Gendlin Focusing Session Partner-Guided Emotional Exploration

Example

Assisting a person in acknowledging and setting aside various stresses and concerns to create a mental 'space' where deeper emotional work can occur.

Scenario

Before delving into deeper emotional exploration, an individual is guided to mentally 'place' their immediate worries, like work stress or daily responsibilities, to the side, allowing them to focus on more submerged feelings.

Example

Guiding an individual to tune into a vague, bodily sense of a specific problem or situation, which is not immediately accessible through conventional thinking.

Scenario

An individual struggling with a decision about a career move is guided to sense into the 'gut feeling' about each option, identifying a bodily sensation that encompasses their complex emotions and thoughts about the decision.

Example

Helping an individual find a word, phrase, or image that resonates with the felt sense, encapsulating the emotion or issue in a tangible form.

Scenario

An individual identifies a heavy, constricted feeling in their chest when thinking about a personal relationship. Through focusing, they come to describe this sensation as a 'tight knot,' which becomes a handle for further exploration.

Example

Encouraging an individual to 'check back' with the felt sense using the handle, and asking open-ended questions to explore the issue more deeply.

Scenario

The individual with the 'tight knot' sensation is guided to gently question what this 'knot' might be holding, leading to insights about unexpressed feelings in the relationship.

Example

Facilitating a space where the individual can welcome whatever responses arise from the focusing process, without judgment, allowing for emotional shifts and insights.

Scenario

After exploring the 'tight knot,' the individual may experience a sense of relief or emotional release, gaining new perspectives on their feelings and the situation at hand.