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This is a review of Senses of Focusing written by Richard House for the very last edition of Self and Society, the Journal of the Association of Humanistic Psychology in Britain.
JUDY MOORE & NIKOLAOS KYPRIOTAKIS (eds),
Senses of Focusing, Volume I & Volume II, Eurasia Books, Athens, 2021, 1130 pp, ASIN: B09L4SLXTP, price 68.50 euros. A new two-volume collected work about Focusing by authors from all over the world, who approach Focusing – the experiential psychotherapeutic approach within the tradition of Person-Centered Therapy, developed by Eugene T. Gendlin – in diverse ways. There is much original and ground-breaking material throughout the two volumes. The 24 contributors to Volume I include Nikolaos Kypriotakis, Greg Madison, Judy Moore, Campbell Purton and Ernesto Spinelli. The 28 contributors to Volume II include Peter Afford, Mick Cooper, Nikolaos Kypriotakis, Judy Moore and Brian Thorne. Volume I offers fresh thinking to the meaning of ‘Focusing’ and how Eugene Gendlin’s work grew from and has developed different elements of philosophy and psychotherapy. The meaning of ‘Focusing’ and the ‘Felt sense’ are considered and re-examined; the close relationship between Focusing and Eastern traditions is explored by authors from Japan and China; the relevance of Focusing to the existential challenges that we face are seen not only in terms of personal meaning, but also in relation to current global and political crises; the evolution of new developments in Focusing practice are described; different considerations are brought to bear in relation to working with physical illness and the body; and the volume concludes with a section on ‘Body Mapping’ and ‘Children Focusing’. Volume II carries exploration of the many senses of ‘focusing’ in new directions, beginning with ‘spirituality’ and the wisdom of ‘dreams’. The value of living and working from inner experiencing ‘ in individual lives and in therapeutic practice’ is explored across a variety of cultures, as well as through different manifestations in the Arts, specifically poetry, theatre and music. A section on Focusing in ‘science and neuroscience’ is followed by cross-cultural takes on the theory and practice of ‘Thinking at the Edge’ and a section on the significance of the body’s knowing in ‘ethics and decision-making’. The volume concludes with an examination of Gendlin’s contribution to Client-Centred Therapy and examples of how his work is now regarded by more recent theorists and practitioners of the Person-Centred Approach (PCA). According to Manu Bazzano, ‘This stimulating and extensive collection of essays from Focusing practitioners and theorists around the world is the most comprehensive compendium to date of a “sister approach” to the PCA and one that is at the forefront of experiential and humanistic investigations and methodologies. It features both new developments as well as direct quotes from his founder, Gene Gendlin…. Seasoned practitioners and trainees alike from most therapeutic orientations will benefit from a close reading of these two remarkable volumes, even when only selecting chapters close to their field of investigation. They will benefit all the more if they do so with an attentive, critical stance’. Eurasia Books website: https://eurasiabooks.gr/
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