientedArtTherapy.ShereportsthatCAScanbeusedwithindividuals,couples,groups,andfamilies.Theclientisinvitedtoidentifytheissuesthatareinthewayoffeeling‘allfine.’Throughtheuseofimageryandartsupplies,issuesaresymbolizedandplacedatacomfortabledistance(forexample,inabasket).The‘allfineplace’isalsoattendedtowithallthekinestheticresponsestothecolors,textures,andshapescreated.RappaportdiscusseshowCAScreatesaconnectiontoanaspectoftheselfthatisseparatefromtheconcernsandalsohelpsthemtoexperiencethemselvesasessentiallywhole(p.122).

One question within the experiential psychotherapy field considers the differencebetweenusing“guidingtechniques”vs.developingthekindofclient-therapistrelationshipthatfurthersexperiencing.Ikemi(2006)evaluatedtwocasesovertime,inwhichthecom-binationofaself-regulationmethod(anAsiandevelopmentofautogenictrainingincorpo-ratingaspectsofZenmeditation)andCASwereintroducedatthebeginningofatherapyrelationship.Theresultsshowagradualdeclineintheuseofthisprotocoloverthecourseofthetherapy.Intheearlyphasethisprocesswasappliedineachsession.Inthemiddlephaseofthetherapyitwasappliedinanaverageof63%ofthesessions.Inthefinalphaseitwasused16%ofthetimeforcaseone,andnotusedatallforcase2.Theseresultssuggestthattheintroductionofthesetechniquesservedthefunctionofteachingtheclienthowtorelatetohis/herexperienceinaFocusing-orientedway,enablingthedroppingofthetechniquesastheFocusing-orientedtherapyprocessbegantofunctiononitsown.

Ikemidiscussesthesignificanceofthisprogression.

Thedecline in theuseofSRM/CASprocedure indicates that theuseof theSRM/CSmethodwasreplacedbythedevelopingrelationshipbetweenthecli-entandthetherapistandwithintheclientsthemselves.Itcanbespeculatedthatasclientslearntorelatetotheirownfeelings,theuseoftherapeuticmethodsbecomenolongernecessary(p.228).


Grindler Katonah (2010) conducted a thematic analysis of CAS experiences thatoccurredinthecontextofanongoingchangeprocessandsuggeststhatthedirectengage-mentoftheclearedspace(applyingalltheFocusingstepstothefeltsenseoftheclearedspace)contributes toa spiritualdevelopmentprocess that shiftsaperson’sorientation totheirlife—fromoneofgoalsandproblem-solvingtoawayofbeingthatcentersone’slifeinalargerpurpose.Thecentralfocusisnolongeronsolvingparticularproblems,butbecomesinsteadthedesiretoliveone’slifeinalignmentwithone’shighervaluesandpurpose.

The following process dimensions were differentiated: All of these dimensionsarticulatedbeloware thequalitativeresultsof the thematicanalysisreported inGrindlerKatonah(2010).

1. each issue finds its ‘right’ place

Through allowing each ‘issue’ to generate its own image of where to placeitself,akindofmandalaiscreatedwhere“eachissueplacesitselfinrelation-shiptothelargerwholeandthewholeorganisms’livingiscarriedforward”(p.162).

2. sense of wellbeing is increased

Thereisanoticeablephysicalexperienceofwellbeingwhentheclearedspaceisdiscovered.

“Often a breath occurs when an issue is placed at a comfortable distance.Energyisfreer.Oneisnolongerburdenedby‘allofthat.’Laughtermayspon-taneouslyemerge.One tastesa way of living unencumberedbyaparticulardifficulty”(p.162).Thisincreasedwell-beinghelpsoneactdifferently.OncethisexperienceofadifferentwayofbeingisaccessedthroughCAS,particularactionstepsbecomepossiblethatotherwisefelt‘stuck’or‘toodifficult.’Actionstepsarecrucialtoexperientialchange(Gendlin,1996,p.228).

3. direct experience of one’s essence:

WithoutthepracticeofCASthepersonmayrelateonlytosituationalissues.

Through Focusing we can find what is true for us about any experience orconcern—theexactsymbolizationthatcarriesforwardthesituation.Yet,thereisanotherexperienceof‘Me’thatismorecentral,adirectlyfeltconnectiontoanessenceofone’sbeingthatlivesthroughallofone’ssituations.Intouchingthecleared spaceweexperiencewanting lifemore for itsown sake. Itmayevencomeforsomeonewhoisterminallyill—eventhen,itisthere...akindof forceor strength that ‘rolls throughall things’(Wordsworth,1964,p.92)andcanneverbedestroyed.Overtime,enteringtheclearedspacestimulatesadesiretocenterone’slifeinthiswiderself(GrindlerKatonah,2010,p.163).

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Example1:(fromaclientofMcDonald(1984)

T:Is there a word or image that fits the quality of the Clear Space?

C:Clean . . . and . . . light.

T:Clean and light. Is that the quality that exactly fits?

C:Mmm...(headnods)....(Pause)

C:I just want to stay here. It’s so free. I feel free.

T:You feel free . . . (Pause)

C:I never knew I could experience anything like this!(Eyesopenwide.)(p.125).

Example2:(fromaclientofKlagsbrunetal.(2005)

“What comes is that the cancer is a tunnel, which is limited and constricted, but I sense that it’s the illness that is limited and constricted, not me.”(p.132).

4. increased confidence

AnotherdevelopmentthatoccursovertimethroughpracticingCASisconfidence.

Thisdirectencounterwiththeclearedspacereleasesfearandincreasesconfidencethatananswerwillcome,withouttryingtofiguresomethingout.With thisconnection to the“more”onerealizessomething larger ispartici-pating inone’shealing.Confidence in lifeand life’sprocess is strengthened(GrindlerKatonah,2010,p.163-164).

5. awakening to the significance of one’s Life

Usuallyweseethesignificanceofourlifethroughevaluation.Itisraretoexperientiallyvalueourlifeforitsownsake. Theexperienceofsittingwiththeclearedspaceoftenincludesrecogniz-ingtheunconditionalsignificanceofone’slife.Onerealizesthatone’svalueis not contingentuponoutcomes.Rather, one’s life is inherently significant.Thisfeltinsightbeginstochangeone’ssenseofpurpose—beingbecomesmoreimportantthandoing.Awayoflifethatexpressesone’svaluesbecomesmorecentral.Overtimeagreatercommitmenttoself-caredevelops.Changestepsemergerelatingtoexercise,diet,spiritualpractices,attentiontorelationships,etc.(p.164).

6. not one quality but many: What emerges fits what is needed

Each timesomeoneaccesses theclearedspace, it isexperienceddif-ferently.Qualitiesthatemergeintheclearedspaceresembleakaleidoscope.Handlesfrequentlydescribedare:peaceful,still,comfort,clear,whole.Other


handlesdescribe‘somethingsobigandsignificantthatitcanneverbegrasped;yetitisreal’.Thepurposeoffindingahandleisnottodefinetheexperiencebutrathertoaccessmoreofwhattheclearedspaceoffersforthismoment.Whentheexplicationfitsexactly,one’srelationtoalltheissuesshiftstowardsasenseofgreaterunification(p.165).

GrindlerKatonah(2010)suggeststhatovertime,whenpracticingCASinsuchawaythattheclearedspaceisfocusedupondirectly,adifferentkindofgrowthprocessoccurswhichleadstoashiftinthelocusoftheselftoincludeaconnectionwitha‘highersource’ofmeaningforone’slife.

iV. CLearing a sPaCe and trauma

Literatureindicatesthatimmersionintheaffectofthetraumadoesnotleadtorecov-ery.(VanderKolk,1996).TheFeltSense,incontrasttoemotions,formsamorecomplexdifferentiationofexperience;however,forthefeltsensetoformthereneedstobethe‘rightdistance’betweenthe‘I’and‘theissue’.ThisinnerrelationshipiscreatedthroughCASandgeneratesanexperientialprocessthatmovesbeyondthepatterningofthetrauma.

Bhat(2010)taughtCAS,over6weeklysessions,totwotraumasurvivorswhowerediagnosedwithbothPost-traumaticStressDisorder andSubstanceAbuse andwere cur-rently residing in a residential treatment center for substance abuse. Participants wereguided through CAS in each session. The protocol began with experiencing a positivememory; theneachsubjectwasguided toputaside their felt senseof life stressorsuntileachexperiencedaninnerspacefreeofproblemsorconcerns.ResultsshowedasignificantreductionintraumasymptomsasmeasuredbytheTraumaSymptomCheckList,includinglessflashbacks,difficultyconcentrating,andsleepdisturbance.

QualitativeanalysisofCASsessionsovertimeindicatethefollowingchanges:

• Newsenseofbodilyawareness.

• Senseofinterpersonalboundariesandsafetythroughtrustintheirbodies.

• Acceptanceoftheirhumanity.

• Greatersenseofvitalitythroughtakingaction.

• Shifttopositivethinking.

• Abilitytobeplayfulandlaugh.

• Greaterconfidenceintheirownabilitytomaintainsobriety.

• Participantsreportedattheirfollow-upinterviewsthattheyhaddevelopedacommit-menttolivingwithanewpurpose.

For research on CAS and trauma see: Coffeng (2003), Grindler Katonah (1984),Hendricks (1998), Hudek, C. Folio 2007, Klagsbrun (2007), Leijisson, (2007), McGuire(1984).

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V. tWo measures oF CLearing a sPaCe

TheClearingaSpaceCheckListmeasuresthenumberofFocusingstepsthesubjectexperiencedduringClearingaSpace(clearingaspace,feltsense,handle,sittingwithfeltsense,backgroundfeeling,andafeltshift).ThisScaleisdesignedtoincludetheguidinginstructiontoapplythestepsofFocusingontheclearedspace.TheCheckListisscoredaftereachsessionandallowsforcalculatinganoverallmeanscoreandtherangeofscoresachievedovertime.Thetrainerswhoadministeredtheinterventionweretrainedinscor-ingtheCheckListandachievedreliabilityamongsteachother.Thereliabilitycoefficientobtainedwas.84.ForanyonewantingtousethisScaleasimilartrainingprocessshouldbeincludedfortheratersaswellasestablishingreliabilitywiththeoriginalratingsusedinthisstudythroughratingthereliabilitytapes.Asignificantcorrelation(.7)wasfoundbetweentheCASCheckListandTheExperiencingScale,thusestablishingvalidity.

