Discovering New Dimensions of Ourselves in the Midst of Terrible Times

We find ourselves in unimaginable territory that changes by the hour.  We hear, “Protect yourself, protect others! Grave danger out there!!!!” 
 
Gene’s philosophy and practice offer us a way to use our unique experiential process to notice not only our frightened places but new dimensions of ourselves as they are forming.  I want to share with you an imaginary conversation with Gene as he reminds me that “the body isn’t just a sealed thing here, with an external situation over there, which it merely interprets…the living body is already one interaction process with its situation.”   Okay, but what could this mean for us right now? Are you saying, Gene, that something in us, that exists preconceptually, is already shifting?
 
Whenever we drop into a focusing level, we are grounding ourselves in the unique environment/situation at hand.  Another way to say it is that, regardless of the difficulties in the present environment, we are already in the process of adapting to it, each in our own way.
 
I will pose focusing questions and we as a community will offer experiential listening to share our felt sense of:
 
1. The daily moments of your life as they are now.
2. The losses – personal, professional, existential.
3. New dimensions of yourself and stuck places.
 
If part of you is frozen in your tracks, projecting into the distant future or grieving a loved one, this is an opportunity to find groundedness within the flux of uncertainty.  Come join us, wherever you are.

About the Facilitator: Joan Lavender learned Focusing in the 1970s and has taught, written, presented, practiced and lovingly challenged Focusing since then.  Her initial training in dance movement therapy primed her interest in Gendlin’s theory of the implicit.  She is a graduate of The Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy, a PsyD in Clinical Psychology and a PostDoctoral Fellow from SUNY Downstate. Joan is a Focusing Oriented Relational Psychoanalyst with a lively relatedness and a droll sense of humor.