This is a different sort of episode of The Living Process where the usual host, Dr Greg Madison, swaps seats with Prof. Mia Leijssen and enters into a conversation about his own passions, experience, and history of Focusing. There were a few interruptions during the conversation which were edited out but referred to again at the end of the discussion, showing the importance of being able to find our way back from distractions to the felt sensing flow of a conversation. And of course, Elliott ensures he makes an appearance!

Delighted to welcome Judy and Nikos to this, episode 23 of The Living Process. Our guests are well known for their achievement of editing Senses of Focusing Volume 1 and 2, two fantastic resources featuring new writing and diverse perspectives on Focusing and FOT. In this episode, we discuss critiques of focusing, what is coming next for them both, and positive developments they would like to see happen in therapy generally and in the Focusing world.

Ann and Barbara Untangling on The Living Process with Greg Madison. Episode 22 

I am excited to launch the new season of The Living Process with guests Barbara McGavin and Ann Weiser Cornell, a very well-known partnership within the Focusing world and beyond. Barbara and Ann are both accomplished Focusing teachers, having developed the model of Inner Relationship Focusing and Treasure Maps to the Soul,  but they are also writers and in this episode, we talk about their first book together, Untangling.

Untangling offers a very helpful description of the experience of being caught within some of life's most difficult and stuck patterns. The book then offers some specific skills and attitudes we can develop to help us release even these seemingly intractable dilemmas.  

In this episode, we talk about how we get stuck inside of 'a tangle' and how we cannot solve or think our way out of it. Many of us can spend our lives within tangles, with no full sense of who we are. We talk about how these tangles always involve other people and how the key to loosening their grip is to develop 'self in presence'. Tangles are seen as a stoppage in process not a problem in understanding. It is a fascinating take on felt sensing and working with parts which I am sure Focusing people and those new to experiential approaches will find valuable. 

Barbara McGavin and Ann Weiser Cornell have been discovering the processes of change that became Untangling® since 1994. Since then they’ve had the pleasure of offering Untangling® retreats and online classes for people seeking transformation all over the world. They are also the co-developers of Inner Relationship Focusing. Barbara has a background in humanistic psychology, teaching, fine art, and graphic design. Ann has a background in linguistics and humanistic psychology. They are both Coordinators with The International Focusing Institute.

The Book: Untangling. How you can transform what's impossibly stuck. By Barbara McGavin and Ann Weiser Cornell https://focusingresources.com/learning/untangling-how-you-can-transform-whats-impossibly-stuck/

Courses on Untangling: https://focusingresources.com/learning/the-untangling-intensive/

Untangling with Barbara and Ann. Episode 22 of The Living Process:

https://youtu.be/wUnvAlYHaGk

The Living Process - all episodes and podcast links:

https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-living-process/

The Living Process on the FOT Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3FqA70kQWuHCHmEiZnkn1VcrRIPbcvk 

#somaticexperience #trauma #Focusing #Gendlin #Bodytherapy #Innerrelationship #Experientialpractice #parts #ifs #untangling #annweiser #barbaramcgavin #thelivingprocess 

The Way of Curiosity with Peter Gill. E21 of The Living Process with Greg Madison

I’m very happy to offer episode 21 of The Living Process with guest Peter Gill, a UK Focusing teacher and Coordinator. Peter came across Focusing in 2003, and he teaches Focusing as an approach to living, much more than just a therapeutic tool.

Peter became a Focusing teacher in 2005 and is certified with the British Focusing Association (BFA) and a Coordinator with the Focusing Institute. Peter trained with Ann Weiser Cornell in "Inner Relationship Focusing" and Peter Afford in the UK. Peter also has a background practising and teaching awareness and meditation skills to groups and individuals in a Buddhist context. Peter is qualified in  Somatic Experiencing (SE), and has more recently been training in nature connection and in holding grief circles with Azul Valérie Thomé in Devon. He is currently training to be a Forest Guide.

This episode centres around Peter’s wonderful new book, The Way of Curiosity but Peter also teaches Focusing to individuals and groups - for more information on his teaching and his new book see: https://www.livingfocusing.co.uk

In this episode Peter and I talk about his entrance into Focusing and how from the beginning it was a natural form of living practice for him. We touch upon his deep engagement with ecological and environmental work including facilitating nature connection, forrest bathing, and work on Focusing and climate change. We also discuss his interest in death awareness and openness to the everyday grieving implied in life.