TheClearingaSpaceCheckListwasdevelopedfor thepurposeofmeasuringtheexperientialsuccessofaFocusinginterventionandtobeabletocorrelatedegreeofFocusingsuccesswithotheroutcomemeasures.Toobtainacopyofthismeasuregoto:http://www.experiential-researchers.org/instruments/grindler/clearing_a_space_checklist.html

TheGrindlerBodyAttitudesScalewasdesignedtoinvestigatehealth-relatedattitudestowardthebodyafteranillness.Thismeasureratesthedegreetowhichapersonwhohashadanillnessismaintainingpositiveattitudestowardshis/herbodyandtheextenttowhichthebodyisseenascapableofhealing.Therangeofpossiblescoresis30-150andthekeyforratingthisscaleisenclosed.ValiditywasobtainedbycorrelatingTheGBASwiththeSec-ordandJourardBodyCathexisScale.(Secord,P.andJourard,S.(1953).TheAppraisalofBodyCathexis:BodyCathexisandtheSelf.JournalofConsultingPsychology,17,343-347.)Thetwoscalescorrelatedsignificantly(r = .62,p = .001).WeevaluatedthereliabilityofthescaleusingaSpearman-BrownSplitHalfReliabilityTestandfoundareliabilitycoefficientof.88,whichshowedtheinternalconsistencyofthequestionnaire.Toobtainacopyofthismeasuregoto:http://www.experiential-researchers.org/instruments.html#Grindler

ConCLusion

Inconclusion, thisarticle reportson the researchdevelopments regardingapplica-tionsofCASthatcontributetomanydevelopmentsoftheperson:mind/bodyintegration,empowermentinmakingdecisionsfromabodilywisdom,otherapplicationsinthefieldsofmedicine,education,psychotherapy,spirituality,andtrauma.TheseresultssuggestthatCAScontributestoafurtheringofintegrateddevelopment(towardswholeness),empower-mentofthepersontocarryforwardinaction,toaspirituallyinformeddevelopmentthatmovesbeyondproblem-solving,andtowaysofengaginginlearningthatbringthewholepersonmorealive.

Further research investigating experiential processes continues tobe important.Abroadrangeofresearchmethodsnowenableustomeasurethekindsofchangesthatoccurinordertodifferentiatethequalitativechanges,andtoilluminatewhatishappeningduringaparticularprocess.Hendricks(2001)hasanalyzedabodyofresearchwithintheexperi-

reseArch on cleAring A sPAce • 1�1

entialFocusingfield;however,thefieldstilllackslargescalestudies,replicationofsmalleryetpromisingstudies,developmentofcross-culturalstudies,andfurtherinvestigationsofapplicationstospecificissuesandpopulations.Maythisreviewstimulatefurtherresearchintheseareas.

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cleAring A sPAce: An evidence-bAsed APProAch For enhAncing QuAliTy oF liFe • 1��

CLearing a sPaCe: an evidence-based approach for enhancing Quality of Life in Women with breast Cancer

Joan Klagsbrun, Ph.D. and Susan L. Lennox, Ph.D.

introduCtion

Focusingisabody-orientedmethodofbringingattentiontoone’sinnerexperience.DevelopedbyEugeneGendlininthe1960s,Focusingaccessesmeaningthatiscarriedinthebodyviathe‘feltsense’—atermGendlincoinedtorefertothosesensationsonecanfeelinrelationtoaparticularsituationorissue(Gendlin,1981,1991).AsGendlincontinuedtorefinetheFocusingprocess,henoticedthatwhenpractitionersbeganbynamingtheircur-rentissues,theFocusingprocessthatfollowedwasdeeperandmoreeffective.Eventuallyhedevelopedasystematicwayofacknowledgingandcatalogingcurrentissues,withoutbecom-ingconsumedbythem.HecalledthispreparatorymovementClearingASpace(CAS).

Inthisstudy,theresearchersaimedtoseeifCAS,offeredasathirty-minuteguidedexperience,couldpositivelyaffectthelifequalityofwomenwithbreastcancer.CAS,ratherthanthewholeFocusingprocess,waschosenbecauseitwaseasiertoteachandtomeasure,usingtheGrindlerKatonahchecklist(GrindlerKatonah&Flaxman,2003).

GendlinfoundthatCASledtoawelcomedistancefromencroachingproblems.WhileoriginallypresentedasthefirststepinalongerFocusingprocess,Gendlinalsonotedthatitcanbedonealoneforitsownsake(Gendlin,2003),andthatthiscanoftenresultinanopen-ingoutinto“avastspaceinside.”CASdiffersfromotherstress-reductionmethodsinthatitisaprocessthatexplicitlynamesandplacesasideeachperson’slistofcurrentstressors.Itisbothameansofbecomingawareofone’sstressloadandreducingitatthesametime.CASusesthemetaphorofsearchinginsideoneselfandallowingwhateverobstaclesonefindstofeeling“fine”or“allclear”tobenoted,tagged,separatedfromtheself,andplacedattherightdistanceaway(Gendlin,1981).

EarlyresearchonFocusingrevealsthattheinnerbodilyattentionanindividualdevel-opsthroughtheFocusingprocesshelpsthebodytorelax(Gendlin,1981).Sincewecarrysituationsinourbodyasphysicaltension,itmakessensethatifwepause,wecanconnecteachtensiontoaparticularpsychologicalissue,e.g.wemightcarrytightnessinthestomachaboutadisappointment,shallowbreathingandconstrictionaboutathreattoourhealth,ortightshouldersaboutafearedevent.Whenwetrytorelaxbyturningourattentionawayfromtheproblems,oftenthebodyretainsthestress,tension,orupset.Placingthegeneral-izedfeelingofagitationortightnessasideinonefellswoopisn’tusuallyeffective.However,withCAS,weslowlyattendtohowthebodyiscarryingeachstressororproblem,andthenweplace“allaboutthatone”aside.Thisspecificitypermitsustorelaxthebodilytightnessassociatedwitheachissue.Theendresult,afterpausingtosensehowwearecarryingaparticular issueandplacing itat the rightdistanceaway, isamorerelaxedandpeaceful

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mind-bodystate.Asindividualsachievethissenseofaclearorclearerstate,theirperspec-tiveseemstoshiftinthedirectionofawiderand,forsome,morespiritualexperienceoftheir lives. There typically results a sense of distinct physical relief and psychospiritualwell-being that brings a fresh viewpoint on their problems. (Grindler, 1991; Klagsbrun,Rappaportetal.,2005;Pettinati,2002).

PreviousstudiesofCAShaveshownthatsubjectsachievedanimprovedability toprocessandresolveemotionalandpsychologicalissuesintheirlives(Grindler,1991;Klags-brun,etal.,2005).Researchinneuroscience(Siegel,2010)givesusascientificunderstand-ingofthebrainthathelpsexplainhowCAScanshiftourexperienceofourselvesandoursituations.Bringinggentleattentioninwardlyactivatesthepre-frontalcortex,whichhelpsusobservetheinternalprocessesofthemind.Thisactivationenablesustowitnessourphysi-cal, emotional, or mental distress, thus inhibiting previously unconscious and automaticneuropathways.Bymeansoftheinstructions,suggestingthatweplaceasideourconcernsonebyoneandthendwellinthe“clearerspace,”wemobilizetherighthemisphere’scapac-ity for visualizing positive possibilities and outcomes. With repeated practice, the CASprocessseemstocalmthelimbicsystemandallowforadeeperfeelingsofintegrationandequanimity,aswellasareducedvulnerabilitytostress(Bray,2011;Ziff,2011).

ResearchonPositivePsychologyalsoofferssupportforthenotionthatstayingwiththisfeelingofwell-being(eveninthemidstofdifficulties)offersanexperienceofsafetyandprotectionthatseemstoleavelastingtracesinthebrainstemandlimbicsystems(Hanson&Mendius,2009).Otherresearchershavefoundthatpositiveexperiencesandthoughtsleadtopositivecognitivechanges,expandingtheconceptualconnectionsandincreasingpositivefeelings towards others (Frederickson, 2009). The regular practice of CAS can actuallyincreasetheratioofpositivetonegativeexperiences,seenasleadingtoatippingpointthatisagatewaytoflourishing(Frederickson,2009.)

BothFocusingandMindfulnessareeffectiveformsofCAM(complementaryalter-nativemedicalmeasures)which80%ofwomenwithearlystagebreastcancerhavechosentousetoimprovelifequality(Wyatt,Sikorskii,Wills&Su,2010).IndividualswhoareillorareinphysicalpainhavefoundemotionalbenefitsfromregularFocusingpractice(Klags-brun,1999,2001;Pettinati,2002).Mindfulnesspracticehasalsoresulted inan increaseinwell-being,improvedcopingability,andadiminishmentofstress-relatedsymptomsincancerpatients(Ott,Norris,&Bauer-Wu,2006).

Agrowingbodyofresearchonthetreatmentofcancerpatientsindicatesaneedforamutlti-modalapproach,addressingacompositeofsocial,psychological,andemotionalrealmsofbothpatientsandfamilies(Carlson&Bultz,2003).CAS,whichisbothashort-termtreatmentandalong-termpractice,hasthepotentialtobeofgreatbenefithere.Onestudyhasshownthatwomenwithbreastcancerarestillinneedofsupportivetherapiesfiveyearsaftertreatment(Holzneretal.,2001).Otherstudiesindicatethatthereareelevatedlevelsofdistress (i.e.anxiety,depression,sleepandeatingdisorders, fearfulness)duringall stages of cancer treatment and recovery. Cancer treatment and recovery also inducesocialisolationanddisorientation,andcreateadrasticchangeinlifestyleandagency,all


ofwhichmayincreasedistressanddepressionincancerpatients(McDaniel,Musselman,Porter,Reed&Nemeroff,1995;O’Leary,1990).

Notsuprisingly,majordepressionisthemostcommonpsychiatricdisordergeneratedbypatients’experienceofcancerdetection,diagnosis, treatment, remissionand/orrecur-rence.Theincidenceofdepressioninthispopulationrangesfrom13%to56%(Croyle&Rowland,2003).Depressionisalsoamarkerforlowersurvivalratesaswellasanincreaseinsymptoms,andagreaterreductioninlifequality(Ciarmella&Poli,2001;Parker,Baile,DeMoor & Cohen, 2003; Spiegel, Bloom, Kraemer & Gottheil, 1989; Spiegel & Giese-Davis,2003).

SinceCAS isapsychosocial intervention, it is important tonote that studieshaveaffirmedthatthistypeofinterventiondoesalleviatedistressandimproveimmunefunction-inginpatientswithcancerdiagnoses(Fawzy,Fawzy,Arndt&Pasnau,1995).Whilethereissomecontroversyaboutwhethersurvivalratesimproveasaresultofpsychosocialintern-ventions,severalmetaanalyseshavedemonstratedotherbeneficialeffectssuchasimprovedemotionaladjustment,functionaladjustment,andsymptomsinadultswithcancer(Mayer&Mark,1995).Alarger,morerecentmetaanalysislookingat37differentstudiesonqualityoflifeincancerpatientsfoundanoveralleffectsizeof.31,whichsuggeststhatpsychosocialinterventionshavebenefittedthepopulationofadultswithcancer(Rehse&Pukrop,2003;Newell,Sanson-Fisher&Savolainen,2002).

method

Inthisstudy,participantswereguidedthroughtheCASprotocolindividuallybyacertifiedFocusingProfessional(whomwereferredtoasa“Focusingcoach”).(ThecompleteprotocolisinAppendixA.)Eachweeklysessionwaslimitedtoahalfhour.Duringthefirstandlastsessions,coachesmettheirparticipantsinperson,whiletheinterveningfourses-sionswerecarriedoutbytelephone.

