The Power of Focusing: A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing Paperback – May 1, 1996

I am a longtime Focuser. Gendlin's original 6 step instructions (Focusing 1978) work well. I used them for decades. But this book by Cornell, was written by compiling many years of experience in teaching it to many types of folk and her discussions with other experienced Focusing teachers. It presents the process more organically and more simply.Gendlin's book, Focusing, is still important and presents the process with a little more background and more explanation in terms of its relationship to other ways of knowing the world.What neither book does however, is place Focusing in its broader relationship to Alfred North Whitehead's process philosophy. While Gendlin's later book, A Process Model, does some of this, I am still looking for a clearer discussion of how Gendlin's unique work is founded on the holistic, process philosophy of Whitehead - especially Whitehead's brilliant phenomenology of "concresence." While the felt sense and felt shift are applicable to just about every human project, it would be helpful if someone would write the book that makes these connections. As it stands now, you can discover those connections by delving deep into Gendlin's other essays and Whitehead's own exceedingly dense philosophical system. Felt sense knowing is so much broader in application than just within psychology.

I was familiar with focusing before I read this book, having read Gendlin’s work and taken classes on focusing. Nonetheless, I consider this book extremely valuable for my own understanding of focusing—and would advise anyone new to focusing to start with this book before tackling Gendlin.

this is a rare book that you can actually get some healing just from reading it. the title says it all. ann weiser cornell writes in a style that helps you pay attention inside yourself as you are reading it and feel what she is talking about, if you pay close enough attention to yourself as you read it. it is not like most other self help books where you go to the end of the chapter and do some exercises which i personally don't like to do. it takes too much time. this book is very effective. just by reading it you experience what she is describing. for me, focusing is an easy and very effective technique to learn to understand your self and your feelings better. it is a very easy to read, practical. and very short length book. i think you will enjoy it and get great value from it. i know i did. i have had a lot of trauma from childhood that has really made it difficult for me to access feelings and this is one of the best techniques i have found.

This is an excellent book which teaches you how to focus on your inner life ie feelings, sensations and thoughts and realign them so that you experience a shift in consciousness.

I looked into Focusing at one point in time. It looked promising, but difficult, and too good to be true. I picked up Gendlin's book and was unimpressed. I was turned off by these absurd assumptions he made. Such as how Focusing will soon make psychotherapy obsolete. And how it was sold too much as a self-help technique, and brief therapy. And what I saw as an overly high focus on grand experiences and releases. It seemed like that same fallacy I see when some thinker finds something new, and suddenly takes it too far, as if they have THE answer.I have to say that this book has none of the above flaws or dumb assumptions. This author seems to have thought long and hard about teaching Focusing effectively. It is a short self-help book. But the author emphasizes how Focusing can be used in conjunction with therapy, or other life events that require looking into oneself. It is accessible without being cheezy or shallow. The tips and descriptions help very much to clarify the subtle process of Focusing.Many practices talk themselves up as if it all you need, such as this or that meditative path, or this or that therapy. Focusing is very flexible and can be used with the contemplative and psychological methods of inner change, very effectively.This book is highly recommended. Forget Gendlin's book.

Learned about this concept from a family member. Read the book - succinct and helpful. Lovely tone to the writing too.

I find this to be an excellent introduction to Inner Relationship Focusing (which is a branch off of the work of Eugene Gendlin known as "Focusing".) That said, I believe you can't learn IRF or Focusing from any book. It should be used in conjunction with taking a class. Focusing is a very deep and powerful way of getting in touch with yourself. Fairly easy but just takes time. Incredibly sensitive and respectful. I've been doing it for 5 years now and it has markedly changed my ability to understand myself and make choices that better meed my true needs. The author of this book, Ann Weiser Cornell, offers classes over the telephone as well as other useful tips.

Ms. Cornell describes the "Focusing" techniques discovered by Eugene Gendlin in language that is simple to understand for a broad audience, both those trained in the mental health and healing professions and those who are not. Readers are introduced to the topic in a logical and practical way, and can gain confidence in their understanding and practice as they learn to trust their own senses and gain new and better acceptance of what their inner senses are trying to communicate. Therapists can also learn from the book how to apply the suggestions to the needs of individual clients, making it a tool for the professional who wants to incorporate Focusing techniques into their treatment plans.