I’ve known for a while that when I was little, one of the reason’s I had such a drive to excel academically was to get love and attention. What I didn’t realize was that this belief—learning being a critical way to get love—was still running the show!

The spiral of silence is that we stay silent with our opinions that we sense are in the minority. As a result, we stay silent on many things: what our opinions and emotions are, especially about contentious issues like climate change.

A lot of the time, we are Focusing with something holistically, being with the whole of it. But sometimes, what comes forward are particular “parts” of ourselves. In a way patterns or habitual ways of reacting or thinking in given situations. There are many ways to work with these parts, and this blog will dive into ways that Focusing and other tools can be used to help.

This blog covers three ways that you can improve your Focusing partnerships, including by asking for what you need as the Focuser, being clear with your boundaries as the listener. The advice is inspired by Dr. Janet Klein’s Interactive Focusing, as well as by Gendlin’s words.

How we listen can greatly affect the interaction we have with the other person we are connecting with. Here are five ways to increase safety while listening which ultimately can allow for more flow in experiences (felt shifts!) or generative conversations.

Climate change progress continues to be too slow. Many scientists say it’s inevitable that we’ll overshoot the goal of 1.5 degrees Celsius. What can we do? In this blog I share some of my process in being with eco-anxiety, and new research that suggests the answer may be to welcome catastrophic thinking. To feel, think and act within the realities of the climate crisis. Luckily, Focusing can help with that.

The inclusion of heart energy or self-compassion during the receiving step adds a new element to the focusing attitude. In order to maximize its benefits, it is helpful to activate this energy at the beginning of a focusing session, so we have it online when we get to the felt sense of an issue.

Three points that gave me clarity on Gendlin Focusing book. Some thoughts to better understand what is a handle, how we get felt shifts, and the importance of the focusing attitude.

How can we shift our habits? One way is to tap into the possibility of another way with Focusing. We then need to practice the new habit, until it becomes praxis (at least most of the time).

Most of the time our body wisdom is helpful. But sometimes it’s out of date. Learn how to tell the difference, including when to embrace procrastination, and when to use it as a sign that you’re ready to change something about yourself.

An overview of the research on Focusing, including where bodily responses have been measured directly (e.g. galvanic skin response) and using qualitative research (e.g. experiencing scale).

Focusing can give us the energy to take action steps. We can also ask the body for an action step. For example: “What action would I take if my body were like that?” But then we have to take the action steps for true change to occur.