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In this, the first of the two volumes of Senses of Focusing, a wide range of authors from around the world bring fresh thinking to the meaning of ‘Focusing’ and how Eugene Gendlin’s work grew from and has developed different elements of philosophy and psychotherapy, particularly within the Client-Centred tradition. The meaning of ‘Focusing’ and the ‘Felt sense’ are considered and re-examined; the close relationship between Focusing and Eastern traditions is explored by authors from Japan and China; the relevance of Focusing to the existential challenges that we face are seen not only in terms of personal meaning, but also in relation to current global and political crises; the evolution of new developments in Focusing practice are described; different considerations are brought to bear in relation to working with physical illness and the body and the volume concludes with a section on ‘Body Mapping’ and ‘Children Focusing’.
This second volume of Senses of Focusing carries exploration of the many ‘senses’ of ‘focusing’ in new directions, beginning with the crucial area of ‘spirituality’ and the wisdom of ‘dreams’. The value of living and working from inner experiencing ‘in individual lives and in therapeutic practice’ is explored across a variety of cultures as well as through different manifestations in the ‘Arts’, specifically poetry, theatre and music. A section on Focusing in ‘science and neuroscience’ is followed by cross-cultural takes on the theory and practice of ‘Thinking at the Edge’ and a section on the significance of the body’s knowing in ‘ethics and decision-making’. The volume concludes with an examination of Eugene Gendlin’s contribution to Client-Centred Therapy and examples of how his work is now regarded by more recent theorists and practitioners of the Person-Centred Approach.