Duringeachsession,thecoachguidedtheparticipantintheprotocolandthencom-pletedapost-CASchecklist(Grindler,1991)toassessthedegreetowhichtheparticipanthadbeenabletoplaceherdifficultiesasideandattaina‘clearedspace’duringthatsession.Inadditiontothechecklist,thefollowingfourinstrumentswereadminsteredbothbeforethetreatmentbeganandafterthetreatmentsessionswerecomplete:1)TheFunctionalAssess-mentofCancerTherapy-Breast(FACT-B),2)GrindlerBodyAttitudeScale,3)InventoryofAttitudes32-R,and4)BriefSymptomInventory(BSI).

Inadditiontothequantitativefindings,qualitativedataweregatheredbytheFocus-ingcoachesbothduringthesixCASsessionsandduringexitinterviewsconductedseveralweeks after the conclusion of the interventions. There was a waitlist control group thatcompletedallthequestionnairesatthesametimeastheotherparticipantsandthen,withouthavinganyintervention,tookthemagainin6weeks’time.

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PartiCiPants

Outoftheinitialgroupof24participants,17completedthestudy.Theparticipantsrangedinagefrom43to65years.Twelvehadspousesorpartnersandfourweredivorced.Allbuttwohadoneormorechildren,withthreeoftheparticipantscopingwithschool-agedchildrenathome.Sixteenwerecollegegraduates,sixwithgraduateleveleducation.Therewasabroadrangeofyearssincethecancerdiagnosis,aswellaswhatstagetheircancerwas,andwhattheircourseoftreatmentwas.FivehadstageIcancer;sixhadStageII;twohadstageIII;andthebalancewereunknown.Nineoftheparticipantshadbeendiagnosedwithinthreeyearsprecedingthestudy,andeighthadbeendiagnosedfrom4to9yearspriortothestudy.Itisnoteworthythatfiveofthesevenparticipantswhodroppedoutofthestudycamefromthewaitlistcontrolgroup.

resuLts

Quantitative Findings

Themajorityoftheparticipantswereabletosuccessfullyclearaspace,asmeasuredbytheClearingaSpacechecklist.Ofthe17participants,11wereabletosuccessfullyreachaclearedspaceineveryoneoftheirguidedsessions.Fivewereabletoreachaclearedspaceinhalformoreoftheirsessions,andonlyoneparticipantseemedtohavedifficultyachiev-ingaclearedspace.Overalltheparticipantswereabletoreachaclearedspacein86%ofthesessionsheld(87outofatotalof101sessionsamongthe17participants).

Onlyoneofthefourmeasures,theFACTB,wasfoundtoshowapositivestatisticaleffectaftertheCASintervention.Thisself-reportinstrumentwasdesignedtomeasuresev-eralfacetsoflifequalityinbreastcancerpatients,includingtheirphysical,social,familial,emotionalandfunctionalwell-being.Webelievethatourresultswereaffectedbythesmallsamplesizeandbyourchoiceofinstruments,whichwerenotagoodfitforthispopulation.Forfurtherdiscussionofourquantitativefindings,pleaseseeKlagsbrun,LennoxandSum-mers(2010).

Qualitative Findings

Qualitativedatawerecollectedfromtheparticipantsintwoways.First,theFocusingcoachestooknotesofparticipants’commentsduringeachoftheirCASsessions.Secondly,thecoachesconductedexitinterviewswiththeparticipantsseveralweeksaftertheconclu-sion of the intervention, using a series of open-ended questions. The research questionsareattachedinAppendixB.Thecoachesaskedthequestionsandrecordedtheresponsesverbatiminhandwrittennotes,whichweresubsequentlyanalyzedforcontent.

Thequalitativefindingsderivedattheendofparticipants’sessionsfromtheirdescrip-tionsofhowtheyfeltuponachievingaclearedspacedemonstrateahighlevelofefficacy.Thematicanalysisrevealedthefollowingfourcategoriesofresponse:


• asenseofbeingpeaceful,calm,relaxed,refreshedand/ornurtured

• asenseofhavingachievedlastingchangeandanabilitytorecoverthesenseofclearedspaceatwill

• positivechangesinthesenseofself

• a transcendent or spiritual quality.

Thirteenof the17participantsmade themselvesavailable forexit interviews.Thefollowingbriefsummaryofthedatasuggests,onceagain,thepositivevaluetheparticipantsexperiencedfromtheCASprocess.WhenaskedifandhowCASwasofvalueandwhethertheynoticedanydifferencesintheirstateofmindaftertheintervention,theparticipantsuniformlyansweredintheaffirmativeandidentifiedthefollowingpositiveoutcomes:

• greatermentalclarityandfocus

• amorerelaxed,calm,peacefulstate

• reductioninsomaticconcerns

• greaterself-awareness

• increasedsenseofempowerment

• appreciationofthesocialsupportinherentintheprocess

• confidenceintheabilitytoemotionallyself-regulate.

AlloftheparticipantswhoengagedinexitinterviewsreportedthattheywouldliketocontinuetouseCASintheirlife.Themajority(N=8)ofthoserespondingsaidtheywouldliketofindaCASpartner,whiletheotherswerelesssureordidnotrespond.AllreportedthattheyfeltCASwouldbenefitotherswithbreastcancer,citingnotonlythebenefitslistedabove,butalsothemorespecificwaysinwhichCAScouldhelpwomentodealwiththeirillness-relatedfears,emotionsandsomaticconcerns.Thefollowingrepresentsomeoftheparticipants'opinionsonthisquestion:

Ifdoneduringtreatment,itcouldhelpalot.Itwouldtakethefearsaway.Thewayit isdonenowistotallywrong.Themessageyouget is to“getonwithyourlife,”“marchon,”“thingswillbefine.”Theywantyoutopretendthingsarenormalandtheyarenot.Itisatimewhenyouneedtopaymoreattentiontoyourbodyandhavetimetothinkaboutwhatisgoingon.Ihadtimeanditservedmebetter.

Yes,becauseIknowformeallsortsoflittlebodyconcernscomeupandit’shelpful;andalsotimesoffeelingoverwhelmedcomewithbreastcancerandtreatment,andhavingthisformasawayofworkingwiththesefeelingsisawonderfultooltohave.

Definitely,becausewhenyouhavecancer,yougetsowrappedupinyourself.WhathappensnextisthatIgetscaredandanxious.Thiswouldhelptoputitasideanddealwithitwhenyou’reinabetterplaceandcalmer.Ihavealways

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foundthatwhenIlookatsomethingthedayafter,it’snotasbadandIcandealwithiteasier.

Anespecially interestingfindingwas thatmostparticipantswereas satisfiedwithreceivingtheCASinterventionbytelephoneasinperson.Threepeopleexpressedreserva-tionsabout the telephonic format,citing the impersonal feeling, thedifficultyofhearingthecoach, theawkwardnessofholdingthetelephoneequipmentwhileFocusing,andthegreaterriskofdistractionsandinterruptions.Theothers,however,eitherhadnopreferenceforin-personvs.telephoneformats,orpreferredthetelephonicdelivery.

Case study

ThiscasereportdescribestheexperienceofaparticipantnamedLauren(pseudonym),a43-year-oldmarriedmotherofateenager.Lauren’scancerwasdiagnosedin2004andatthetimeofthestudywasatStageIII.Afewmonthsbeforethestudyshehadundergonereconstructivesurgery.Unlikeseveralotherparticipants,shehadnotemployedotherCAMtreatments,withtheexceptionofashortperiodoftimeusingguidedimageryprocedures.Askedwhatherexpectationswereuponenteringthestudy,shewrote,“IhopetogainmoreinnerpeaceandacalmnessthatIhaven’tfeltsincebeforediagnosis.”

WhentheCASprotocolswereadministeredtoLauren,shewasabletosuccessfullyclearaspacein5ofthe6sessions(scoreof10),andsheachievedascoreof8intheremain-ing session. In her first session, she got in touch with a number of concerns and issuescommonamongbreastcancerpatients,includingafearofdeath,chestpain,concernsaboutlettingothersknowhowshewasfeeling,andfatigue.Assheexploredherfeelingsduringthesession,theimagecamethatshewasbeingdraggedbyahookatthebackofherneckasshestruggledtopleaseothers.Asthesessionproceeded,sheimaginedgivingherselfmuchneededtimetorelax,whichengenderedaninnervisionofawhitedovepeaceimage.Attheendofthefirstsessionshereportedfeelingthatherburdenwasgone,asherbodycouldfloat.

Duringhersecondsession,theonlysessionwhenshedidnotachieveafullyclearedspace,Laurenworkedontheburningpainshefeltinherbackfromhersurgery.Astheses-sionprogressed,shewasabletoreframeherresponsetothepain,seeingitnowasherbody’swayofremindinghertotakecareofherself.Shewasthenabletoexperiencetheburningsensationinherbackas“apositivebodyglow”and“calmlikeabrightsunnyday.”

Duringherlastfoursessions,Laurenprimarilyworkedonfeelingsofanxietycausedbyherhecticworklifeandexacerbatedbyherconcernsregardingherillness.Inthethirdsession,shewasabletosetasideherstressedfeelingsandarriveatafeelingshedescribedas“fineandlight,likeIjusthadagoodmeal,butnottoofull—ajustrightfeeling.”Shereportedtohercoachthatinherday-to-daylifeshehadbeenmoreabletoaccessfeelingsofhappinessandcontentednessandthatshewasbeginningtoexperience“asenseofease,flow,andthingscomingtogetherinsuchagoodway.”Inherfifthsession,Laurentoldher

cleAring A sPAce: An evidence-bAsed APProAch For enhAncing QuAliTy oF liFe • 1�1

coachthat theFocusingwasmakinghercalmerandhappierandthat thepeopleatworknoticedthattoo.

Byherfinalsession,Laurenfoundshewasabletosetasideasenseofoverwhelm,“ofhavingatornadospinninginmychestandback,fromtoomanythingstodo.”Assheproceededintotheprotocol,sherealizedshecouldaskothersforhelpandthisbroughtaneasinginherbreathing.Attheendofthesession,shedescribedherselfasfeelingasifshewerestandingupstraighterandtaller,withwarmthinherheart,andmuchcalmer.Herfinalimagethatcapturedhowshefeltatthecloseofthesessionwas“afreshfeelinglikeasheetblowinginthewind,”afeelingsheknewshecouldbringbacktoherselfatwillbyusingtheprotocol.

Duringherexitinterview,LaurenattestedtotheoverallcalmingeffectthatCAShadhadonherlife.Shesaid,“Themainthingisthatitmademefeelmuchmorepeaceful.Ihadaclearmindattheendoftheweek.”Whenaskedifshefeltadifferenceinherstateofbeingbeforeandafterthestudy,shesaid,“Definitelyclearer;andotherpeoplehavenoticedittoo.Ihavereallyheldontoit.”ContrastingFocusingtootherCAMmodalities,shesaid,“Meditationisharderbecausethemindwanders.Focusingiseasiertodo.”

disCussion

AlthoughCASgenerallytakesonly20to35minutestocomplete,itseemstoresultinagreatersenseofcalm,enhancedemotionalself-regulation,improvedcoping,agreateroverallsenseofwell-beingandasenseofempowermentindealingwithanxiety,fearandothercancerrelatedissues.Sincethereisaclearneedtofindwaystoaddressthetraumaofseriousillness,werecommendthatmedically-orientedpractitionersmightwellbenefitfromknowingandusingCASwiththeirpatients.

