The pause, in Focusing and in Peter Levine’s somatic approach to trauma
This is a private, password-protected page for people who are taking the The Mindful & Proactive Edge of FOT course. It gives you materials to prepare for Session 3 of the course.
Required materials
Part 1: The Revolutionary Pause
The first piece is about what Mary Hendricks Gendlin called the “revolutionary pause.” The link below is a 7-minute audio staging of the central point of her article on the revolutionary pause. See: https://proactivemindfulness.com/revolutionary/
Part 2: Focusing informed by Somatic Experiencing (SE)
You may be wondering why we touch on another approach instead of just talking about Focusing. Peter Levine, the developer of SE, gratefully acknowledged the influence of Gene Gendlin’s work on the felt sense. In fact, I would say that the name itself, “somatic experiencing,” is a way of referring to something like the felt sense. I am trained in SE, and I want to share with you how understanding the SE approach enriches our understanding of Focusing.
To give you a “big picture” understanding of SE, I have chosen an unusual video. It features Peter Levine talking about his own experience of trauma, after he was hit by a car, and putting it in perspective through his theory. This gives you a very powerful summary of what it’s all about, in just a few minutes. So you get the big ideas very clearly.
The video is only 8 1/2 minutes long, and I would like you to look at it at least 2 or 3 times, especially minutes 1 through 7.
See video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hP2KJ3UgDI
Questions for self-coaching
As you watch it and re-watch the Peter Levine video, I would like you to make notes of what you find important. We will devote a lot of time in class to discussing what you find important and elaborating on it. The perspective of this discussion is how this understanding informs your practice as a Focusing-oriented therapist.
After thoroughly absorbing Peter Levine’s piece, come back to the “Revolutionary Pause” and listen to it from the SE-informed perspective. We will talk about this in class.
Optional materials
If you would like to read the full text of Mary Gendlin’s article, see: https://focusing.org/social-issues/hendricks-peace
An important essay by Gene Gendlin: “Three assertions about the body.” It provides a great recap of what we mean by the body (we’re not just talking about flesh and bones). If you find the language difficult, it’s OK, don’t get bogged down in what you don’t understand, just pay attention to what you understand. See: http://focusing.org/gendlin/docs/gol_2064.html
Class recording (April 9)
Practice groups
Practice at least twice before our next gathering in groups of 2, 3 or 4 people. Over the 6 months of the course, try to partner with other people.