Focusing

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Focusing (from Latin focus , focal point ' ) was developed by the American psychotherapist and philosopher Eugene T. Gendlin . The term “focusing” stands for the process of personality development researched by Gendlin, but also for the self-help technique he describes for solving personal problems. The focusing-oriented psychotherapy was developed on the basis of this method.

General

The process known as "focusing" is - more generally understood - the process of creative thinking and acting. This is characterized by going back and forth between the current experience of a concrete situation and its verbalization or symbolization through actions, gestures, images etc. Gendlin gives the example of a poet who searches for words to continue her poem: initially knows she doesn't yet know which words really fit, she pauses and discards all unsuitable formulations until she suddenly has an aha moment and realizes: "Now I've found the right words". Accordingly, it is a central task of every person to find the right words, gestures and actions for a particular situation in their life.

prehistory

The focusing process was described in the context of research on client-centered psychotherapy ( Carl Rogers ) in the 1960s by Eugene T. Gendlin, professor of philosophy and psychology at the University of Chicago. When examining therapy conversations, he found that the progress in the clients' personal development did not depend on a particular direction of therapy, but on a skill that they themselves brought with them. Gendlin came to this conclusion through the evaluation of therapy sessions in which the various methods were used. It was noticeable that people whose therapy was successful spoke differently about their problems: when talking about their problem, they also referred to how they physically experienced their problem . Gendlin was able to identify this inclusion of current physical experience as a central factor in effective personality change. To enable this ability to direct attention to less successful clients, Gendlin developed special instructions, the focusing steps. He came to the conclusion that with the help of these steps “almost all people” can learn focusing and that the focusing process is also important as a problem-solving process in everyday situations. In the sense of "helping people to help themselves", Gendlin therefore published not only his specialist articles but also a focusing guide for self-users.

Basics

Felt scythe

The body experience described by Gendlin cannot be understood as feeling or body sensation in the usual sense. Rather, what is meant is a complex, situation-related body experience that contains both cognitive and emotional components (Felt Sense = felt sense). Gendlin refers both to John Dewey's term, which speaks of a "feel of meaning", and to Merleau-Ponty's "sens emotionel". This experience encompasses all of our culture-specific distinctions, but at the same time it is more complex and cannot be fully expressed in words:

"The felt sense in our example is not the feeling of fear - although fear is part of it, as is every other aspect of the whole problem. It is not the palpitations, the memories, the desire to be closer, not the Anger about our inability ... It comes "around" the anger "around" or "from under" it "or" together with "the palpitations or as the physical quality that the memory brings with it."

Such a felt sense arises again and again and changes when we refer to it. Gendlin regards the ability to relate to it as a “source of change”. Changes in the experience can be felt specifically physically, as a relief or release of tension. Gendlin also speaks of "felt shift". The focusing steps describe this process of change as a swing of attention between the problem situation on the one hand and the not yet categorized body experience on the other. In many cases, this process runs unconsciously or intuitively. But there are situations in human life where the development process stalls. In these situations it is helpful to consciously initiate the focusing process.

Depth of experience

As part of focusing-oriented psychotherapy, an "experiencing scale" was developed in order to assess the client's closeness or distant experience and to be able to respond appropriately. This scale can also be used to assess whether the depth of experience of a client changes through focusing training. Fukumori and Morikawa developed a "Focusing Manner Scale" (FMS) to measure the realization of focusing attitudes in everyday life.

Learn and practice

As the research of Gendlin and colleagues has shown, the focusing process can be learned and applied as a self-help technique, but also in the context of psychotherapy and counseling. The focusing steps formulated by Gendlin can be used for this purpose. The exercise steps described by Gendlin have now been added, including: a. by A. Weiser Cornell by practicing so-called "focusing attitudes" to promote awareness of one's own experience. Other ways of exercising have been described by other authors. When practicing focusing, it is generally recommended to do it in pairs, for example with alternating mutual accompaniment (so-called focusing partnerships). Self-help groups such as the globally established "changes groups" provide a suitable and protected framework for this.

application

Focusing can be used to help people help themselves in difficult and stressful life situations. The procedure of focusing-oriented psychotherapy can be combined with other psychotherapeutic methods. In addition, focusing shows new ways in the treatment of psychosomatic complaints. In addition to its use in therapeutic practice, focusing can also be used to support creative processes or in decision-making . The Thinking at the Edge method was developed to translate tacit knowledge into language, based on the focusing process .

