Focusing Resources
We’re here to share.
There are many ways to learn about Focusing. Below, we’ve collected some of our favorite books, articles, websites, videos, and podcasts about Focusing. Our hope is that this Focusing Resources page will be a rich library for our community and beyond. Feel free to send suggestions our way! Focusing is an expanding field, and we welcome your contribution.
FOCUSING + ADDICTION
FOCUSING + DREAMS
Articles
“The Body’s Role in BSF,” Peter A. Campbell
“Moments of Movement in Experiential Psychotherapy for Clients Suffering From Addiction,” Ireneusz Kaczmarczyk
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
Books
Let Your Body Interpret Your Dreams by Eugene Gendlin, PhD
Articles
“Living the Dream,” Leslie Ellis
“Body Dreamwork: Using Focusing to Find the Life Force Inherent in Dreams,” Leslie Ellis
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
FOCUSING + NEUROSCIENCE
GENDLIN / FOCUSING PHILOSOPHY
Books
“Person-Centered Therapy: The Focusing-Oriented Approach,” Campbell Purton, PhD
Articles
“Focusing in an Age of Neuroscience,” Peter Afford
“Get Your Head Around the Thing Inside It,” Peter Afford
“The Attuned Brain: Crossings in Focusing-Oriented Therapy and Neuroscience,” Leslie Ellis
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
Books
Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Manual of the Experiential Method, Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D.
Experiencing and the Creating of Meaning, Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D.
Focusing, Eugene Gendlin, Ph. D.
Articles
“Embodied Critical Thinking” Donata Schoeller
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
FOCUSING + SPRITUALITY
FOCUSING-ORIENTED THERAPY
Books
Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Manual of the Experiential Method by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D.
Articles
“Awe and the Celebration of Life’s Mystery,” Eli Dickson
“Religion, Psychology & the Human Body – A Spellbinding Union,” Edwin McMahon and Peter A. Campbell
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
Books
“I know I’m in There Somewhere,” Helene Brenner
Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Manual of the Experiential Method by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D.
Let Your Body Interpret Your Dreams by Eugene Gendlin, PhD
Focusing in Clinical Practice. The Essence of Change by Ann Weiser Cornell, PhD
Focusing-Oriented Therapy (FOT) by Neil Friedman, PhD
Theory and Practice of Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. Beyond the Talking Cure by Greg Madison, PhD
Person-Centered Therapy: The Focusing-Oriented Approach by Campbell Purton, PhD
Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy by Laury Rappaport, PhD
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD
Articles
“The Relational Heart of FOT,” Lynn Preston
“Fragile Process,” Margaret Warner
“Eugene Gendlin’s Approach to Psychotherapy,” Eugene Gendlin
“Focusing-Oriented Experiential Psychotherapy: How To Do It,” Marion Hendricks
“A Theory of Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy,” Akira Ikemi
“Non-Linear Science, Mindfulness & The Body,” Gregory Johanson
“Help for the Helpers: The Power of Focusing Partnerships,” Joan Klagsbrun and Lynn Preston
“River of Knowing: A Journey With Focusing,” Joan Klagsbrun
“Held Experience: Using Mindfulness in Psychotherapy to Facilitate Deeper Psychological Repair,” Shai Lavie
“Making Peace From the Inside,” Rob Parker”
“Two Interwoven Miracles: The Relational Dimension of Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy,” Lynn Preston
“Reflections on Being (Some Sort of) a “Focusing-Oriented Therapist”, Peter Afford
“Focusing Oriented Therapy: The message from research,” Rob Parker
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
FOCUSING + TRAUMA
WHOLE BODY FOCUSING
Books
Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Manual of the Experiential Method by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D.
Articles
“Trauma States, Mindfulness, Body,” by Manuela Mischke-Reeds
“Cultivating Self-Compassion in Trauma Survivors” Christopher K. Gemer and Kiristin Neff
“Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Contemplative Approach to Hidden Trauma,” Doralee Grindler Katonah
“Death Looks Not Towards the Moon: My Journey Through the Dark Night of the Soul,” Randi Love
“Hidden Trauma,” Jeffrey Morrison
“Intergenerational and Vicarious Trauma: Identifying and Unwinding Its Impact on Clients and Health Care Workers,” Jeffrey Morrison
“The Relational Heart of FOT,” Lynn Preston
KEEPER OF THE FLAME: Healing Inter-Generational Trauma Using Focusing-Oriented Therapy, Beilah Ross
“Fragile Process,” Margaret Warner
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
Books
“I know I’m in There Somewhere,” Helene Brenner
Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A Manual of the Experiential Method by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D.
