Focusing for Beginners—for advanced listeners

In this four-part beginner Focusing course for advanced listeners, we delve into each of the 6 steps of Eugene Gendlin’s practice.

Each week, we learn about one or two steps, as well as an aspect of listening:

1. Clearing a Space and the Focusing Attitude (Receiving) + Reflecting with Their Words (Saying Back/Mirroring)

2. Finding the Felt Sense + Reflecting with Our Own Words (Active Listening)

3. Getting a Handle and Resonating + Helping your Focuser with prompts (Experiential Listening Part 1)

4. Asking + Helping your Focuser deepen their experience (Experiential Listening Part 2)

We gradually grow our listening skills by learning to say back the words shared especially the felt/emotional words (week 1), reflecting in our own words when it feels right and asking simple questions such as “Where do you carry that in your body?” (week 2). Then we learn to take our Focuser through most of the steps and ask guiding questions such as “Can you get a handle for that?” (week 3). We finish by learning the variety of ways we can use Asking questions (week 4), to unfold the problem or find solutions with guiding questions like “What’s the worst about that?” or “What would it feel like if it as all better?”

Each class includes a teaching of step(s) and listening skills, a small experiential guided by me, a demonstration and then practice. Practice is done either in the large group, or in breakout rooms (groups of two or three). Jan Winhall's Felt Sense Polyvagal Model is also covered.

To further your practice, it is encouraged to also form a Focusing partnership with another participant. This involves meeting between classes to practice, in an exchange of Focusing and listening.

Dates for the next groups:

• Tuesdays, 6:30-8:30 pm Eastern, November 26-December 17, 2024 (see your local time)

• Upcoming classes - dates to be determined. Please email me at [email protected] if you cannot make the above course to let me know when you would be available for this training.

Group size: this group is capped at 24 people

Who is this group for? The course is best suited to Focusing beginners who have some prior listening experience. This might be listening to yourself introspectively (e.g. via meditation, yoga, Qigong, journalling, in therapy). Or listening to others through various listening practices (e.g. Circling, Authentic Relating, Nonviolent Communications). Perhaps you listen as your profession (e.g. coaches, therapists, other healing practitioners). Finally, the course also welcomes intermediate and experienced Focusers interested in a refresh. If you are new to both Focusing and listening (both yourself or others), then it is recommended you begin with the 8-week beginner course

Course location: Zoom

Sliding scale pricing: This course has sliding scale pricing, offering multiple price points to make the course more accessible and reduce financial barriers for people with different levels of income. Please view the sliding scale fees page for details and codes.

What People Are Saying

“As a newcomer to focusing, I very much appreciated Annette’s ability to hold an open and nurturing space. In addition, her teachings seamlessly built on one another over the span of the course. Presentations were clear, accessible and engaging. Finally, Annette patiently encouraged exploration of the focusing process, an ability that allowed me to grow in my practice—as a person, artist and coach. “–Steve J.

"This was a great class for those who are interested in deepening their connection with both their body and emotions in a gentle and yet effective way. I chose this class to help support my work with my clients as we do somatic processing. This is an excellent tool to help clients learn to settle into their own systems and gain information to support their healing processes. Sessions offered dialectical, practical and demos for concrete learning. We also were partnered with another to practice between sessions. Annette knows her work and is interested in ensuring that everyone gets a good grasp on the material. Her tone is gentle as is her approach to teaching - which is perfect to working with the felt sense."–Oraine R.

“Focusing provides a readily accessible path to understanding yourself by connecting to the deeper wisdom in your body and subconscious--a source of wisdom that we are usually too busy, distracted and lost in our thoughts to hear. If you wish to know yourself and those around you better, focusing is perhaps the most direct way of doing that. And I can think of no one better able to teach this valuable practice than Annette. She is both skillful and compassionate, and she does an exemplary job of making the process easy to understand and experience. Most importantly, she has the ability to create a safe and welcoming space for people to begin to explore deeper aspects of themselves in the company of others.“–Jonathan Walker MD, Clinical Assistant Professor, Indiana University School of Medicine

“Annette, thank you again for such a great course. Very thorough and informative, nearing an advanced form of the basics. A rich collective experience. Great stuff.”–Blake Biery, US

“'I have recently completed the 4 week beginners focussing course with Annette. She offers compassion, warmth, patience, generosity of spirit and humility. I highly recommend this course. It has helped me to start to notice my body and not just what my mind is telling me. I felt in safe hands with Annette.”–Lesley C, UK

“Really great introduction to the basics, with lots of opportunities to practice.”

“I found the Basic Steps and the suggested questions very useful.”