The Psychology of the Felt Sense
Focusing...
is a reflective practice that brings the mind back to its natural centre in the felt experience of the body. It restores emotional equilibrium, renews the spirit, and helps you find your way forward in life and work. Focusing can be used to make decisions that feel 'right', to think in fresh and creative ways, and to resolve unwanted feelings that thinking alone doesn't change. Originally developed by Eugene Gendlin, Focusing can be practiced with another person, on your own, and in professional contexts such as coaching, counselling and therapy.
Listening
The 'inner listening' to oneself in Focusing is complemented by the practice of empathic listening and responding to others, supporting them in their own inner listening. The 'experiential listening' skills of Focusing are both effective and rewarding to practice.
Felt sense
The term 'felt sense' refers to the way we can have a feel, sometimes bodily, for the whole of a situation or topic we are immersed in. A new page on this website is felt sense notes, a collection of thoughts about this key concept in Focusing and how we can work with it in approaching big public issues such as climate change. I shall be adding more notes as they roll off the inner creative production line.
Workshops
After more than 30 years of teaching a full programme of Focusing workshops in London, I brought things to a close a the end of 2023 and moved home from the big city to the south coast of Devon in 2024. From hereon in, I will be happy to respond to invitations if someone else wants to do the organising, especially the workshops on applications of Focusing for experienced focusers - decision making, creative thinking, and facing climate change with the felt sense. More info on the workshops page.
In 2025, I will be teaching a course in Budapest in May on focusing-oriented trauma therapy from a neuroscience perspective, and a four day workshop in August 'Facing climate change with the felt sense' at the UK Focusing School.
Neuroscience
I have been boning up on this challenging subject, and reflecting on its relevance to Focusing and therapy, for some years now. For info on my book Therapy in the Age of Neuroscience, and some articles I have written in recent years, look on the neuroscience page. Lots more on neuroscience generally on my other website peterafford.uk
About myself
I have been practicing Focusing and teaching it to others for many years. Originally, it taught me to trust my feelings and their tendency to move naturally once I stopped resisting them - and to trust my ability to respond empathically to others. Now, I practice Focusing for personal and professional nourishment, continue to do some teaching, and lean on my felt sense in navigating everything that life presents.
I am a founder member of the
British Focusing Association,
a coordinator for the
International Focusing Institute,
and a member of the
European Focusing Association,
whose steering group I have recently joined.
More information …
can be found by hovering over and clicking on the menu items at the top of this page.