Ausefulfindingofthisstudy—thatparticipantsfoundthetelephoneasusefuloverallasanin-personsession—suggeststhatthisinterventioncanbemadeavailabletothosewhocannoteasilytravelinthemidstoftheircancertreatmentorforwhomthehospitalhasanegativeassociation.BeingabletobeguidedinCASinthecomfortoftheirhomeseemedasthoughitwasanotablebenefitforsomeoftheparticipants.

ComparingCAStootherCAMmodalities,afewparticipantsvolunteeredthatthereweretwoaspectsofCASthatmadeitpreferabletomeditationforthem.FirstthatCASisrelationalandprovidedwitnessingandcompanyastheyreflectedontheircurrentstate,andsecond,thatCAShasstepsthatofferedstructuretotheirself-reflectionsandguidedthemtoaclearspaceandasenseofhowlifewouldbewithouttheirproblems.Thenatureofthisinterventionhelpedthemreliablyarriveataplaceofpeaceandspiritualwell-being.

imPLiCations For Future researCh

ThisresearchpointsthewaytolargerstudiesoftheefficacyofCASinlargerpopula-tionsandpopluationswithdifferinghealthissues.Wesuggestastudywithmixedgender

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populationsandwithpeoplewithdifferingdiagnoses,suchasdiabetes,heartdisease,AIDS,autoimmunediseasesanddifferenttypesofcancer.

Itissuggestedthatawaitlistcontrolgroupsuchasweused,notbeutilized,sincefiveparticipantswaitingfortheinterventiondroppedoutofthestudy.

Wealso suggestusing telephoneorSkypeas amedium for the intervention,bothtofacilitateinterventiondeliverytoalargersampleandalsotoexplorewhethertheuseofSkypemightovercomesomeoftheperceivedlimitationsoftelephonedelivery.

Finally,itissuggestedthatnon-certifiedFocusers,suchasnurses,socialworkersandcounselors,betrainedascoachesinordertodeterminewhethertheseprofessionalscanbetaughttosucessfullyadminsterCASandhowthelevelsofefficacytheyachievecomparetotheresultsofthisstudy.

ForFocusingresearcherswhowouldlikeoursupport,wewouldbehappytosharethe proposal submitted to the IRB (Internal Review Board) at Lesley University, whichsponsoredtheresearch.

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aPPendiX a CLearing a sPaCe ProtoCoL

Beforewebegin,itwouldbehelpfulforyoutochooseacomfortablespace.Youcouldbelyingdownorsittinginacomfortablechair...hopefullysomewherewhereyouwon’tbedistractedorinterrupted.Sotakesomemomentstogetcomfortableandletmeknowwhenyoufeelreadytobegin.

1.Whenyouareready,youmightwanttocloseyoureyes,if thatfeelsright,andthenbeginbecomingawareofyourbodyasitrestsintoacomfortableposition...feelinghowyourbodyisbeingsupportedbythechair—orifyouarelyingdown,sensingthatsurface—andthenjusttakingafewdeepbreaths—inandout.Youmightnoticeyourbreathingasitbeginstoslowdownwitheachexhalation(5secondspause)andjustallowyourattentiontogentlycomeintothecenterofyourbody.Askyourself,“HowamIrightnow?”(PAUSE)or“Isthereanythingthatmightbeinthewayoffeelingfine?”(5secondspause)Justletyourbodydotheansweringandletmeknowwhensomethingshowsup.(10secondspause)Nowtakeamomenttositwithitwithfriendlyacceptance,noticethequalityofthatinthebody.(10secondspause)

2.Now,seeingif thereisaword,phraseor imagethatcapturesthequalityofhowallofthatfeelsinyourbody;letmeknowifyoufindsomething(5secondpause)...sayingtheword,phraseorimagebacktoyourself,checktoseeifitfitsthesenseyouhavethereexactly.Isthatstilltherightwaytocaptureyourconcern?

3.Nowgivingthisconcernyouraccepting,friendlyattentionforafewmomentssothatyoucanacknowledgethatit’sreallythere(5secondpause)thenputtingitasideforawhilebyimaginingthatyouareplacingthewholethingoutsideofyour body,inasafeplaceattherightdistanceaway.Sometimesithelpstoimaginethatyouaresittingonaparkbench,wrappingeachconcernup,andplacingitonthebenchnexttoyou—oratwhateverdistancewouldfeelright.Andletmeknowwhenyouhavebeenabletosetitasideorifyouneedmorehelpdoingthis.(10secondpause)

4.Youmightfindyourselfnoticingwhetheryoufeelalittlelighterorclearerinsidewith-outthat one.

5.Nowagain,bringingyourattentioninsideask,“Exceptforthat,amIfeelingfine?”(5seconds)Waitandseeifsomethingelsewantsyourattentionnextandletmeknowwhetherthereisanythingelsethere.(PAUSE)

6.Nowallowafeltsenseofthat concerntoform(PAUSE)andseeifaword,phrase,orimagecapturesthequalityofhowthisconcernfeelsinyourbody.(PAUSE)Andthen,afterspendingalittletimewithit,seeifyoucanplaceitoutsideyourbodyinasafeplaceaswell.(10secondpause)Youmightbenoticingnowwhetheryoufeelalittlelighterorclearerinsidewithoutthatone.(PAUSE)

(Allow the person to clear out up to five concerns before moving on to #7 If they cannot set aside a concern or they get stuck here . . . you may continue working with them until you have reached the time limit and note that they did not reach a cleared space.)

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7.Nowinadditiontothoseissues,mostofushaveabackgroundsense—alwaysfeelingalittleanxious,orsad,orharried,ortense—andjustcheckinginside,youmightseeifyoucanfindabackgroundsensethat’sthereforyoutoday?Nowseeifyoucanplacethatoutaswellandletmeknowwhetheryouhavebeenabletodothat.(10secondspause)

8.Now,bringingyour attentionback insideyourbodyandnoticing, is there a clearerspacethere?(10seconds)

(If they get to a cleared space at this point, skip ahead to #10 if not, continue through #9.)

9. IF THEY DO NOT GET TO A CLEARED SPACE, choose one or more of the following:

9A.Istheresomethingyourbodymightwantorneedfromyourightnow?(PAUSE)Ifyoucouldimagineyourselfdoingthathowwoulditfeel?

9B.Isthereanythingelsetherethatmightbeinthewayoffeelingfine?

9C. There may not be one, but see if there is a forward step that comes right fromthisplace.

(If they cannot set aside a concern or they get stuck here . . . you may continue working with them until you have reached the time limit and note that they did not reach a cleared space.)

10.IFTHEY DO GET TO A CLEARED SPACE, choose one or more of the following:

10A.Youmayfindyourselfwelcomingthisspaceandallowingyourselftorestinit.(10secondPAUSE)Rememberingthatyouarenotyourproblems,eventhoughyouhavethem.(PAUSE)Seeifaword,phrase,imageorgesturecaptureshowitfeels.(10seconds).Nowchecktoseeifthisfitshowitfeelsthere.

10B.Spendingalittletimewithwhatevercomesthereforyou,youmightchecktoseeifthereisawaytorememberormarkthisspotsoyoucancomebacktoitifyouwouldliketo.

10C. Now you might notice what it would be like to have more of this in your life.(PAUSE)

10D. There may not be one, but see if there is a forward step that comes right fromthisplace.

11. CLOSING TO USE WITH OR WITHOUT CLEARED SPACE: use both of the following:

11A.Nowthatwe’reabouttoendfortoday,youmighttakeamomenttocheckinwithyourselfandask,howamIfeelingrightnow?

11B. And when you are ready, slowly and gently bring yourself back into the room.(END)


aPPendiX b eXit interVieW Questions

1. CanyousayiftheprocessofClearingASpacewasofvaluetoyouandifso,HOWwasitofvalue?

2.DoyounoticeanydifferencesbetweenyourstateofmindorstateofbeingnowversusbeforeyoulearnedClearingaSpace?

3.HowwouldyoudescribeClearingaSpaceinyourownwords?

4.Isthisaprocessthatyoumightwanttocontinuetouseinyourlife?Wouldyouwanttofindoutabouthavingafocusingpartner?

5.Doyouthinkotherwomenwithbreastcancerwouldbenefitfromthispractice?How?

6.Whatsuggestions,ifany,doyouhaveaboutimprovingthestudyorthewayClearingASpacewasdone?

7.Didyounoticeanydifferencesbetweenthetelephonesessionsandthein-personses-sions?Doyoupreferonestyleovertheother?

8.HowdoesFocusingcomparetootheralternative/complimentarytreatmentsyouhavetried?

Joan Klagsbrun Ph.D., has been a psychotherapist in the Boston area for 34 years and has been a longtime Focusing practitioner and teacher. She teaches Focusing nation-ally and internationally to psychotherapists and health care professionals. Her work is on the interface of health, spirituality and psychology. Joan is an Adjunct Faculty Member, Division of Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Graduate School of Arts & Sci-ences, Lesley University. She has authored many articles and a video entitled A Focusing Approach to Life Changing Illness. She can be reached at [email protected] Susan Lennox, J.D., Ph.D. is a Certified Professional Coach and also serves on the gradu-ate faculty of Capella University’s School of Business and Technology. She is a Certified Focusing Trainer and a Certifying Coordinator for the Focusing Institute. She teaches Focusing classes and workshops and integrates Focusing into her coaching practice, Growing Edge Focusing & Coaching. She can be reached at [email protected]

1�� • The Folio • 2012

the beneFits oF FoCusing: a Qualitative analysis of thirty interviews with Focusers

Mako Hikasa (Taisho University)

abstraCt

Focusingcontributestonumerousfieldsofstudyandendeavor.Ithasresultedinnewformsofcounselingandpsychotherapy,andit iswidelypracticedasaformofself-help.Evenso,thebenefitswhichweFocusersexperiencearecomplex,intertwined,anddifficulttolist.FocusingteachersintroducingFocusingtonewaudienceswouldhaveaneasierjobifwecouldmoreclearlyarticulatethepurposeandbenefitsofFocusingpractice.ThatiswhyIstartedaprogramofresearchandinterviewsin2008.Mypurposewastoask30interna-tionalFocuserswhatbenefitstheypersonallygainedfromFocusing.Ifoundthefollowing:

• The benefits cited by interviewees could be organized within three meta-categories: 1) The Focusing experience itself. 2) Benefits brought to therapy, working partner-ships, etc. 3) Benefits for practicing psychotherapists.

• Allbenefitsinthefirstcategory—theFocusingexperienceitself—couldbecatego-rizedas:Felt Shift,Healing,Self-understanding,Authenticity,Forward Movement,Improvement in Relationship,orCreativity.(Theprecisenatureofthesebenefitswillbediscussedindetailbelow.)

• ThebenefitscitedvarieddependinguponhowlongaFocuserhadbeenpracticing.MoreexperiencedFocusersnamedmorepositiveandmorebasicbenefitscomparedwithnovices.Thelattertendedtostressrelieffromimmediatedifficultiesandpain.

IhopethatwhatIhavelearnedandwillshareinthispaperwillhelpustoconceptual-izemoreclearlythebenefitsofFocusingandfacilitatetheintroductionofFocusingtonewaudiences.

