Introduction to Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning for Focusing practitioners

Thursday, August 10, 2023 from 8PM to 10PM New York time
(9AM-11AM Friday, August 11 Tokyo time)

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Presenter: Hideo Tanaka, Ph.D. with
Moderator: Akira Ikemi, Ph.D.

This offering is in English.

Webinar will be recorded for all registrants and available for viewing for one month.

Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning (Gendlin, 1962/1997) is a seminal work from Gendlin's early years. It is the theoretical cornerstone for practices such as "Focusing" and "Thinking at the Edge".

This work explores in detail how words and felt sense support each other. The more you unpack the work, the more you will see what roles words and felt sense each play in "forming a felt sense," "getting a handle," and "resonating the handle."

This presentation will explain the functional relationships between words and the felt sense that is a core part of this work, while also explaining the terms "experiencing," "felt meaning," "direct reference," "explication," "metaphor," "comprehension," and "creative regress".  The presentation is also intended for those who have some experience with Focusing but are not as familiar with Gendlin's theoretical and philosophical writings.

Format

We use Zoom videoconferencing for our online classes. In this webinar format, you will see the presenter and host, but you will not be seen. You will be able to ask questions during the live session by typing them. Highlights presenters may at times invite a small number of participants to unmute or to join them onscreen during the webinar (optional).

You will need to have a computer/mobile device. Calling in by phone is also possible but not preferred. All registered participants will be sent a link to the video recording approximately two weeks following the class. So if you are unable to attend the live webinar, you will still be able to view it for one month.

Bio

Hideo Tanaka, Ph.D. is a Certified Focusing Professional and Adjunct Lecturer at Kansai University, Japan. He has been focusing for almost 30 years. He conducted an interview with Eugene Gendlin about the philosophical background of Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning at a TAE workshop (2004) in New York. He completed his master’s degree with Prof. Naohiko Mimura, studying Gendlin's philosophy. He completed his doctorate with Prof. Akira Ikemi, studying Gendlin's psychology. He has been invited to be one of the featured speakers at the upcoming Gendlin Symposium to be held online this fall.