Focusing-Oriented Therapy (FOT) Articles

The Current Status of Research on Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy: A Summary and Invitation Rob Parker, PhD (2022)

2001 Article Review: Focusing-Oriented/Experiential Psychotherapy By Marion Hendricks Gendlin

English (Eugene Gendlin)

Gendlin, E.T. (1972). Therapeutic procedures with schizophrenic patients. In M. Hammer (Ed.), The theory and practice of psychotherapy with specific disorders, pp. 333-375. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.

Gendlin, E.T. (1973). Experiential psychotherapy. In R. Corsini (Ed.), Current psychotherapies, pp. 317-352. Itasca, IL: Peacock.

Gendlin, E.T. (1986). Let your body interpret your dreams. Wilmette, IL: Chiron.

Gendlin, E.T. (1991). On emotion in therapy. In J.D. Safran & L.S. Greenberg (Eds.), Emotion, psychotherapy and change, pp. 255-279. New York & London: Guilford. Available at

Gendlin, E.T. (1996). Focusing-oriented psychotherapy. A manual of the experiential method. New York: Guilford.

Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy by Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D. Describes the use of focusing in psychotherapy in great detail and is helpful for both therapists and clients. The second half of the book discusses the integration of Focusing with many other therapy processes.

English (Other Authors)

Where links are not available, articles are listed for reference only.

Afford, Peter ‘Reflections on Being (Some Sort of) a ‘Focusing-Oriented’ Therapist‘

Coffeng, Ton (2003) Trauma, Imagery and Focusing. From Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies,Volume 3, Number 4. Paper presented at the 6th World Conference for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy, Egmond, the Netherlands, July 2003.

Coffeng, Ton (2005) The therapy of dissociation: Its phases and problems. Personc.& Experiential Psychotherapies, 4(2),90-105

Coffeng, Ton (2002a) Two phases of dissociation, two languages. In J Watson, R.Goldman, & M.Warner (Eds.) Client-centered and experiential psychotherapy in the 21st century (pp.325-338). Ross-on-Wye, UK: PCCS Books.

Coffeng, Ton (1984) Teaching Focusing to Clients: A Way of Pre-Therapy*, Folio 3 (4) 1984

Coffeng, Ton (2018a) Bereaved and traumatized clients: can we give them hope? Invited semi-plenary lecture. 13th World Conference for Person-centered & Experiential Psychotherapy & Counseling, Vienna.

Dearly, Biliana (2019). Restoring the wholeness of being: Working with trauma from the focusing-oriented experiential therapy perspective. Psychotherapy and Counselling Journal of Australia. Vol. 7 (2). Online ISSN: 2201-7089.

Depestele, F. (2013). How to make therapy experiential when the client is far from the experiential level. Paper presented at the 25th International Focusing Conference, May 29 - June 2, 2013. Lucerne, Switzerland.

Depestele, F. (2014). Experiential psychotherapy consists of three therapeutic relationships. Paper presented at the Third International Conference On Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapies, May 15-18, 2014, Stony Point Center, Stony Point, New York.

Ellis, Leslie (in press, 2021). Gendlin’s unique contribution to dreamwork: Embodying helpful and contrary elements to bring in the new (in press, 2020). Senses of Focusing, Moore, J. & Kypriotakis, N. (Eds.) Athens, Greece: Eurasia Publications.

Ellis, Leslie (2019). Body dreamwork: Using focusing to find the life force inherent in dreams. International Body Psychotherapy Journal: The Art and Science of Somatic Praxis, 18(2), p. 75-85.

Ellis, L. (2014). Living the Dream: The Evolution of Focusing-Oriented Dream Work. In G.Madison (Ed.), Emerging Practice in Focusing-Oriented Therapy (pp. 166-177). London and Philadelphia: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Ellis, Leslie (2019). A clinician’s guide to dream therapy: Implementing simple and effective dreamwork. New York: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429001215

Ellis, L. A. (2016). Qualitative changes in recurrent PTSD nightmares after focusing-oriented dreamwork. Dreaming, Vol. 26, No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1037/drm0000031

Friedman, Neil (2004) ‘Eugene Gendlin’s Approach to Psychotherapy: An Awareness of “Experiencing”‘

Grindler Katonah, D., Grafanaki, S., Krycka, K. McDonald, M. 2023. Transformational Focusing Experiences: A Thematic Analysis of Memoirs. Journal of Humanist ic Psychology. Vol. 63 #3.

Grindler Katonah, D. 2015. Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy: A contemplative approach to healing trauma. In: Follette, V., Briere, J., Rozelle, D., Hopper, J., Romę, D. Mindfulness-Oriented Interventions for Trauma - Integrating contemplative practices. New York: The Guilford Press. 157-170.

Grindler Katonah, D. 2010. Direct engagement with the cleared space in psychotherapy. Journal of the World Association for Person Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counseling. United Kingdom: PCCS Books, 157-168.