Focusing is a little door. Some people want to give the name “focusing” to everything they find through this door. No, focusing is just attending to the bodily uneasiness of a problem (Gendlin,1996,p.303-4).

Focusingisapsychologicalself-helppracticeoriginallyenunciatedbyEugeneGendlin(1969,1981).AccordingtoGendlin,Focusinginvolvesjust“spendingtimewith,theatfirstunclearbodysenseofaproblem,sothatnewstepscome”(Gendlin,1996,p.303).Despitesuchapparentsimplicity,Focusinghasfoundapplicationwithindiversefieldsincludingpsy-chotherapy,education,creativeactivities,andcommunitywellness.That,Ithink,isbecause

The beneFiTs oF Focusing: A QuAliTATive AnAlysis oF ThirTy inTerviews • 1��

whatexists“throughthisdoor”issorichandbeneficial.Icallit“thebenefitsofFocusing”,butwhat,precisely,arethosebenefits?

IhavebeenpracticingandteachingFocusingandpracticingFocusing-OrientedPsy-chotherapyfor18years,andIknowfrompersonalexperiencethatithaspowerfuleffectsandbenefits.However,whenapersonwhoisnewtoFocusingasks,“Whatarethebenefitsof Focusing?” it is somehow difficult to articulate them. This is not satisfactory. WhenbringingFocusingtonewaudiences,weneedtobeabletoclearlyarticulatethepurposeofandbenefitsofFocusingpractice.Thusmyresearchquestion:What are the benefits of Focusing?

an initiaL searCh For an ansWer

LookingfirsttoGendlinhimselfforananswer,welearnthatFocusingfacilitatesa“carryingforward”(1964),or“feltshift”(1981),or“experientialstep”(1996).Alloftheseinvolve a felt, bodily process of interaction between experience, meaning, and symbols,andGendlinexplicatesitsbenefitsusingtermslike“Self-propellingprocess”,“Personalitychange”,or simply“Process”.TheseexpressionscertainlymakesenseonceonehashadFocusingexperienceandarealfeltshift,buttheyareprettyopaqueforthenew-to-Focusingpeople.

Ann Weiser Cornell, a world wide Focusing teacher for many years, tells us thatFocusing“canbeusedforsomanypurposesthatitisimpossibletolistthewholerangeofpurposes”.(Cornell,1993/1996,p.13)However,shenotessomeparticularpracticalbenefitssuchasknowing one’s real needs and wanting,having a comfortable relationship with one’s feelings, getting unstuck, and decision making. Cornell does not attempt any systematicaccountofFocusing’sbenefits.

More promising, perhaps, is Neil Friedman’s article titled, “Benefits of Focusing”(2000,pp109-119)inwhichhelists10benefitshepersonallyobtainsfromFocusing.Theyare presented under the headings: “My preferred way of self-therapy”, “A realm called‘inside’”,“Head body”,“Getahandleonfeelings”,“Physiologicallygood”,“Sourceofinsight”,“Strengthenrealself”,“Self-empowerment”,“Authenticaction”,“Adoorwaytoalteredstates”,and“Personalchange”.However,thisisstilljustapersonallistwithoutsystemoraresearchbasis.

In summation, the benefits being attributed to Focusing by Freidman and Cornelltendtothepersonalandmiscellaneous.IfwelooktoGendlinforguidance,thenwefindonlyhisevolvingterminologyandphilosophyoftheImplicit.Nothinghereoffersasatisfac-torysourceofanswerswhennew-to-Focusingpeopleaskabout thebenefitsandpurposeofFocusing.Allonecandoisinvitethemtotryitforthemselvesanddiscovertheirownanswers,andalthoughthisiscertainlythemostdirectwayforpeopletolearnthebenefitsofFocusing,therearesituationswhereitwouldbehelpfultobeabletooutlinethebenefitsbeforehandsuchaswhenintroducingFocusingintheclassroomorinthebigprofessionalconferences.Ineededtolookfurther.

1�0 • The Folio • 2012

Diggingdeeperintotheliterature,IexaminedwhatissaidaboutthebenefitsofFocus-inginintroductoryFocusingbooksandDVDsavailableinJapan.(Gendlin,1981;Cornell,1993/1996;1996/1998;Muraseet.al.,1995;Murase,1997;Friedman,2000;Hikasa,2008,inJapanese;Murayamaet.al.,2005)Ilistedandcodedthebenefitscited,thenusedthe“KJ-Method” (Kawakita, 1967) toobtain a structure for representing and categorizing them.(TheKJ-Methodisaprocessforqualitativeanalysisbrieflydescribedinanappendixattheendofthispaper.)

Theresultsofthismoresystematicexercisewereasfollows:

i)ThebenefitsofFocusingcanbedividedintothreemajorcategories

1) ThebenefitsoftheFocusingexperienceitself

2) ThebenefitswhichFocusingpracticebringstotherapy,workingpartnerships,etc.

3) ThebenefitswhichFocusingpracticeofferstopsychotherapists.

ii)ThemainbenefitsofFocusingallbelongincategory“1”(ThebenefitsoftheFocusingexperienceitself),andtheycanbepresentedusingsixsubsidiarycategoriesasinFigure1.

New creation　　　　　Inner direction 　　 Healing

Recovery from symptomsJoy of experiencing imagery　　　Relaxation

Changes in Creativity

Greater inner awareness Acknowledgement Physical relief　of

Self-understanding Felt shiftFinding inner wisdom　 Self-acceptance Problem Solving

Being in touch with one's feelings Keeping the right distance Concrete examples of problems solved

Greater congruece IDM * Life forward movementAuthenticityGreater self-trust

　　　RetrievalOuter direction

Figure.1: ‘The Benefits of the Focusing Experience as determined from Introductory Materials’

*IDM is short for “Improved decision making”.

The beneFiTs oF Focusing: A QuAliTATive AnAlysis oF ThirTy inTerviews • 1�1

This Figure was developed using the KJ-Method. The categories are spatially arrangedonthebasisofsimilarityanddetailisaddedlater.Theaxisupper-lefttolower-rightrep-resents an “Inner-Outer” continuum.The “Innerdirection” end (upper-left) lies betweenHealingandSelf-understandingwhile the“Outerdirection”endruns in thedirectionofProblem Solving.Thereisasecondaxisrunninglower-lefttoupper-rightwhichrepresentsa“Retrieval-Newcreation”continuum.

InthecentreofFigure1isthephysicalreliefexperiencedinconsequenceoftheFelt Shift whichisthecoreofGendlin’schangeprocess(1981).Aroundthefeltshifttherearethenfive further categories:Healing, Self-understanding, Authenticity, Problem Solving, and Creativity. (Aswillbediscussedlater,therearedifferencesbetweenthesecategoriesandthosewhichemergedinsubsequentresearch.)ThisrepresentationofthebenefitsoftheFocusingexperienceoccupiesatwodimensionalplaneandinvolvescontinua ratherthanfully separable categories. The possibilities for personal change and growth representedonetheplaneshouldnotbethoughtofasreducibletosuchcategoriesas“mental”,“psycho-logical”,“physiological”,“spiritual”,“personal”,“relational”,etc.Theyare holisticchangesinvolving thegrowthof thewholeof thepersonand involvingall their interactionswiththeirenvironment.

iii)FocusingofferswhatIthinkofas“micro-benefits”,“short-termbenefits”and“long-termbenefits”.Micro-benefitsarefeltatthesametimeasashifthappens.Theyarecotem-poraneous with the felt shift and involve “physical relief” or “relaxation”. Short-termbenefitsarefeltafterone or more sessionsandinvolve,forexample,“spiritualexperience”or“improveddecisionmaking”.Thenthereare thelong-termbenefitsrequiring multiple Focusing sessions andmuchFocusingpractice tofind, for example“self-acceptance”or“findinginnerwisdom”.

BecausethisschemaofbenefitswasextractedfromintroductoryFocusingliteratureandDVDs,itmightbejustanartifactofthethingsFocusingteacherssayinordertopro-motethetrainingtheyoffer.Orperhapstherearemoresubtlebiasesatwork.Inordertocheckhowgenuinelyrepresentativetheschemais,IneededtoconductempiricalresearchinwhichindividualFocusersgettospeakaboutthebenefitsofFocusingastheyexperiencethem.ThatiswhyIsetouttointerviewadiversesampleofFocusersabouttheirexperienceofFocusingandthebenefitsoftheirFocusingpractice.IwouldthenbeabletoascertainwhetherthebenefitsexperiencedbymysampleFocusersweresimilartothebenefitssche-matizedaboveandwhetherbenefitsareinanywaydependentuponhowlongapersonhashadaFocusingpractice.

1�2 • The Folio • 2012

asKing FoCusers

the interviewees

Theintervieweesare30internationalFocusersasshowninTable1.

Table1:‘TheInterviewees’

group years of Focusing practice (average)

number of interviewees

(male)

age range (average )

nationality

Novice Lessthan6years(2.9)

10(4) 27-62yrs.(43.8)

U.S.A.,France,Japan,U.K.etc.

MediumExperience

9-18years(12.2)

10(0) 30-68yrs.(54.3)

Japan,U.S.A.,Nether-lands,Italy,Greece,etc.

LongExperience

morethan20years(25.9)

10(2) 55-76yrs.(63.9)

U.S.A.,Canada,Japan,Netherlands,etc.

Interviewees were recruited at International and Japanese conferences, Focusingretreats, and fromgraduate school students interested inFocusing. Interviewswerecon-ductedduringtheauthor'ssabbaticalyearwhichfacilitatedtheacquisitionofinternationaldata.Theintervieweesthemselvesweredividedintothreegroups:

1) novice group:Eachhadlessthan6years(2.9yearsaverage)experience.Theirprofessions were varied. The group included a carpenter, a sculptor, languageteachers,andgraduatestudents.

2) medium experience group: Thisgroupincluded7Focusingprofessionalsand3 non-professional Focusers with a range of experience of 9 to 18 years (12.2yearsaverage).5/10werecoordinatorsoftheFocusingInstitute.Thethreenon-professionalFocuserswereawriter,anurse,andaschoolteacher.

3) Long experience group: All were experienced psychotherapists or Focusingteacherswithmorethan20yearsofFocusingexperience(25.9yearsaverage).AllbutonewerecertifyingcoordinatorsofTheFocusingInstitute.

data collection

Withtheagreementoftheintervieweeasemi-structuredprivateinterviewwascon-ductedby theauthor.The interviewwasdigitallyrecordedandwrittennotesweremadeduringtheinterview.Outofthequestionsaroundwhichtheinterviewswerestructured,fivewereeventuallyusedasadata-sourceandsupplythefindingspresentedhere.Theywere:


1) WhatarethebenefitsofFocusingforyou?

2) WhatwerethebenefitsofyourveryfirstFocusingsession?

3) Whatwerethebenefitsofyourmostimpressivesession?

4) WhatwouldthebenefitsofyourmostrecentFocusingsession?

5) WhateffectdoesFocusinghaveuponyourthedailylife?

