Inner Relationship Focusing
The body is a gateway to wisdom, insight, and
spiritual connection. Inner Relationship Focusing is a
special approach to Eugene Gendlin's Focusing-oriented
psychotherapy (developed by Ann Weiser Cornell). This method, which is a body-mind
therapy with a very long tradition, utilizes a type of
internal bodily awareness known as a "felt sense."
This felt sense is an experience that occurs naturally within
each of us, but is typically overlooked. It offers tremendous
value because it allows you to consciously be aware of your
inner experience.
Accessing your felt sense helps you to open to the
wisdom of your body. The more comfortable you get with
your felt sense, the more capable you are of utilizing this
bodily wisdom in relation to any decision or life problem. In
essence, it helps you to cultivate clarity around your personal
needs and who you truly are. It lets you sense into feelings and
tap into a level of "knowing" that is beyond conceptual
understanding. Focusing also allows you to experience your core
self - a deeper intelligence that lies beneath your thoughts,
memories, and feelings.
Focusing has been effectively used in psycho-spiritual
counseling approaches. Unlike the mind, which
vacillates between the past and future, the body is always
grounded in the present moment. Bringing attention to the body
provides a pathway into deeper spiritual consciousness. As you
develop a comfort with your felt sense you benefit by moving
out of the realm of your mind and more deeply into direct
experiential knowing.
Opening up to the body brings greater intimacy with feelings,
deeper connection with your personal truth, and access to a
deep sense of presence. Studies indicate that counseling
that incorporates the felt sense is more effective than
counseling that does not include the felt sense.
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