by Tom Larkin

From the west, north, east and south of Europe 30+ Focusers gathered in Humboldt-Haus, Achberg for the annual European Focusing Association gathering. This year the theme was “Surfing the waves of life; sensing and thinking freshly”. There were participants from eleven [European] countries with English as the agreed, ‘common’ language.

Humboldt Haus is situated in the heart of the German countryside from where could be seen green fields and forests all the way to the Alps. Many German Focusers consider Humboldt-Haus as the ‘home’ of German Focusing because this is where Focusing really took off in Germany 30 years ago and where Eugene Gendlin gave several workshops - a portrait of him hung on the wall of the meeting hall during the event.

Fiona Parr (UK) initiated the proceedings, describing the EFA as more of an “associating” than an association; there is a steering committee, but it doesn’t have office holders, doesn’t have a bank account etc – a grass-roots group.

While there was a loose structure to the schedule, space was made for daily Focusing exchanges, open spaces, home groups and ‘personal’ spaces in the afternoons. The evenings were for dancing, singing, talking, or whatever. Outside of these there was no prearranged programme for how we would spend the time together. Towards this end, time was provided for whatever participants wanted to bring to the gathering - at the first whole group meeting on Thursday, there was space for participants to offer “happenings” i.e. workshops, roundtables, presentations etc. and, after some haggling and jostling for particular times or rooms (done in a Focusing way of course), the timetable quickly formed around these offerings. For every space in the schedule for Happenings there were between three and five choices of topic.

Topics included:

• Focusing with Images
• Focusing research
• ‘No content’ Focusing
• Felt sense dialogue around climate change using Appreciative Inquiry and Dynamic Facilitation.
• Smartphones and Focusing
• Spiritual bypassing and Focusing
• Focusing and ‘hidden’ Illness/condition
• Reading the last chapter of Focusing: ‘Experience beyond Roles’
• One’s own experiencing of the climate crisis
• Dreams
• Focusing window for Ukraine
• CAS + TAE + Drawing
• Etc.

As always in these situations I found myself wanting to be in at least two places at the same time! I usually come away from Focusing events feeling enriched, my understanding of Focusing deepened and my skills enhanced, and this gathering was no exception. When I consider the question of what my highlight was though I’d have to say it was meeting with, and making heart-felt, in-person connections, with others who have a deep-seated interest in and commitment to Focusing. There was so much richness, not alone in the more formal spaces but in the sharing and discussing over meals or on walks around the beautiful surrounding area.

As my network of connections grew, the world became a (relatively) smaller place for me over the course of the gathering and since.

For your diary - the next EFA gatherings:
2025 Belgium 17 – 21 Sept
2026 Scotland 23 – 27 Sept
More information about the EFA, the subgroups and about how to become a member etc at
https://efa-focusing.eu/

by Niamh Pattwell

On a bright late September morning, we found our way to the Dominican Centre in Tallaght for the IFN in-person gathering. Like magic, people materialised in front of us, flesh and blood, no longer pixellated Zoom versions of themselves. For some of us, this was our first time to meet in person. It was good fun: people were bigger, taller, smaller, not exactly the shape one had imagined. Over a welcome cup of tea and coffee, warm greetings were exchanged, connections and reconnections were established.

Capturing the Autumnal inward turn of the year, Caroline Moore led us in an attunement. Then, our first session ‘From Fear to Flow: a Focusing Approach to Speaking in Groups’ was led by Fiona O'Meara. Fiona invited us to imagine a situation where we might give a public talk and, through a series of quiet reflective exercises, led us on a journey to sense what it is that we might want to say. From there, we tried to sense what it is that we want from the experience which, as some of us discovered, might be a deeper need than what it is we have to say. It also invited contact with what it is that holds back or prevents us from speaking freely. During Fiona’s session, we didn’t focus in pairs, but there were opportunities to share on what was emerging for each of us. Not only did I leave this session with some sense of what I might say in my imagined situation, but also with a very real sense of the parts that were alive as I listened for what I wanted to say - the message of the speech was not the only facet wanting to be heard! It was deeply touching, then, to hear a couple of participants, give a short two-minute presentation, arising from the workshop. The sincerity and conviction brought a presence that was fluent and inspiring.

After a tasty lunch and a short stroll in the Autumn sunshine, we returned for a second session in which Marie and Elaine invited us to focus with poetry. Marie, in her introduction, spoke of her first experience of focusing with a poem which came as an unexpected surprise while she attended a Focusing event in Dublin many years ago. When Marie heard someone recite Mary Oliver "Wild Geese” as a part of their presentation she explained how her whole body came alive in some unique way. The words landed inside, stopping time and space, bringing a real felt resonance to something in her that needed to be heard and felt deeply. Elaine on the other hand described her initial hestitation when Marie invited her to focus with a poem as this brought memories of school days and ‘learning off’ poetry and then having to analyse it. Feelings of inadequacy arose in her. Her experience resonated with many in the room. However she described how she was pleasantly surprised at how powerful focusing with a poem could be and she experienced a new freedom and connection with the words and tendeness that only a poem can bring. 

Marie offered some gentle guidance, and followed by a demonstration with Elaine, we soon were scoping out quiet corners to focus with our chosen poems and partners. As always, the poetry surprised - parts coming alive in the earlier session took on a new form here in a poem where childish perception bumped against adult experience. Everyone returned to share their encounters, refreshed and excited, I think, by how much easier it is to access these esoteric chunks of rhyme and verse through direct personal engagement. Focusing with poetry brings a reading that is both personal and, somehow, universal.

It was a beautiful day! A gift! Thank you to our Committee who organised it all.

"Without some people who listen, it is hard to hear oneself." Gene Gendlin

Our Focusing Refresher course got off to a flying start in September. Our purpose in offering this course is to provide an opportunity to pause and explore what is important when Focusing with another person.  We hope that providing a space to sense into the vital aspects of partnership will deepen and enrich each person’s practice and develop our Focusing community. 

Each Focusing Refresher evening is facilitated by a trainer from our network. Each month we explore a particular theme. Marta Fabregat started us off in September with an evening devoted to grounded aware presence and deep listening. In October Kay McKinney developed the theme of listening, invited us to sense into how it feels to be a listener and how to look after ourselves while listening.

On November 25th Elaine Goggin invites you to join her and explore how to look after yourself when you feel uncomfortable with your partner’s approach to listening. It’s no surprise that discomfort might arise when people who have trained differently in Focusing come together in partnership. But how might such a situation be managed and even become an opportunity to grow as a Focuser?

Each Refresher evening begins with a little teaching and discussion around the theme. Participants are then invited to Focus in breakout rooms paying particular attention to this theme. The time to Focus is shorter than in our regular zoom sessions. Afterwards there is time to reflect on the theme and share insights and/or experiences.

We warmly invite you to join a refresher session whenever you can. All members of the network are welcome — whether you’ve attended the weekly zoom sessions regularly, occasionally or not at all.  They take place on the last zoom session of the month and will continue until at least March. You’ll be notified by email in advance of each evening.

We would love some feedback about the Refresher evenings. Are they helpful? What do you appreciate about the evenings? Is there a theme you’d like us to explore? Please get in touch. 

Here are the dates and themes for the rest of 2024.

Monday 25^th November 2024

Mind Yourself Now!:

Exploring your own way of looking after yourself and your parts when you feel uncomfortable with a different listening approach.

Elaine Goggin

Monday 9^th December 2024

Taking in & Saying Back:

Exploring how the Listener can support and enrich the Focuser's process by reflecting. 

Therese Ryan