AllthequestionswereaskedinaFocusingmanner.Intervieweeswereencouragedtotaketheirtimeandanswerwithreferencetofeltsensing.Theinterviewitselfgavetheinter-vieweeachancetoreflectupontheirFocusinglife.Takingquestion2asanexample,theintervieweewasfirstaskedtoremembertheirveryfirstFocusingsessionandtotalkaboutthesessioniftheywished.Thentheinterviewerasked,“Whatisthesenseofitrightnowinyourbody?”Whenthatsensewasestablished,themainquestioncameas,“Askyourselfwhatwerethebenefitsthatexperiencebroughttoyou?”Inthisway,itwashopedtogetafreshandconcretedescriptionofthebenefitsfromtheFocuser’sownperspective.

data analysis

step 1:Usingthenotesandaudiorecordings,eachbenefitreferencedbyanintervieweewascodedintoshortphrases.

step 2:Theecodeswerethengroupedtogetherintocategoriesusingtheschemaobtainedearlier.Whenacodeddescriptionfromaninterviewmatchedanexistingcategory,itwasplacedinthatcategory.Whenacodeddescriptiondidnotfitanyexistingcategory,anewcategorywasestablishedandnamed.

step 3: WithineachgroupofFocusers,thenumbermentioningeachkindofbenefitandcategorywascounted.ThiswasdonesothatdifferencesrelatedtothelengthofFocusingexperiencemightbecomeapparenteventhoughthesamplesweretoosmallforstatisticalexamination.

QuaLitatiVe resuLts

result 1: Categorization of the benefits of Focusing

ThesamethreemaincategorieswereevidentaswhenIusedtheKJ-Methodonintro-ductoryFocusingmaterials,namely:

1) ThebenefitsoftheFocusingexperienceitself

2) ThebenefitswhichFocusingpracticebringstotherapy,workingpartnerships,etc.

3) ThebenefitswhichFocusingpracticeofferstopsychotherapists.

1�� • The Folio • 2012

result 2. the benefits of the Focusing experience itself

ConsistentwiththeapproachIadoptedearlier,Iwillcontinuetoconcentrateonthefirstcategoryofbenefits.Theseare shown inFigure2abelow.LikeFigure1,Figure2awasdevelopedusingtheKJ-Method.Inthemiddleis the Felt Shiftwhichissurroundedthistimebysixcategories:Healing, Self-understanding, Authenticity, Forward movement, Changes in relationship, and Changes in creativity.Thenamesofthesecategoriesareself-explanatory.Inaddition,Table2(alsobelow)liststhesub-categoriesmentionedbyinter-vieweesaccompaniedbyshortenedexamplesofhowtheintervieweesactuallyreferredtothebenefitstheyexperienced.(Iwillsaymoreaboutsub-categoriesbelow.)

In Figure 2a, two new categories appear which are not present in Figure 1. Thisisbecausealthough intervieweesspokeofbenefits related to theireveryday liveswhichwere located—diagrammatically and according to the KJ-Method—in the same placeas Problem Solving, no interviewees actually spoke of “problem solving”. Instead, theirresponsesdemonstratedaneedfortwoseparatecategoriesoccupyingthesamepartofthetwo-dimensionalplaneas Problem Solving.Forexample,intervieweessaidthingssuchas,“Focusingshowstherightdirection”and,“WithFocusing,Icanfindtherightnextsteps.”Benefits likethesearebetterrepresentedbythenewcategoryForward movement. Inter-vieweesalsospokeofbenefitsthatcouldbecharacterizedaspartofasecondnewcategory:Changes in relationship.

New creation　　　　　Inner direction 　　Healing Changes in Creativity

Recovery from symptoms An aid to writingSpiritual experience Enhanced sensitivityJoy of experiencing imagery　　　Relaxation Teaching Focusing

Better listening Acceptance of othersGreater inner awareness Able to cross boundaries

Acknowledgement Physical relief　of Changes in relationshipSelf-understanding Felt shift Sense of connection Experience of community

Finding inner wisdom　 Self-acceptance 　　　　Finding the next step

Being in touch with one's feelings No stoppage Keeping the right distance Forward movement

Greater congruece Greater trust in the process Authenticity IDM* Finding directions

Greater self-trust Giving a Life-guiding principle


Figure 2a: ‘The Benefits of the Focusing Experience as determined by Research Interviews’

*IDM is short for ‘Improved decision making’


result 3: the need for sub-categories

Inadditiontothecategoriesdiscussedabove,theneedforanumberofsub-categoriesemergedfromtheinterviews.

InrespectofForward movement,thesub-categoriesgeneratedbytheinterviewswere:“FindingDirection”,“Findingthenextstep”,“Nostoppage”,“Senseofforwardmovement”,“Greatertrustintheprocess”,and“GivingaLife-guidingprinciple”.Forward movement isamoreaccuratedescriptionofthesebenefitsthanProblem-solving,andit hasamoreposi-tiveandconstructiveflavor.FocusersfoundthatFocusingisusefulnotonlywhenthereare“problems”tosolvebutalsoincarryingforwardtheirordinarydailylives.

TheothercategoryuniquetotheinterviewswasChanges in relationship,encompass-ing the sub-categories: “Better listening”, “Greater sense of connection”, “Being able tocrossboundaries”,“Greateracceptanceofothers”,“Improvedrelationships”,“Experienceofcommunity”,and“TeachingFocusing”.Thesebenefitswerealllistedinintroductorybooks,buttheywerenotcitedsufficientlyfrequentlytomakeacategoryusingthe“KJ-Method”.However,fromtheactualFocuserscamemanyrichdescriptionsofFocusing’scapacitytoimproverelationships.Perhapsthisisindicativeofthefactthathumanbeingsareinherentlysocialanimalsandthatrelationshipisabigissueinourlives.

result 4: similarities of structure

AswiththeresultsobtainedfromintroductoryFocusingmaterials,theresultsobtainedbyinterviewcanbeplacedinatwodimensionalplanewithanaxisupper-lefttolower-rightrepresentingan“Inner-Outer”continuum,andanaxislower-lefttoupper-rightrepresentinga“Retrieval-Newcreation”continuum.

Lookingatthefirstoftheseaxes,the“Innerdirection”betweenHealing and Self-understanding (upper-left) yields benefits for the inner experiencing of the person. The“Outer direction” involves Forward movement and Changes in relationship. These arebenefitsexperiencedbyFocusersinteractingwiththeirenvironment.Lookingatthesecondaxis,“Retrieval”(down-left)isthedirectionofaFocuser’sownauthenticselfandinvolvesSelf-understanding andAuthenticity.Theother endof this axis, “Newcreation” (upper-right),involvesChanges in creativitywith,perhaps,someChanges in relationshipandFor-ward movement.ThistwodimensionalrepresentationofthebenefitsofFocusingintheirentiretycorrespondswithallaspectsofahumanlife.

result 5: the time factor

ConsistencybetweentheFocusingmaterialsresultsandtheresultsobtainedbyinter-viewalsoextendstothedivisionofbenefitsinto“micro-benefits”,“short-termbenefits”,and“long-termbenefits”dependingonthelengthoftimeneededtoacquirethem.(an initial search, resultiii.)Accordingly, inFigure2a,eachsub-categoryofbenefit ispositioned

1�� • The Folio • 2012

withinthetwo-dimensionalplaneaccordingtothelengthoftimeinvolvedinitsacquisition.Moreprecisely:

• Thecloserabenefitistothecentreoftheplane,themoreimmediateitsacquisition.

• Thefurtherabenefitisawayfromthecenteroftheplane,thegreaterthetimeinvolvedinacquiringit.

Inconsequence,itisthedistancefromthecenteroftheplanetoaparticularbenefitwhichindicateswhetheritis“micro”,“short-term”,or“long-term”.Therefore,becausethephysicalreliefinvolvedinafeltshiftisthemostimmediatebenefit,Felt shift occupiestheverycenteroftheplane.Felt shiftiswhatIcalla“micro-benefit”.

NowconsiderthecategoryHealing.“Relaxation”(asinthestatementthat“Focusingbringsuscalmness,peacefulnessandasafefeeling.”)is themost“micro-benefit”,anditiscloselyrelatedtothephysicalreliefoftheFelt shift.The“Joyofexperiencingimagery”(asin“Onecanenjoyimagery.”and“Feelingtheopenspace.”)couldbeeithera“micro-benefit”ora“short-termbenefit”comingafteroneormoreFocusingsessions.“Spiritualexperience”alsocomesasa“short-termbenefit”.“Reliefofsymptoms”and“Self-healing”areusuallyexperiencedas“long-termbenefits”requiringmanysessionsoralengthyFocus-ingpractice.

The same logic applies throughoutFigure2a: each sub-category of benefit is dis-tancedfromthecentreaccordingtothelengthoftimeneededtoacquireit,andthatdistanceindicateswhetheritisa“micro”,“short-term”,or“long-term”benefit.

result 6: a comprehensive table of benefits

Table2,below,providesacomprehensivelistofthesub-categoriesofbenefitsrevealedbyinterview.Thelengthoftimerequiredforacquisitionofeachbenefitisindicatedasfol-lows: denotesamicro-benefit, denotesashort-termbenefit, denotesa long-termbenefit.Table2,alsoprovidesexamplesofthewaysinwhichintervieweesspokeabouteachsub-category.

1�� • The Folio • 2012

Note: Within some categories there is a sub-category that has been underlined.These sub-categories may be considered equivalent to the categories within which theyfall. Although that may seem initially illogical, there is good reason for it. While someintervieweesclearlybrokeagivencategoryintosub-categories,otherstendedtotreatthesame category as one whole thing. (For example, while some interviewees broke Self-understanding intosub-categories,others treated itasasinglewhole, thusgivingus theapparent sub-category, “Self-knowledge”.)Toavoidconfusionbetween levels, thenamesof categories andequivalent sub-categorieshavebeenmade slightlydifferent. (Thus thecategorySelf-understandingcontainsthesub-category“Self-knowledge”.)

QuantitatiVe resuLts

Frequency of mention

Table3,below,showsthenumbersofintervieweesmentioningthebenefitsofeachsub-category.(Italsoprovidesadditionalinformationwhichwillbeexplainedbelow.)


numbersof statem

ents

fromallparticipants

①N

ovice

②M

ediumExperience

③Long

Experience

①vs②

①vs③

②vs③

30 10 10 109 6 2 3 1

Physical relief of Felt Shift 9 6 2 3 1Healing 84 25 8 9 8

Relaxation 37 22 5 9 8 < <Joy of experiencing imagery 6 4 0 1 3Spiritual experience 6 5 1 2 1Recovery from symptoms 31 17 7 8 2 > >Self-healing 7 6 4 2 0 >

204 30 10 10 10Greater inner awareness 18 13 4 3 6 <Acknowledging 21 11 4 5 3Self-knowledge 70 24 10 7 7Being in touch with one's feelings 30 14 7 5 2 > >Keeping the right distance 28 19 8 5 6Self-acceptance 37 18 4 8 6 <Finding the inner wisdom 3 2 0 2 0

80 26 8 9 9Improved decision-making 14 10 2 5 3Greater congruence 30 19 5 7 7Greater sense of authenticity 22 17 5 6 4Greater self-trust 15 11 3 5 3

106 27 9 9 9Finding Direction 9 6 3 1 2Finding the next step 23 15 4 5 6No Stoppage 11 8 2 3 3Sense of forward movement 20 15 3 6 6 < <Greater trust in the process 22 12 2 6 4 <Giving a Life-guiding principle 24 12 2 4 6 <

77 23 8 9 6Better listening 8 6 1 2 3Greater sense of connection 24 12 2 5 5 < <Being able to cross boundaries 13 10 2 4 4Greater acceptance of others 9 7 2 3 2Improved relationships 6 5 2 3 0Experience of community 10 7 2 2 3Teaching Focusing 7 5 1 2 2

14 8 3 3 2Enhanced sensitivity 2 2 0 0 0An aid to writing 5 5 1 3 2Enhanced creativity 7 4 2 2 0

Felt Shift

Self-understanding

Authenticity

Forward Movement

Changes in Relationship

Creativity

Table 3: 'The numbers of people who mentioned the benefits in each sub-category.'numbers of participants comparison

Numbers of participants in each group

1�0 • The Folio • 2012

Althoughtheyarenotstatisticallysignificantbecauseofthesmallsamplesize,thefollowingdetailsexhibitedbyTable3arestillsuggestive:

1) Outofthe7maincategories,Healing, Self-understanding, Authenticity, Forward Movement, andChanges in Relationship arementionedbymost(morethan2/3)ofinterviewees.