We touch upon his training in Somatic Experiencing and trauma. Many of these topics are covered in his beautifully-written book where he introduces the practice of Focusing to the general public in a way that feels natural and not like a special technique. I highly recommend it! 

#somaticexperience #trauma #Focusing #Gendlin #Bodytherapy #buddhist #Experientialpractice #grief #environmentaltherapy #ecologicalwork #natureconnection #thewayofcuriosity #thelivingprocess 

EPISODE 20 - "THE WORLD WE ARE", WITH DONATA SCHOELLER, PHD. THE LIVING PROCESS WITH GREG MADISON, PHD. 

I’m happy to announce The Living Process, Episode 20 with Donata Schoeller. This is the 4th, theme-based, conversation with Donata.

This time we are picking up where we left our last conversation and talking about whether a person has an ‘inside’. Topics we cover include “what words do”, what is visible and invisible and how even the invisible can still be perceived. We touch on the interaction of symbols and body, the different spaces we live in, Gene’s Process Model, the meaning of gestures, how this all works in the act of felt sensing. Later in the conversation we discuss how felt sensing is a dance and a primary process of making meaning.

The general question we are exploring is whether people are separate? Donata expresses this in the beautiful statement:  “we are immersed in a common world net”. Near the end, Donata asks, “What makes this practice so beautiful?”  Where does the sincerity and integrity come from? We conclude the episode by agreeing on our topic for the next conversation. 

Episode 20: ‘The World We Are’ with Donata Schoeller, PhD. https://youtu.be/n1k3LrwnUck

Dr Donata Schoeller is a philosopher who teaches internationally at various universities and is the academic director of the program "Training in Embodied Critical Thinking. 

In addition to her extensive work on Gendlin’s philosophy, Donata has also published on Gendlin’s philosophy and was involved in translating Gendlin’s text A Process Model into German. She teaches Thinking at the Edge and is a Focusing trainer offering courses in Switzerland, internationally, and online.

https://www.donataschoeller.com

The Living Process - all episodes and podcast links:

https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-living-process/

Living Process on the FOT Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3FqA70kQWuHCHmEiZnkn1VcrRIPbcvk

The Living Process is available on all podcast platforms, with free transcripts of each episode.

#focusing #meditation #mindfulness #experience #Gendlin #existential #therapy #somatic

The Living Process Episode 19

Neuroscience and Felt Sensing with Peter Afford

I’m pleased to share the next episode of The Living Process with guest Peter Afford. I’ve known Peter for many years as one of the “founding fathers” of the British Focusing Association and a well-known organiser and contributor to Focusing worldwide. Peter has been Focusing for most of his adult life, integrating it into psychotherapy, teaching workshops on dreams and TAE, and writing numerous articles as well as his recent book Therapy in the Age of Neuroscience. A Guide for Counsellors and Therapists (2019).

Peter has recently closed his therapy practice but he remains interested in teaching felt sensing to organisations and groups, especially those involved in addressing climate change. Peter is a Certifying Coordinator for The International Focusing Institute and has served as a consultant at Board level. Peter is about to move from London to a new home in rural Devon in the south western region of the UK where he will continue to write and teach about Focusing. 

In this episode Peter and I talk about his early discovery of Focusing as well as his recent work specialising in neuroscience and its application to therapy. We discuss the differences between right and left hemisphere approaches to situations, the use of neuroscience as a support to therapists as well as clients as well as the overlooked importance of felt sensing and how it could be applied in many different settings to help us creatively address human challenges, especially the impending climate catastrophe. Peter makes many fascinating distinctions in our conversation, for example the difference between handle words that arise from the left vs the right hemisphere. More information on Peter’s work, writing and workshops:

http://www.focusing.co.uk

Episode 19. Neuroscience and The Felt Sense https://youtu.be/JUwUjrqzmC0

The Living Process - all episodes and podcast links:

https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-living-process/

Living Process on the FOT Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3FqA70kQWuHCHmEiZnkn1VcrRIPbcvk

The Living Process is available on all podcast platforms.