Non-recognition by health insurance companies

In Germany and Austria, the costs for focusing-oriented psychotherapeutic treatments are not reimbursed by the statutory health insurance companies . This also applies if they are accompanied by doctors or psychological psychotherapists .

Web links

literature

  • Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing. Self-help in solving personal problems (translated by Katherina Schoch). 9th edition (4th edition of the paperback edition), Rowohlt, Reinbek bei Hamburg 1998, ISBN 978-3-499-60521-5 (German first edition, Müller, Salzburg 1981, ISBN 3-7013-0617-6 ).
  • Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing-oriented psychotherapy, a manual of the experience-based method (original title: Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy , translated by Teresa Junek). 2nd edition, Klett-Cotta, Munich 1998, ISBN 978-3-608-89132-4 .
  • Eugene T. Gendlin, Johannes Wiltschko: Focusing in practice. A cross-school method for psychotherapy and everyday life . 3rd edition, Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2007, ISBN 978-3-608-89062-4 .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing . German first edition, Müller, Salzburg 1981, ISBN 3-7013-0617-6
  2. ^ ET Gendlin: Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. A handbook of the experiential method. Pfeiffer, Munich.
  3. ^ Eugene T. Gendlin: Thinking beyond Patterns: Body, Language and Situations . In: B. den Ouden and M. Moen (Eds.): The Presence of Feeling in Thought. Lang, New York 1992, pp. 25-151 .
  4. ^ Gendlin: Focusing . P. 22 ff
  5. ^ Gendlin: Focusing . P. 22
  6. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing . P. 23 ff
  7. ↑ ET Gendlin, J. Beebe, J.Cassens, MH Klein, M. Oberlander: Focusing Ability in Psychotherapy, Personality and Creativity . In: JM Shlien (Ed.): Research in Psychotherapy . Volume 3. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, pp. 217-239.
  8. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing . P. 25 f.
  9. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing . P. 26.
  10. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin. Focusing.
  11. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin. Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning. A Philosophical and Psychological Approach to the Subjective. Northwestern University Press: Evanston, Illinois, 1962, p. 46.
  12. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin. Focusing-oriented psychotherapy, p. 38.
  13. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. A handbook of the experiential method . P. 33 f
  14. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. A handbook of the experiential method . P. 33
  15. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing . P. 61
  16. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing . P. 29.
  17. ^ MK Klein, Ph. L. Mathieu, ET Gendlin and DJ Kiesler (1969) The Experiencing Scale. A Research and Training Manual. Wisconsin Psychiatric Institute
  18. ↑ H. Fukumori, Y. Morikawa. The relationship between focusing and mental health in adolescents. Journal of Japanese Clinical Psychology, 2003, 20, 580-587.
  19. ^ Marion N. Hendricks: Focusing-oriented, Experiential Psychotherapy . In: David Cain and Julse Seeman (Eds.): Humanistic Psychotherapy: Handbook of Research and Practice . American Psychological Association, 2001.
  20. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin: Focusing
  21. ↑ Ann Weiser Cornell: Following the voice of the body . Rowohlt, Reinbek 1999, ISBN 3-499-60353-5
  22. ↑ Agnes Wild-Missong: New way to the unconscious . Müller, Salzburg 1983, ISBN 3-7013-0662-1
  23. ↑ Klaus Renn: Your body tells you who you can become . Herder, Freiburg 2006, ISBN 3-451-05616-X
  24. ^ The Focusing Institute. Retrieved May 13, 2019 .
  25. ↑ Eugene T. Gendlin, Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy, Chapters 17, 18.
  26. ↑ Beate Ringwelski: Focusing. An integrative way of psychosomatics , Pfeiffer bei Klett-Cotta, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-608-89714-3
  27. ↑ Daniel Bärlocher: Relieve pain with focusing . Ehrenwirth, Bergisch Gladbach 2002, ISBN 3-431-04021-7