2) Felt ShiftandCreativityarementionedbyonly6people,and8peoplerespec-tively,outof30researchparticipants.

3) All participants mentioned benefits from the category Self-understanding. ThetotalnumberofstatementscitingbenefitsfromSelf-understandingwas204.Thatismorethantwicethenumberofcitationsforanyothercategory.

4) Thesame9sub-categoriesarementionedbymorethanhalftheinterviewees.(InFigure2b,below,thecategoriesandsub-categoriesmentionedbymorethanhalftheintervieweeshavebeenunderlined.)

5) WithinHealing“Relaxation”and“Recoveryfromsymptoms”arementionedby22/30and17/30peoplerespectively.WithinSelf-understanding “Self-knowledge”(24/30),“Keepingtherightdistance”(19/30)and“Selfacceptance”(18/30)arethemostpopularcategories.WithinAuthenticity,“Greatercongruence”(19/30)and “Greater sense of authenticity” (17/30) are the most popular. Within For-ward Movement “Finding thenext step” (15/30) and“Senseof forwardmove-ment”(15/30)arethemostpopular.

Figure2b,below,isamodifiedversionofTable2awhichhighlightsthe“mostpopu-lar” categories with underlining—“most popular” being defined as “mentioned by morethanhalftheinterviewees”.Asbefore,“IDM”isshortfor“Improveddecisionmaking”.

New creation　　　　　Inner direction Healing Changes in Creativity

Recovery from symptoms An aid to writingSpiritual experience Enhanced sensitivityJoy of experiencing imagery　　　Relaxation Teaching Focusing

Better listening Acceptance of othersGreater inner awareness Able to cross boundaries

Acknowledgement Physical relief　of Changes in relationshipSelf-understanding Felt shift Sense of connection Experience of community

Finding inner wisdom　 Self-acceptance 　　　　Finding the next step

Being in touch with one's feelings No stoppage Keeping the right distance Forward movement

Greater congruece Greater trust in the process Authenticity IDM* Finding directions

Greater self-trust Giving a Life-guiding principle


Figure 2b: ‘The Benefits of the Focusing Experience as determined by Research Interviews with the Most PopularCategories underlined’

*IDM is short for ‘Improved decision making’

The beneFiTs oF Focusing: A QuAliTATive AnAlysis oF ThirTy inTerviews • 1�1

diFFerenCes betWeen eXPerienCe-LeVeLs

Iexaminedthenumbersofpeoplewhomentionedeachofthemaincategoriesforacorrelationwiththeexperience-levelgroupsdiscussedabove(the interviewees).Ifoundnone. In every group, references to Felt Shift and Creativity are rare, and most people,irrespectiveofexperience-level,mentiontheothercategories.

However,inrespecttothesub-categories,therearedifferencesbetweenthegroupswhicharenoteworthybutnotstatisticallysignificantbecauseofthesmallsamplesize.Toindicatethenatureofthesedifferences,signsofinequalitywereputintothe“ComparisonColumn”ofTable3(above)whenthereisadifferenceofmorethan3betweenexperience-levelgroups.HereisasummaryofwhatTable3reveals:

• “Novice”Focuserscited“RecoveryfromSymptoms”,“Self-healing”,and“Beingintouchwithfeelings”.Suchbenefitsevidencerecoveryfromnegativeexperiencesandwaysofliving.

• Bycontrast,“MediumExperience”Focuserscited“Relaxation”,“Self-acceptance”,“Senseofforwardmovement”,and“Greatertrustintheprocess”.Thesekindofben-efitsrepresentthemorepositivesideofFocusingpractice.

• “LongExperience”Focusers cited “Greater inner awareness” and “Giving aLife-guidingprinciple”.ThesearebenefitsconsequentupontheintegrationofFocusingintodailylife.Itwouldnotbesurprisingiftheyrequiredlengthypracticetoachieve.

Ingeneral,amongthenovices—anddespitetheiraverageyearsofexperiencebeing2.9 years—relief from immediate difficulties is the most salient consequence of Focus-ingpractice.PerhapsthisisbecauseitwasthosedifficultiesthatinitiallybroughtthemtoFocusing.Furthermore, theseare thekindofbenefitswhichmoreexperienced (MediumExperienceandLongExperience)Focusersmightwelltakeforgranted.OrperhapsmoreexperiencedFocusershavebeenfreefromsuchdifficultieslongenoughthattheyarestart-ingtonoticethemorepositiveaspectsofFocusingpractice.Afterasufficientlyextensivepractice,FocusingseemstobecomeintegratedintoaFocuser’sdailylifeandturnsintothelife-guidingprinciplespokenofbyLongExperienceFocusers.

These differences point toward a natural developmental process involved in thepracticeofFocusing.However,hereIneedtoadmitthepossibilityofsamplebias.Inthisresearch,allof theLongExperienceFocusersand 7⁄10 oftheMediumExperienceFocus-ersareeitherpracticingpsychotherapistsorotherwiseemployedasFocusingprofessionals.ThiscompareswithonlysuchpersonamongtheNovices.Therearealsoagedifferencesthatmayberelevant.Thegroupsaverageagesareasfollows:Novices—43.8years,MediumExperience—54.3years,LongExperience—63.9years.Thesedifferences inprofessionsandagemightbethesourceofthedifferencesbetweengroups.

the “most PoPuLar” BenefiTS

Payingattentiontoonlythebenefitsmentionedmostfrequentlybyinterviewees,itcanbesaidthatFocusingresultsin:

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1) Healing—especially by encouraging “Relaxation” and promoting “Recoveryfromsymptoms”

2) Self-understanding—especiallythrough“Keepingtherightdistance”fromtrou-blesandfosteringSelf-acceptance”.

3) Authenticity—especiallyinpromoting“Greatercongruence”.

4) Forward Movement—especiallythrough“Findingthenextstep”.

5) Changes in Relationship.

eXamPLes From an interVieW

Inordertoprovideconcreteexamplesofhowthecategoriesandsub-categoriesrelatetothewordsactuallyspokenbyaninterviewee,hereisasummarizedversionoftheinter-viewdataofA__,anEnglishcarpenterinhis40swhohasbeenFocusingfortwoyears.Heisa“Novice”whohasfoundFocusingveryhelpfulandisenthusiasticaboutpartnershipsandattendingworkshops.

Q1.WhatarethebenefitsofFocusingforyou?

Healing “relaxation”: I found the real deep stillness in myself. Something in me worries about work, money . . . all those things, and I can hold all of those and be with them . . .

Healing “recovery from symptoms”:I used to have separation anxiety disorder. I had panic attacks and I could not function. Since I came to know Focusing, I don’t have panic attacks anymore. There is less anxiety, and when the panic happens . . . occasion-ally . . . I can hold it . . . I don’t have a fit anymore.

Self-understanding “Keeping the right distance”: I became emotionally stable. All my life was about managing my emotions. Now with Focusing, I do not manage them. I just allow them . . .

Healing “Joy of experiencing imagery”, “spiritual experience”: Allowing my emotions to just be, they manage themselves. I do not have to do anything. Just offer them presence and allow them to be there, everything, every part of my emotions is sacred.

Q2.WhatwerethebenefitsofyourveryfirstFocusingexperience?

It was about the separation from somebody in an unhealthy relationship. Focusing’s benefits were . . .

forward Movement “Finding the next step”: I came to a resolution that this rela-tionship is relationship unhealthy. On the train from the session, I decided to split . . . For me this was an action step.

Authenticity “greater sense of authenticity”:She and I were in an enmeshed rela-tionship and it did not allow me to be as I am . . . Being separate, I got unhooked from the enmeshment . . .


Changes in relationship “improved relationship”:Focusing is very good at car-rying forward . . . being free of a stuck relationship.

Q3.Whatwerethebenefitsofyourmostimpressivesession?

The session was impressive because of the image of my two parts . . . the introvert . . . the shy part, and outgoing clown part . . . being in the same the same room . . . together.

Self-understanding “self-knowledge”:I realized that the very shy and scared part and the controlling part are brothers. There always used to be filters between me and world before . . . then I could not see . . .

Authenticity “greater sense of authenticity”:Before, a lot of energy was needed to separate those two parts. When those two parts collapsed, it allowed me to operate with integrity for myself, for the first time. Now I can tell . . . communicate . . . my feelings to others.

Self-understanding “self-acceptance”:I was given a gift called “life”. All my life, I was ina survival mode before. Now I can live. I was given a life and I would like to honor this life. I have now come to the stage where I can be happy.

forward movement “sense of forward movement”: My process used to be going away from something. Now I am moving toward something. Now I embrace what is there and can wait for what is next.

Q4.WhatwerethebenefitsofthemostrecentFocusingsession?

It was about a relationship with somebody who just told me the relationship was finished.

Self-understanding “being in touch with one’s feelings”:I feel hate. Before Focus-ing, I never hated. I do not hate her, but I hate what she did. There was a lot of bitterness, anger and . . . . Focusing allowed me to be with a lot of hatred.

Changes in relationship “improvement in relationship”:I came to know that there was a limitation in the relationship.

Q5.ArethereanyotherinfluencesofFocusinginyourlife?

forward Movement “giving a Life-guiding principle”: I now function from there . . . (Focusing).

Self-understanding “self-acceptance” and Changes in relationship “greater acceptance of others”:Acceptance of my own physical pain, acceptance of other people’s annoyingbehavior.

Authenticity “greater sense of authenticity”:For years I was like a leaf blown by the wind. With Focusing, I became a tree, even though I may not be such a big tree. Being a leaf, you do not have any sense of who you are. You are dealing with the wind of emotions.

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Authenticity “greater self-trust”:I have been in therapy for years, but managing myself and looking after myself is not dependent upon my therapist . . . but it is dependent upon my reflecting upon my situation.

