What is focusing-oriented therapy?

Focusing-oriented therapy involves inviting you to not just talk about your experiences but to talk 'from' your feeling sense. It's an experiential approach that supports you in going beyond what you already know, and creates a space to attend to the unknown, which can then lead to change.

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In the 1960s, psychotherapist Eugene Gendlin conducted research on why some clients were successful in therapy and others weren't. It became clear that the benefits of psychotherapy were often hit or miss. Upon further investigation, he and his colleagues uncovered something fundamental for successful therapeutic results:

Clients who are able to routinely do an internal check, for a bodily “felt sense,” gain the most from therapy.

 

What’s the “felt sense?”

It is a special level of internal awareness; a capacity for knowing that is not simply emotion.

It’s a bodily-sensed understanding of “rightness.”

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So how exactly do we turn inward through Focusing-Oriented Therapy (FOT)?

My training in focusing-oriented therapy can help you listen to yourself on a deep level. You may notice in our counselling that I will invite you to check in with yourself, how it is to be with all that you have said. You might also notice that I may invite you to notice for the quality of what's being said, to see how you carry it in your body.  The felt sense goes beyond feelings and thoughts to help you access meanings, images, memories, and a sense of direction that move you toward the paths you know are right for you.

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What can I expect from sessions with you?

• Respect. I will respect you as a whole person, trusting that you will find the right way forward.

• Collaboration. I won't take over, or pressure you into certain behaviors or responses. You get the freedom to be who you are and progress at your own rate. I will simply listen deeply and guide you towards your own sense of inner wisdom.

• Connection. I will practice what I preach. FOT is not a textbook methodology. I will be connected tomy own felt sense, and actively guiding you toward yours.

• Understanding. I will be an excellent listener, assuring you and your therapy goals are understood.

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