2010-2011 Monthly Focusing Events

at The Arlington Center,
369 Massachusetts Avenue,
Arlington, MA

Facilitated by Joan Klagsbrun, PhD., Susan Lennox, PhD., and Others

Starting Fall 2010, Changes meetings alternate with Focusing-oriented presentations. Changes provides an opportunity for both those new to Focusing, and experienced Focusers, to practice within a supportive community. Newcomers will have an opportunity to learn the Focusing process. A voluntary donation of $8 helps cover the rent.

Focusing, developed by Eugene Gendlin, is a mind/body/spirit process for accessing the body’s innate wisdom and cultivating compassion towards oneself and others. Focusing is useful for decision-making, clarifying life issues, moving past blocks, enhancing creativity, deepening spirituality, and knowing oneself more deeply in each moment.

All events are at The Arlington Center. No events in July and August.

Sun. 9/12/10 2-4 PM	Changes
Sat. 10/9/10 2-5 PM	Leading the Examined Life: Focusing as a Tool for Self-Inquiry with Grady McGonagill Plato tells us that Socrates said that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” This workshop highlights the practice of Focusing for self-inquiry, based on the work of Eugene Gendlin, another philosopher, later turned psychologist. The underlying premise is that knowing, learning, and behavior change involve more than just conscious intention. They involve an intuitive “felt sense” of what is true now and what needs to happen. The ability to employ this way of knowing can be cultivated and has the potential to be transformative. In this three-hour workshop you will have an opportunity to learn about or deepen your understanding of the practice of Focusing. You will use it to conduct an inquiry into what you know—but don’t yet know you know—about something of importance to you.
Sun. 11/7/10 2-4 PM	Changes
Sun. 12/5/10 2-4 PM	Changes
Sat. 1/29/11 2-5 PM	Opening Creativity through Focusing with Joan Klagsbrun & David Smith Each of us holds within ourselves a wellspring of creativity -- messages and intuitions held in our deeper selves-- but many of us lack the knowledge of how to tap into this creative source or to hear these messages and intuitions. This workshop is designed to enhance creativity and to get stuck projects moving again by opening paths to this wellspring. Through a combination of discussion and play, participants will examine obstacles to creativity such as writers block and experiment with creative play in writing, drawing and movement. Focusing allows us to set aside the expectations and assumptions that block the creative flow. Free of these blocks, we can begin to discover and to enjoy our authentic creative voices.
Sun. 2/6/11 2-4 PM	Changes
Sat 3/5/11 2-5 PM	Focusing to Overcome Procrastination & Action Blocks With Susan Lennox & Andrew Fieleke Have you ever wondered why you just can’t seem to “make yourself” do those important things you “say” you want to accomplish? Do you find yourself getting distracted or delaying each time you set out to accomplish your mission? Do you keep hitting the wall of you own inner resistance? Focusing is useful for decision-making, clarifying life issues, and moving past blocks. In this workshop we will use Focusing to uncover the hidden sources of resistance and develop the inner alignment that will enable you to move forward in your life.
Sun 4/10/11 2-4 PM	Changes
Sat. 5/8/11 2-5 PM	Changes
Sun 6/19/11 2-4 PM	Changes

Gendlin's work is available online through the Gendlin Online Library.