A__isrepresentativeoftheinterviewees,andtheseexcerptsarerepresentativeoftheinterviewprocesswhich touchesupon“popular”benefits suchas:“Relaxation”,“Recov-ery fromsymptoms”, “Self-knowledge”, “Keeping the rightdistance”, “Self-acceptance”,“Greater sense of authenticity”, “Finding the next step”, “Sense of forward movement”.(Thereisonlyonepopularsub-categorywhichisnotmentioned:“Greatercongruence”.)

Additionally,A__mentionsallthreecategoriestypicaloftheNoviceGroup(whichisconsistentwiththesecategoriesbeingcitedwhenFocusingisusedtoovercomepresentdif-ficulties.)However,thereisalsoamentionofbenefitsmorecommonlyreferencedbyexperi-encedFocusers:forexample,A__touchesupon“Relaxation”,“Self-acceptance”,“Senseofforwardmovement”,and“Givingalife-guidingprinciple”.Here,A__isprovidingevidencethatheisintegratingFocusingintohislifeandmakingitalife-guidingprinciple.

OnefinalcharacteristictonoteisthatA__cites“Improvedrelationship”twice.ThisisconsistentwiththemajornewfindingofthisresearchcomparedwiththeintroductoryFocusing materials: accurately representing the benefits cited by interviewees requiresintroducingnewcategoriesandsub-categories.“Improvedrelationship”isanexampleofanewsub-category,belongingwithinanewcategorythatisclearlyimportanttoA__.

Further disCussion

the unity of Focusing benefits

Althoughthecoreofchange,thefeltshift,israrelycitedasabenefitinitself,itsinflu-enceextendsacrossthewholeofthetwo-dimensionalplaneusedtomodelthosebenefits.This,Ibelieve,isanaturalconsequenceofFocusingbeinganinnate,primary,andholisticwayforhumanstoprocessexperience.Thus,thefeltsenseisbothinner(Innerdirection)and about the whole situation and the outer world (Outer direction). The “Inner-Outer”axisisacontinuuminvolvingtwinaspectsofoneprocess.Similarly,the“Retrieval-Newcreation”axisisacontinuumwherebyatoneendofitthefeltsenseisfound, andattheotherendwecansaythatthefeltsenseismade. CampbellPurtonexplainsthisasfollows:

Wecansaythatwefindthefeltsensewhenweturnourattentiontowhatwefeel.HoweverbeforeweFocusedourattention,therewasnotthisspecificfeel-ing.Itonlyemergesasspecific,asa‘this,’throughtheimpactofourattention.Sowecouldalsosaythatthefeltsenseismadeintheinteractionbetweenourfeeling-processandourattending to thatprocess. It is impossible todrawasharplinebetween‘finding’and‘making’here,butthisissowheneverweareconcernedwithcreativity(Purton,2004,p.176).

Justasthetwoaxesimplynotstrictseparationbutprocess,sothecategoriesandsub-categoriesofthebenefitsofFocusingarenotseparateentitiesbutdiscernibleaspectsofone


livingprocesswhichcan,forpurposesofourunderstanding,beindividuated.Sometimes,becauseofpersonalcircumstances,certainaspectsofFocusingwillbeparticularlypromi-nentforaFocuser.Perhaps,too,somepeoplearemoreinclinedtonoticetheinneraspectsandbenefitsofFocusingwhileotherstendtonoticetheouteraspectsandbenefits.Evenso,theseaspectsandbenefitsarepartofonewholethingandflowoneintoanother.

ComParing the introduCtory materiaLs and interVieW data

AsdemonstratedbyFigures1,2a,and2b,thestructureprovidedbyanalyzingintro-ductoryFocusingbooks andDVDsproved largely appropriate to categorizing responseselicitedthroughinterview.Theonesignificantexceptiontothiswastheneedtoestablishthecategories Forward movementandChanges in relationshipinplaceofProblem Solving.Inconsequence—andthisseemsasignificantfinding—IfindthattheintroductoryFocusingmaterials emphasize the intra-personalbenefits andchanges representedbyHealing andSelf-understanding.Contrastingwiththis,theFocusersIinterviewedweremoreapprecia-tiveoftangiblechangesintheirexternallivesandtheimpactthatFocusinghadonthewaytheyinteractedwithothersandwiththeirenvironment.

time and the eXPerienCe oF beneFit

Asdiscussedabove(result 5: the time factor)someFocusingbenefitsareimmedi-ateandothersseemtobuildupovertime.Theterminologyandassociatedtime-scaleIhaveused to represent this—“micro”,“short-term”,and“long-term”—areanentirelypersonalattempt to understand what I believe I have myself experienced and am noticing othersexperience.Iamnotclaiminganyrigorforit.EmpiricalquantitativedatacouldbesoughtinordertobetterunderstandthepreciserelationshipbetweentimeandparticularkindsofFocusingbenefits,butthisresearchdoesnotprovidethatdata.

an inVitation

Itwasrewardingformetoreceivesomanycommentsofferedbyintervieweesattheconclusionoftheirinterviewwhichmightbesummarizedas:“ThisinterviewgavemeagoodchancetolookbackatmyFocusingandpersonalhistory.”

Iwouldliketoinviteyou, thereaderof thispaper, toaskyourself theseinterviewquestions.TheymayofferopportunitytoreflectuponyourFocusinglife.

Further data

In the interviews Iconducted Ialsoaskedquestionsabout theeffectsofFocusingpartnerships,attendingworkshops,andusingFocusingwithinthepracticeofpsychother-apy.Iasked,“WhatisthedistinctivefeatureofFocusingcomparedwiththeotherself-helppractices?”Theanalysisoftheresponsestothesequestionsisnotyetcompleteandmayyetbecomethesubjectofafurtherpublication.

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to the beginning Focuser

Inconclusion,IwouldliketoofferasummarythatconveysthebenefitsofFocusingforbeginners,asIbelievethemtoberevealedbythisresearchproject.

Focusingtakesustothecoreofourlifeprocess.Itsbenefitsarefeltacrossthebroadestaspectsofourlives,andtheprocessisapplicabletomost,ifnotallfieldsofhumanendeavor.

Focuser’sfindthatFocusingbenefitstheirinnerandspirituallives.Theyhavelisted “Relaxation”, “Self-healing”, and “Self-understanding” amongst itseffects.Theyhave found thatFocusing isespeciallyhelpfulwhen there isaneedfor“Keepingtherightdistance”betweenourselvesandourfeelings,help-ingustoachieve“Self-acceptance”.

Focusinghelpsusfinda“Greatersenseofauthenticity”and“Greatercongru-ence”. Itassistsus indealingwith theouterworld,“Finding thenextsteps”and creating a “Sense of forward movement”. Focusing promotes beneficial“Changesinrelationship”andenhancescreativity.

Theseareclearlyevidencedbenefitsthatmorethantwothirdsoftheintervieweeshavementioned.Someof thesebenefitsarenoticed immediately,during (orrightafter)asession.Someneedtimetodevelopandbecomenoticed.

EveryoneIinterviewedfoundthatFocusingenhancesSelf-understanding.Soletus try topractice“Being in touchwithourfeelings”while“Keeping therightdistance”.ThatistheessenceoftheFocusingpractice.Focusingchangeslivesanddeeplyenrichesusintheprocess.


aPPendiX: the K-J method

(Adaptedfromhttp://www.mycoted.com/KJ-Method,accessed2011-09-19.)

Thisdevelopmentofthe“SnowballTechnique”concentrates“groupsofideaspertain-ingtothesameproblem”andthenassignsarecognizable“theme”(whatFocusingwouldcalla“handle”)toeachgroup.DevelopedinJapan,ithasbecomeoneofthe“Sevenman-agement(New)tools”ofmodernJapanesequalitymanagement.Thebasic Cycleissimilartomind-mappingbututilizesnestedclustersratherthanatreestructure:

1.Card making:Allrelevantfactsandinformationarewrittenonindividualcardsorpiecesofpaperandcollated.Thisgeneratesasupplyofideas.

2.grouping and naming:Thecardsareshuffled,spreadout,andreadcarefully.Cardsthatlookasthoughtheybelongtogetheraregroupedtogetherandany‘oddities’ignored.Foreachgroup,anappropriatetitleiswrittenoutandplacedontopofitsgroupofcards.Thisprocessisrepeatedusingnewtitlestocreateadiminishinghierarchyofgroupsuntiltherearelessthan10groups.

3. redistribution:Thisstepisskippedbyapersonworkingaloneastheresearcherdid.

4.Chart making:Oncetherearelessthan10groups,someofwhichmaycontainsub-groups,sub-sub-groups,etc.,theyarearrangedinaspatialpatternthatfacilitatesapprecia-tionoftheoverallpicture.

5. explanation:Theresearchernowtriestoexpresswhatthechartmeans,writingnotesandbeingcarefultodifferentiatepersonalinterpretationsfromthefactscontainedinthechart.Ideasforthesolutionareoftendevelopedwhilstexplainingthestructureoftheprob-lemtoothers.

reFerenCes

Cornell,A.W.(1993).The focusing student manual(3rded.).Berkeley:FocusingResources.(村瀬孝雄監訳・大澤美枝子訳,1996,フォーカシング入門マニュアル,金剛出版)

Cornell,A.W.(1996).The power of focusing.Oakland,CA:NewHarbingerPublications.(大澤美枝子・日笠摩子訳,やさしいフォーカシング,コスモスライブラリー)

Friedman,N.(2000).Focusing: Selected essays 1974-1999.Xlibris.(日笠摩子訳,2003,フォーカシングとともに(1),コスモスライブラリー)

Gendlin,E.T. (1964).A theoryofpersonalitychange. InP.Worchel&D.Byrne (eds.)Personality change. New York: John Wiley pp.100-148. (村瀬孝雄・池見陽訳,1999，人格変化の一理論，ジェンドリン・池見陽著，池見陽・村瀬孝雄訳，「セラピープロセスの小さな一歩」所収,165-231.)

Gendlin,E.T.(1969).Focusing.InPsychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice,6(1),4-15.

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Gendlin,E.T.(1981).Focusing.NewYork:BantamBooks.(村山正治・都留春男・村瀬孝雄訳,1982,フォーカシング,福村出版)

Gendlin, E. T. (1996). Focusing-oriented psychotherapy: A manual of the experiential method.NewYork:Guilford.(村瀬孝雄・池見陽・日笠摩子訳,1998,フォーカシング指向心理療法，金剛出版.)

Kawakita,J.(1967).(川喜田二郎,1967,発想法—創造性開発のために，中央公論社）

Hikasa,M. (2008). (日笠摩子, 2008,フォーカシングの効果の質的分析：入門書で提示されている効果の分類,大正大学カウンセリング研究所紀要31,65-81.）

Murase,T.et.al.(1995).(村瀬孝雄他，1995,フォーカシング事始め,日本・精神技術研究所)

Murayama,S.et.al.(2005).(村山正治・福盛英明・森川友子,2005,マンガで学ぶフォーカシング入門,誠信書房)

Murase,T.(1997).(村瀬孝雄,1997,心とからだに耳をすます”フォーカシング＞(VHSビデオ),創元社)

Purton, C. (2004). Person-centered therapy: The focusing-oriented approach. Palgrave:Macmillan.(日笠摩子訳,2006,パーソン・センタード・アプローチ—フォーカシング指向の観点から，金剛出版)

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