Children and Focusing Intro Day Experience

by Ann Harte Barry

Last June I attended my first IRL (in real life) focusing event since Covid. And what a wonderful re-entry it was!! I was really happy to meet old friends, to meet Zoom companions and to meet focusers I had not met before - and to feel that all 17 of us are all on the journey together.

The Children and Focusing Introduction Day, led by René Veugelers and Elaine Goggin, was held in the Dominican Retreat Centre, Tallaght – a very suitable venue in terms of welcome, comfort and accessibility.

The advertising blurb stressed that the training was not only for professionals working with children but ‘also supports and deepen your own process’.

That was so true! I personally found that while there was some stress on children all the exercises and teaching everything spoke directly to the various levels of child in me! It was immensely helpful. We were told that ‘you can’t move faster than your slowest process’. This is such a helpful starting point as often I am impatient, wanting ‘results’ and forgetting that other piece of wisdom shared: ‘the answer is already unfolding underneath’.

emojicons The day was very helpful in helping me remain with the process and allowing what needed to emerge to emerge! The resources were creative and well designed and really helped my process. Of course the highlight was the use of emoji balls which ticked so many boxes!!

During the course of the presentation I did become very clear how focusing can be a powerful positive energy in working and being formally and informally with children.

René’s powerful sharing on his work with a young person demonstrated the power of living focusing attitude, creative process suggestions and staying close to the felt sense, all done in a dynamic sensitive and fragile setting. We were blessed to receive this sharing and deep within I believe that in some mysterious way that we were compassionately present to the young person’s life and who knows how the power of that energy has rippled out from our group supporting his search for fulness of life.

The Invitation: to consider training for focusing with children. It was clear that the day was a ‘taster’. Certainly I am very convinced of the potential of focusing with children and can see that the training would be stimulating, deepening and enjoyable.