Warmly, Greg Madison

#FocusingInstitute #focusingorientedtherapy #bodymind #Somaticwork #Bodytherapy #Gendlin #neuroscience #Focusing #trauma #somaticexperience #neurotherapy 

Episode 18 The Living Process

Living the Focusing Journey, with Nada Lou

I am happy to share this conversation with Nada Lou as Episode 18 of The Living Process. Nada is well known throughout the Focusing world as a Coordinator, teacher of Focusing, a contributor to Biospiritual Focusing and early developer of Thinking at the Edge along with Gendlin. She brought Focusing to many new regions of the world and she has documented countless workshops and presentations by Eugene Gendlin and other Focusing teachers through her valued DVDs (see her website). Nada talks about growing up during a turbulent time in Yugoslavia and though not mentioned in the interview, Nada was on the gymnastics national team for Yugoslavia and was a long-time coach of gymnastics when the emigrated to Australia and then Canada. It was in Montreal that Nada was recommended the Focusing book and then met Ed and Pete from whom she learned and then taught Biospiritual Focusing. In the episode we touch on many of these events and her deep resonance with Ed and Pete’s teaching of how to be ‘religious’ or spiritual ‘with both feet on the ground’. This embodied spirituality echoed her own theological studies. She talks about meeting Gene, her video work,  and how for her the video documents represent her self-expression of Gene’s teaching. Nada talks about her natural connection with Gene, the history of TAE and other fascinating points that will interest many of us in the Focusing Community. 

Her website and DVD list… https://nadalou.com/about/

Nada is a prolific video maker of more than 45 DVDs featuring Gene Gendlin and other Focusing luminaries. Since co-presenting TAE workshops with Gendlin, Nada evolved a personal approach to the TAE course called THINK DIFFERENT – (TAE), and she remains in the forefront of spreading the “method” of this practice around the world. Nada is the author of  “The Grassroots Manual Introduction to TAE”.

Nada is available to give workshops and presentations to groups around the world by invitation. In her teaching of TAE and Focusing, Nada highlights Gendlin’s philosophical ideas and in this way, awakens interest for the wonderful complexity that this philosophy is capable of drawing out.

CONTACT NADA:  [email protected]

Episode 17 with Nada Lou: https://youtu.be/erYgpnDbQMs

The Living Process - all episodes and podcast links:

https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-living-process/

Living Process on the FOT Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3FqA70kQWuHCHmEiZnkn1VcrRIPbcvk

The Living Process is available on all podcast platforms: For example, Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Pocketcasts, Youtube Podcasts. Most of these platforms now offer free transcripts of each episode. Transcripts are also available on Youtube videos. 

Please spread the word about Focusing and The Living Process. 

Warmly, Greg Madison

#Focusing #Gendlin  #Bodytherapy #Experientialpractice #Awareness  #Somaticwork #bodymind #focusingorientedtherapy #TAE #Biospirituality #Focusingvideos #NadaLou #FocusingInstitute 

The Living Process Episode 17

Relating from an Authentic Heart, with John Amodeo, PhD

I am very happy to share with you The Living Process Episode 17, with John Amodeo. John has practiced and studied Focusing since the late 1970s when he completed his doctoral work on Focusing and meditation. Over the years John has also worked and studied with well-known luminaries at the intersection of psychology and spirituality, including John Wellwood, John Bradshaw, Ed McMahon and Pete Campbell of Biospirituality, and of course Eugene Gendlin. John himself is well-known for his many books, The Authentic Heart, Dancing with Fire, Being Intimate, Love and Betrayal, as well as his widely-read regular column in Psychology Today. In this episode John and I talk about his experiences as a Marriage and Family Therapist, especially related to his work on shame, intimacy in relationships, how to receive, and the importance of staying with embodied experience. We also touch on his deep understanding of Buddhist practice and Taoism.  

