The Focusing Student's and Companion's Manual

by Ann Weiser Cornell, Barbara NcGavin

This extensive, in-depth manual offers support for learning Focusing and Focusing partnership.

Student Manual Content:

One: The Door Opens – An introduction to Focusing with four stages
Two: Finding Companions – The first skills of being a Focusing partner
Three: Making Focusing Your Own – Partnership agreements, practice groups, and solo Focusing
Four: Dwelling at the Edge – The philosophy behind Focusing, sensing and symbolizing, six recommendations
Five: The Power of Presence – What Presence is and why it’s so important
Six: Becoming Companions – Advanced listening techniques

Format
75 pages plus Appendix & Index, spiral bound to lie flat

Genres: Psychology

75 pages, Spiral-bound

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Ann Weiser Cornell was getting her PhD in Linguistics at the University of Chicago when she met and studied with Eugene Gendlin, the originator of Focusing, starting in 1972. Learning Focusing with him has led to a lifelong process of discovery and personal development.

In 1980, Eugene Gendlin invited Ann to assist with his Focusing workshops. This started her on a path to become a Focusing teacher, and in 1991, Ann joined with Barbara McGavin to create Inner Relationship Focusing, internationally recognized as one of the leading innovations in Focusing.

Ann has taught Inner Relationship Focusing in twenty countries, and her Focusing books and manuals have been translated into eleven other languages (Czech, Dari, Dutch, French, German, Hebrew, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, and Spanish).

Ann is well-known in the Focusing world for her attention to the language that facilitates Focusing, her popular manuals, and her co-creation with Barbara McGavin of Untanging®, a body of work applying Focusing to difficult areas such as addiction, depression, action blocks, self-criticism, and unfulfilled desire. She is the author of five books on Focusing: her bestseller The Power of Focusing (1996), The Radical Acceptance of Everything (2005), Focusing in Clinical Practice: The Essence of Change (2013), Presence: A Guide to Transforming Your Most Challenging Emotions (2015), and 21 Days to Healthier Boundaries (2020). Ann is authorized by the Focusing Institute in New York to offer the Institute’s certification as Focusing Trainer.

Reviews

[Roslin Sinclair · Rating 4 out of 5]

My supervisor recommended I read this for my practicum and I found it beneficial in two ways. The first, the companion aspect of the manuals (part 1 and 2) had a lot of useful tips for therapists. Things like how to listen, how to respond, remembering that the aim isn't to fix the focuser (client) but simply to be present with them. I assume this is why my supervisor recommended this to me.

The second thing I found beneficial was the focuser portion of the manuals. This aspect was also relevant for me as I've been doing somatic work and the point of focusing is being attuned with your body and what you're feeling. So, I could some helpful tips and practices on how to tune into my body, which I am grateful for.