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.

<< Return To Counseling Techniques Page