Let Your Body Interpret Your Dreams by Eugene Gendlin, PhD
Focusing in Clinical Practice. The Essence of Change by Ann Weiser Cornell, PhD
Focusing-Oriented Therapy (FOT) by Neil Friedman, PhD
Theory and Practice of Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy. Beyond the Talking Cure by Greg Madison, PhD
Person-Centered Therapy: The Focusing-Oriented Approach by Campbell Purton, PhD
Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy by Laury Rappaport, PhD
The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD
Articles
“Opening Doorways to the Spiritual in Psychotherapy,” Joan Klagsbrun
“Don’t Go It Alone: The Power of Focusing Partnerships,” Joan Klagsbrun
“My Big Focusing Aha Moment,” Rosie Fanale
“Death Looks Not Towards the Moon: My Journey Through the Dark Night of the Soul,” Randi Love
“Hidden Trauma,” Jeffrey Morrison
“Intergenerational and Vicarious Trauma: Identifying and Unwinding Its Impact on Clients and Health Care Workers,” Jeffrey Morrison
“The Relational Heart of FOT,” Lynn Preston
KEEPER OF THE FLAME: Healing Inter-Generational Trauma Using Focusing-Oriented Therapy, Beilah Ross
“Fragile Process,” Margaret Warner
Websites
The International Focusing Institute
The Focusing Institute is the international organisation that offers certification to psychotherapists who have completed a FOT training offered by our members. The FI website has a generous amount of information on various other applications of Focusing, apart from the therapy context.
International Association of Focusing-Oriented Therapists (IAFOTs)
Worldwide organisation of certified Focusing-Oriented Therapists. We offer psychotherapy and training based upon the experiential practice of Focusing and the philosophy of implicit experience.
Focusing Initiatives International
Focusing International is an international organisation specialising in a model of ‘community wellness’, especially in developing areas of the world and with groups that might not otherwise have access to Focusing training.
Inner Relationship Focusing (IRF) is a process for emotional healing and accessing positive life-forward energy. It has been developed by Ann Weiser Cornell and Barbara McGavin, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin. Above all, the practice of IRF has been developed over 18 years of intensive work with clients who were engaging with difficult issues such as action blocks, addiction (primarily eating disorders), depressed and anxious states, and experiences of low self-worth.
The Seattle Focusing Institute (SFI) is a virtual home to Focusing teachers and students alike. SFI, founded by Jeffrey Morrison (Certified Focusing Trainer and Certifying Focusing Coordinator) offers an in-depth, two-year Focusing training program: Focusing-Oriented Therapy & Complex Trauma. The program welcomes anyone who feels called to work with others, heal inner wounds, and find a personal path of purpose, peace, and freedom.
Wholebody Focusing is a community of practitioners exploring the ‘whole body’ integration of Focusing and Alexander Technique as pioneered by Kevin McEvenue.
Leslie Ellis, PhD, RCC, is a registered clinical counsellor, teacher and author who lives and works in beautiful Deep Cove, British Columbia. After writing A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy, she changed her focus from private psychotherapy practice to local and online classes in dreamwork, focusing-oriented therapy and trauma training for therapists.
BLOG
Moving Beyond Talk Therapy | Zoom | 6 CEUS
Learn and experience the power of working with the Felt Sense – how the body holds living experience about a situation – and why it is the key to moving beyond the typical dead ends of therapy. The two days will be didactic and experiential with demonstrations. This is an easy way to taste the benefits of Focusing.
Working With the Body in Therapy: Free Introduction to Focusing | Zoom
Experience how you can cultivate and embody personal presence that has a healing impact on self and others! This is an easy way to taste the benefits of Focusing.
The First Year: Focusing-Oriented Therapy | Zoom
Learn a body-centered and relational process that helps therapists keep clients safe and regulated while unwinding chronically stuck and traumatic experiences. In the first year workshop series, you will learn Focusing as a self-experiencing process while also learning to help clients connect with themselves in present.
The Second Year: FOT & Complex Trauma | Zoom
PTSD becomes post-traumatic growth, as we learn to accompany our clients on their journey to wholeness. Deepen your understanding of FOT and its application for unwinding chronic stress and trauma.
Doorway at the Dead End
From time to time, we all find ourselves facing dead ends when it comes to resolving personal issues in life. When repetitive attempts to gain clarity fail, what can you do? Focusing offers us a natural way forward. But the key to progress may seem counterintuitive.
What We Mean by the “The Body” in Focusing
When I use the word “body,” I mean more than the physical machine. Your physically felt body is in fact part of a gigantic system of here and other places, now and other times, you and other people–in fact, the whole universe. This sense of being bodily alive in a vast system is the body as it is felt from inside.
Guided Attunement with Jeffrey Morrison
I often like to begin Focusing sessions or therapy with an attunement. Like meditation, attunement is a process of slowing down our racing minds and cultivating awareness of our Self.
Wounds & Gifts with Jeffrey Morrison – The Focusing Way podcast
Wounds & Gifts with Jeffrey Morrison We’re thrilled to announce that “Wounds & Gifts” with Jeffrey Morrison is the latest…
How are mindfulness and Focusing similar and different?
Mindfulness and Focusing share the characteristics of observing our experiencing in the present moment, having a somatic grounding, and requiring a certain quality of presence that I might call dis-identification.
How is Focusing an evidence based process of change?
Focusing evolved from research that has influenced much of the somatically-oriented, mindfulness-based work being done today. It has been linked to over 50 studies* with positive therapeutic outcomes and continues to develop new applications in psychotherapy and related fields. Continue reading to learn about how Focusing was discovered through research conducted by Carl Rogers, Eugene Gendlin and others at the University of Chicago.
We Move Our Past Experiences Forward in Present Moments
A Tool for Disentangling Clients from Intergenerational and Vicarious Trauma We are now in the second month of a new…