Focusing Level One and Expressive Art Therapy

A few weeks ago I traveled to Winnipeg to work with a fabulous group of women who took my Level One Focusing and Expressive Therapy course. They created lots of amazing expressions of their  feelings, thoughts and body sensations.

 Art Therapy and Focusing is a natural way to work with deepening our inner relationships. Even when people are just beginning this work, they travel deeply into their process.

 It was a beautiful weekend working in pairs Focusing, painting, and sharing our lives. If you want to join us for Level Two Focusing and Expressive Therapy, please email me. We have room for a few more explorers. Level Two is Jan. 14, 15 in Winnipeg.

So, what is Focusing?

It is a method of awareness… 

Focusing is a simple matter of holding a kind of open, non-judging attention to a something, which is directly experienced but is not yet in words. Out of this simplicity, many things arise. It is listening deeply within you.

How does it help you make changes?

Focusing is a technique that helps us slow down, go inside and hear all of our inner voices or parts. We can get a whole sense of what we are struggling with. This is called a felt sense. This is a body sense. When we make contact we feel release, fresh energy and forward movement. Sometimes change happens by just making time to pause and listen deeply to ourselves and sometimes change happens by spending time to listen to all the parts of us that may be conflicted over an issue and need time to express and work out what is really needed.

So, here are some things it helped me discover:

-       A greater sense of trust in myself and my own feelings

Through Focusing I learned to slow down, and really listen to myself in a compassionate, nonjudgmental way. Due to creating a safe inner space for myself I could bear witness or increase my capacity, really hear all the different parts of myself.

           -       It has brought clarity to my life

The process has helped me get in touch with my inner rightness or next forward movement of what I want in my life. I am clearer about what makes me passionate, and how to move towards it and what triggers or upsets me and what I need to do about that.

-       It has increased my ability to be Present for myself and others

Present means aware, grounded, expanded, heightened awareness. This has also deepened my mediation practice.

-       It has been the most affective way that I have found to work with all the parts in me to achieve inner peace and compassion towards myself

Because the language we use is so respectful and the way we work with our different selves, or parts is so open and unconditionally receptive, I feel that I have really made peace with the warring parts of me. I no longer view my inner critic as a destructive part of me because I now can listen to it and understand how it is only trying to protect me from getting hurt. Focusing allows me to sit patiently with all my overwhelming emotions and slow down to really understand what is needed.

-       It has helped me become free of what used to limit me

I can work with the parts of me that are afraid to move ahead and the parts that are excited and want movement. It helps me negotiate, create a clear path where as before there was only confusion. It has helped me develop my inner sense of rightness.

-       It has helped me heal emotional pain

Focusing is a process of sensing, a process of awareness. This process has helped me understand and bring movement to emotional blockages.