Although I have no interest in psychotherapy, nor in psychology either save for its cognitive strain, I found this book to be remarkably interesting. Previously, I had read considerably among Gendlin’s academic corpus, albeit with tentative understanding and provisional conviction. Thus I turned to the subject book for a view of his practical or applied contributions. Indeed that decision turned out to be both rewarding and very compelling. Gendlin’s migration of certain of his seminal philosophical ideas to widespread practical application would seem to be unique in the contemporary scene. Additionally, I believe this book enables a more tangible and acute understanding of his academic expositions.
This book’s organization, scope, content, and style of exposition are excellent: incisive and fascinating coverage of concepts and methods at a optimal level for a wide readership, without indulging in patronizing verbiage. Whether the case or not, this book exhibits a crispness that normally associates with thoughtful iterative refinement. Regarding this book’s significance, it nicely complements and arguably ranks alongside Gendlin’s academic titles. In effect, this book is in certain regards blue-collar applied philosophy, and I greatly admire his beneficent engagement of human needs in rendering such practical knowledge and value.
As to this book’s content that I consider exceptionally appealing, I would cite the following:
o Quite valuable chapters: 4. The Focusing Manual & 11. The Listening Manual
- not formulaic instructions, but nicely motivated & explained procedures
o Differing perspectives on focusing in three chapters (4-6) & Appendix d
- complementary value-added unfoldment/reinforcement
o a subsection on a training exercise to develop a capacity for felt sense (pp. 86-87)
- a simple but clever exercise with promise of use in other contexts
o Clear-cut distinction between felt sense & emotion (p. 101)
- felt sense encompasses one’s total emotional situation in a relatively subtle way
o Asking a forward thinking question of a felt sense, or its constructive probing (p. 105)
- looking for a positive life step forward
o Given a life step forward, working the focusing process backwards as to How (p. 107)
- in consonance with Gendlin’s advice that the process need not be followed rigidly
o Generating essential new concepts through novel reliance upon experience (p. 166)
- possibilities for scientific problem finding or formulation & in bridging logical gaps.
As to this book’s prompting of continuing ruminations on my part, I would nominate the following:
o Gendlin’s academic publications that amplify vital aspects of this book
- his essay “What First and Third Person Processes Really Are” at focusing.org
o Where/how mind and body operations map to elements of the human physiology
- would seem that they may share some segments of that infrastructure
o Source of absolute time spans that characterize certain operations
- delay in appearance of elicited body knowledge & immediate updating of its state
o Interpretation of the focusing phenomena in terms of systems biology
- downward causation & semiotic upward control
o Adaptation of focusing methods for scientific research or engineering design
- traversing logical gaps & reconciling problem space with resolution space.
Overall, I am amazed at Gendlin’s adroitness in articulating highly original ideas in both the academic and practical spheres. The subject book is very engaging, expansive, and illuminating with respect to seasoned practical methods, which evidently have attained rather widespread adoption. That success record of focusing, moreover, would seem to provide a significant degree of in-service validation of Gendlin’s philosophical syntheses. Moreover, his focusing methods appear to offer promise for adaptation by or supplementation of other disciplines. Worthy of further investigation?…. YES!
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Mysterious?…Yes; Plausible?…Intriguing at least; Generalized Efficacy?…Worthy of wider investigation
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2021Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2023
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Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2018
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Top reviews from other countries
Alex
Won't benefit everyone, but your body and intuition is wiser than your conscious mind
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 7, 2014Huw Watts
A very western, pragmatic and dry set of instructions on how to meditate
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 31, 2019