Having returned from a wonderful teaching trip to the Just Being Centre in Pune, India, I want to share a key moment, and what it can mean for your Focusing.

I was demonstrating with a course participant, and after feedback in the group I invited her to share from her perspective.
She said, ‘It is not a technique. Only hearts can do this.’
I was deeply touched and moved. I felt that as a new Focuser, she got it. She understood what it means to listen to herself with kindness and compassion, and she understood the value of having a respectful, unintrusive and gentle Focusing companion. The two hearts listening together allowed a deep opening in the Focuser, and brought a quality of self-acceptance and healing.
It’s the attitude of the Focuser and the companion towards the Focuser’s experience that makes the difference. It provides the right conditions for the felt sense of the Focuser to feel that it is being heard and received, exactly as it is. Then there is room for it to breathe and for it to feel it is being accepted.
New Focusing companions often report a sense of awe and privilege, when they are listening to another Focuser, and this continues throughout their practice of listening to other people in a gentle, respectful way. It is rare to hear exactly what it is like to be another person, to hear how it feels from underneath their skin. And there is no sense of judgement; only kindness and compassion.
And it is rare to have this quality of listening. It’s not like a normal conversation between friends. And this is why I value my Focusing partners hugely, and I want to protect the space that we create together, by honouring our boundaries and agreements, and appreciating the time we spend Focusing and listening.