9.4.2. Exercise: Experiential Focusing
Beyond reading, becoming expert at
Experiential Focusing requires personal growth, practice and supervision. We typically begin with the trainer
leading a group of trainees through the process. This introduces Focusing; however, it is not as effective as
practicing on your own or with someone else, because the group leader can’t judge
your pace as well without feedback.
Thus, a key element is practicing Focusing in the client role, in
workshops and on your own, until you are comfortable with the process and
understand the steps from the inside.
A good place to start is with marker work: Develop an interest in unclear feelings; pay attention to nagging, half-felt intuitions. Practice the steps of Focusing on your own or when an unclear feeling emerges. Journaling these experiences can help you get more out of them.
Once you
feel comfortable with the Focusing process, begin practicing with others, in
both client and therapist/facilitator roles. This practice can be done in dyads and triads, with a
supervisor/trainer offering suggestions to help the facilitator. Focusing typically takes less time than
other tasks such as Empathic Exploration or Two-chair Dialogue; allow 10 to 15
minutes per practice session, then take a few minutes to process before
switching roles.
Materials designed to
accompany the book Learning Emotion-Focused Therapy: The
Process-Experiential Approach to Change from APA Books.
©2003 Robert Elliott, Jeanne Watson, Rhonda Goldman, and Leslie Greenberg
http://www.process-experiential.org/learning