John Amodeo. PhD, LMFT, holds graduate degrees in both Clinical Psychology and Transpersonal Psychology. He has been a licensed marriage and family therapist for over 40 years in the San Francisco Bay Area, with offices in San Rafael and the Sebastopol area.  He is the author of four books and was a writer and contributing editor for Yoga Journal  for ten years.  He co-authored a chapter on EFT and Buddhism with Dr. Sue Johnson in her edited book, The EFT Casebook. John is a Certified Focusing Trainer and Certified Focusing-Oriented Therapist. He has lectured at universities internationally, including in Hong Kong, Chile, Thailand, and Ukraine. John has featured on national television and radio programs, including CNN, Donahue, and New Dimensions Radio.  He has led workshops at Esalen Institute, JFK University, The Omega Institute, and The New York Open Center, and was an adjunct faculty member at Meridian University.  He has written blogs for the Huffington Post and is a blogger for Psychology Today, with over 5 million total views of his 140+ articles.  He resides in Sonoma County, California.

For more information on John and his work see: https://www.johnamodeo.com

Episode 17 with John Amodeo: https://youtu.be/810vDOgn0i8

The Living Process - all episodes and podcast links:

https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-living-process/

Living Process on the FOT Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3FqA70kQWuHCHmEiZnkn1VcrRIPbcvk

The Living Process is available on all podcast platforms: For example, Apple, Spotify, Google, Amazon, Pocketcasts, Youtube Podcasts. Most of these platforms now offer free transcripts of each episode. Transcripts are also available on Youtube videos. 

#Focusing #Gendlin #Zen #johnamodeo #buddhist  #Bodytherapy #Experientialpractice #Awareness  #Somaticwork #Zenmeditation #authenticity #bodymind #buddhist #shame #couplestherapy #focusingorientedtherapy 

The Living Process Episode 16

Zen and Focusing as Personal Practice, with Christian Dillo

I’m happy to announce The Living Process, Episode 16 with Christian Dillo. Christian and I were meeting for the first time in this episode. In this episode Christian and I speak about how he, even as an adolescent, would pause while speaking to say what he really meant and his later discovery of Gendlin’s focusing and how it put into words a process that he was already engaged in. He was committed to authenticity and pausing and not talking in a way that alienated him from himself. He asks ‘What does the situation require from me’ to carry itself forward. Christian’s Focusing is self-taught - he Focuses has never taken a Focusing class or workshop. He has also studied Gendlin’s philosophy and during the conversation, it’s clear that he has a deep understanding of how the philosophy relates to the practice. Christian talks about why Zen practice was the way forward for him rather than going into the Focusing world and how he remains open to further collaboration with us. He also discusses his depression as a kind of shying away from intensity and how his Zen Buddhist practice was helpful in his discernment of ‘field’ awareness and ‘focused’ awareness. We touch on phenomenology as a transformative practice and both Focusing and Zen Buddhism as examples of that. We explore whether Focusing is a spiritual practice and about the possible drawbacks of thinking of Focusing as a ‘method’. Meeting Christian has made me wonder how many ‘Focusers’ are out there on their own, without any connection to the larger community! Thank you to Iain Murdoch for suggesting Christian as a guest. 

Zenki Christian Dillo Roshi is the Resident Teacher at the Boulder Zen Center. He started his practice at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1996. For 20 years, he practiced monastically at the Crestone Mountain Zen Center. In 2013, he received dharma transmission from Zentatsu Baker Roshi. Since then, he has been the Boulder Zen Center Guiding Teacher. In 2020, he moved to Boulder full-time, where he now lives with his wife and son. Zenki Roshi teaches Zen on the understanding that, fundamentally, Buddhism is an embodied investigation of human experience with the intention of realizing liberation from suffering, wisdom, and compassion. He is the author of The Path of Aliveness: A Contemporary Zen Approach to Awakening Body and Mind (Shambhala, 2022).

Episode 16 with Christian Dillo: 

https://youtu.be/AEXpOUkmLO8

The Living Process - all episodes and podcast links:

https://www.londonfocusing.com/the-living-process/

Living Process on the FOT Youtube Channel:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLx3FqA70kQWuHCHmEiZnkn1VcrRIPbcvk

#Focusing #Gendlin #Zen #ChristianDillo #buddhist  #Bodytherapy #Experientialpractice #Awareness  #Somaticwork #Zenmeditation #authenticity #bodymind 

The Living Process Episode 15