Focusing & Focusing Levels 1-4
See studio calendar for current times / additional dates upon request
* Reference page: https://thinkinginmovement.ca/focusing/
Wednesdays & Saturdays
☯ Level ONE
~ Class #1 Presence and Acknowledging
~ Class #2 Sensing and Describing;
~ Class #3 The Rest of the Conversation
~ Class #4 The Rhythm of Listening
~ Class #5 What the Focuser Wants from the Companion
In this introduction to Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) you will learn basic Focusing and Partnership skills so that you can begin to practice Focusing partnership right away. Focusing partnership is the foundation for strengthening and including Focusing in your work and daily life. You will learn to guide yourself through the four stages of a Focusing session, using facilitative language. You will strengthen your understanding of felt sensing, and the attitude of Self in Presence which supports you in your relationship with your inner experience, allowing your process to deepen and widen, safely and comfortably. In this class you will also have an introduction to being a Companion, at first listening quietly to the Focuser, then having an opportunity to support the Focuser with more active listening skills, including some gentle reflection. Skills are introduced gradually, allowing mastery of one thing at a time, so that the learning is enjoyable and natural. Participants are given opportunities to practice in class and encouraged to practice with one another and students from other classes outside of class time.
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☯ Level TWO
~ Class #1 The Power of Presence
~ Class #2 The Edge
~ Class #3 Leading In
~ Class #4 Advanced Listening
~ Class #5 Advanced Focusing, Six Recommendations
* Deepen your experience with Focusing and being a Focusing partner.
* Cultivate a sense of self-awareness and the ability to hold strong emotions with compassion.
* Enjoy the spacious qualities of “Self-in-Presence”.
* Develop “Advanced Listening Skills“ for helping your partner form a “Felt Sense“.
* Learn how to “Be” at the “Edge” and discover a transformation, where the unclear becomes clear.
* Practice in a supportive atmosphere to develop your Focussing process.
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☯ Level THREE
~ Class #4 The Bottle, Deepening Contact
~ Class #5 The Bottle, Ending, and Positives
In Level 3 you will increase your listening skills and your understanding of the ways Focusing works to allow “Implicit Knowing” to open in its own way. You will learn when and how to offer “reminders” as a Focusing Guide, along with nuances and alternatives for every stage of the process. You will be supported in this growing capacity through readings in “The Focusing Student’s and Companion’s Manual” by Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D. & Barbara McGavin, “Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy” by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D., and additional writings by Gendlin and Cornell. You will enjoy in-class discussions, Focusing demonstrations and opportunities to practice with others in your group.
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☯ Level FOUR
~ Class #1 Where Does Focusing Get Stuck
~ Class #2 Presence and Partiality
~ Class #3 Inner Critics and Exiled Parts
~ Class #4 Feeling Too Much and Feeling Nothing
~ Class #5 The Radical Acceptance of Everything
Level 4 centers on two important aspects of Focusing:
* The Path of the Companion
* Presence and Partiality
With “The Path of the Companion” you will supplement your listening skills with subtle refinements of the Focusing partner’s repertoire.
In our study of “Presence and Partiality,” you will deepen your understanding of critical reactions and how to guide a Focuser when two or more parts are in conflict. You will see how Focusing can ease the effects of merging and exiling aspects of a process when these arise in a Focusing session.
You will enjoy in-class discussions, Focusing demonstrations, and opportunities to practice with others in your group.
You will continue to learn the ways Focusing works to allow “Implicit Knowing” to open in its own way. You will learn when and how to offer “reminders” as a Focusing Guide, along with nuances and alternatives for every stage of the process.
You will be supported in this growing capacity through new selections in “The Focusing Student’s and Companion’s Manual” by Ann Weiser Cornell, Ph.D. & Barbara McGavin, “Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy” by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D., and additional writings by Gendlin, McGavinand Cornell. You will enjoy in-class discussions, Focusing demonstrations, and opportunities to practice with others in your group.
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