Grindler Katonah, D. 2005. The felt sense as avenue of human experiencing for integrative growth. In Hoshmand, L.T. (Ed.), Culture, In psychotherapy, and counseling: Critical and integrative perspectives (pp. 65 - 90). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Hendricks-Gendlin, Marion H (2001) Focusing-Oriented/Experiential Psychotherapy. In Cain, David and Seeman, Jules (Eds.) Humanistic Psychotherapy: Handbook of Research and Practice, American Psychological Association

Hendricks-Gendlin, Marion H. ‘An Experiential Version of Unconditional Positive Regard‘

Hendricks, M.N. (2007). Focusing-Oriented Experiential Psychotherapy: How To Do It. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 2007, 61(3), 271-284.

Hendricks-Gendlin, Mary. The Revolutionary Pause.

Ikemi, Akira (2017). The radical impact of experiencing on psychotherapy theory: an examination of two kinds of crossings. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, Vol. 16 (2), 159-172. https://doi.org/10.1080/14779757.2017.1323668

Ikemi, A. (2019). A Portrait of a Person Seen Through the Four Dimensions of Focusing, Journal of Humanistic Counseling 58 : 233-248. DOI: 10.1002/johc.12122

Kaczmarczyk, I. (in press, 2020) Moments of Movement in Experiential Psychotherapy of Clients Suffering from Addiction. From treating a symptom to psychotherapy of a person. Warsaw, Poland, Addiction and Co-Addiction Therapy magazin

Klagsbrun, Joan & Lynn, Preston (2015) ‘Don’t go it alone’. Psychotherapy Networker. May/June.

Klagsbrun, Joan & Friedman, Neil (2006) ‘Hallmarks of Focusing-oriented Therapy‘

Joan Klagsbrun (2014) River of Knowing: A Journey with Focusing. In Inner Dialogue in Daily Life. Charles Eigen (ed.) Jessica Kingsley P.

McDonald, Marie Sherry., 2012. NURSES’ EXPERIENCE OF WORKPLACE VIOLENCE BEFORE AND AFTER A FOCUSING WORKSHOP. In St. Stephen’s College, University of Alberta, Edmonton. 200 pages.

Murasato, T., Tokumaru, S, Morotomi, Y., Sakuramoto, H., Osako, K., Suetake, Y. (2010). Crossing Some Eastern Concepts With The Implicit and Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy (FOT): Murasato’s Theory of the Co-Grounding of Art, Life, and Mental Illness.

McGuire-Bouwman, Kathleen (2006) ‘”Caring Confrontation” in Experiential Psychotherapy‘

Ozier, Douglas P;James, Susan. Honouring the Body in Psychotherapy: Using Neuroscience to Strengthen Gendlin's Directive. Constructivism in the Human Sciences; 2004; 9, 1; ProQuest Central pg. 19

Parker, R. (2015). Focusing oriented therapy with an adolescent sex offender. In J. Briere, J. Hopper, D. Rozelle, and D. Rome (Eds.), Contemplative methods in trauma treatment:Integrating mindfulness and other approaches. New York: Guilford.

Parker, R. (2014). Focusing oriented therapy: the message from research. In G. Madison (Ed.), The theory and practice of focusing oriented psychotherapy: Beyond the talking cure. London: Kinglsey.

Chapters:
Rappaport, L. (2023). Focusing-oriented expressive arts therapy. In C. Malchiodi (Ed.). Handbook of Expressive Arts Therapy. NY: Guilford Press.

Chapters:
Rappaport, L. (2016). Focusing-oriented art therapy. In J.A. Rubin, Approaches to Art Therapy, 3rd edition. NY: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group.

Rappaport, L. (2010). Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy with Trauma. The Journal for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy, 9(2), 128-143.

Strohl, James (2018) ‘What is Focusing and Focusing-Oriented Therapy?‘

Weiser Cornell, A. (2013). Focusing in Clinical Practice: The Essence of Change. New York & London: Norton & Company.

Winhall, Jan (2021, in press). Treating trauma and addiction with the felt sense polyvagal model: A bottom-up approach. New York: Routledge. ISBN 9780367408121

Zwiercan, A. & Joseph. S. (2018). Focusing manner and posttraumatic growth. Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapies, 17(4):1-10 DOI: 10.1080/14779757.2018.1517659

Dutch

Coffeng, Ton (1996a ) Focusing en groepspsychotherapie (Focusing and group-psychotherapy). In M.P. Bolten, M. el Boushy, . Gans, T.A.E. Hoytink & M.F. van Noort (Eds.), Handboek groepspsychotherapie (M9.1-25). Houten: Bohn Stafleu Van Loghum.

Coffeng, Ton (2000) Focusing en de experiëntiële dimensie (Focusing and the experiential dimension). In W.Trijsburg, S.Colijn, E.Collumbien & G.Lietaer(Eds.) Handboek Integratieve Psychotherapie (IV 2.2, pp.1-26). Utrecht: De Tijdstroom