The Heart of Focusing

September 4th to 6th, 2019

9:00 am to 5:00 pm NSW, Australia (GMT+10)

Workshop Overview

In this workshop Akira will guide you to the heart of Focusing, as developed by his mentor, Professor Eugene Gendlin (University of Chicago) the originator of Focusing. 

Focusing will be unpacked into four pathways for deeply relating to oneself and others. Each of the 3 days day will begin with a brief mindfulness-meditation-focusing session. The four pathways will be explored in detail with theory, exercises, demonstrations and experiential sessions in pairs. In addition to theoretical presentations on each of the pathways, Akira will assign you some additional reading material. The four pathways will then be combined to form Focusing Instructions for the latter part of the workshop. 

On the last day of the workshop, Akira will mentor a Focusing session for one pair of participants (or two, if time permits). He will act as a gentle guide in the session, making subtle interventions where appropriate. The session(s) will be video recorded for later use with the whole group. At the conclusion of the mentored sessions, Akira will replay the video and walk you through the session, discussing what was happening at various points and the reasons and potential benefits of any interventions that he made.  

Over the 3 days you will be invited to consider and experience: 

• The First and Second Pathways: Space and the Body and Relating Deeply to Self
• The Third Pathway: Experiencing and Articulation
• The Fourth Pathway: Listening: holding a space for the Focuser and/or client
• Focusing practice in pairs
• Mentored Focusing Sessions (video recorded)
• Walk through of Recorded Mentored sessions
• Discussion on the Interventions    

This will be a rich, experiential 3 days, designed to lead you to the heart of Focusing. 

Who Should Attend 

The process of Focusing and Listening is deepened by practice so this workshop will be valuable both to therapists and counsellors who are experienced in Focusing and to those who are new to the practice.

Bio

Akira Ikemi, PhD is a clinical psychologist and professor at Kansai University Graduate School of Psychology, Japan.  He is also an engaging internationally-renowned certifying coordinator of the International Focusing Institute and a Focusing-Oriented Therapist. Akira is one of the founders of the Japan Focusing Association and has served as its executive director and president. He has written several books and numerous articles on Focusing in Japanese. In English, his DVD Presence, Existence and Space is available through Nada Lou Productions, (excerpts are also available on YouTube) and he has written several articles in the journal Person-Centred and Experiential Psychotherapies, where he has served as one of the editors.