THE Volume 20, NO. 1, 2007 FOLIO A JOURNAL FOR FOCUSING AND EXPERIENTIAL THERAPY FELT MEANING AND GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION How Focusing Brings New Patterns Of Relating In A Landscape Of Fear THE Volume 20, NO. 1, 2007 FOLIO Revised Edition A JOURNAL FOR FOCUSING AND EXPERIENTIAL THERAPY FELT MEANING AND GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION: How Focusing Brings New Patterns of Relating in a Landscape of Fear TABLE OF CONTENTS v LETTER FROM THE EDITORS vii FOCUSING AND THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: AN OVERVIEW OF VOLUME 20, NO. 1. James Iberg, Ph.D. NEW PATTERNS OF RELATING TO OURSELVES 1 A “SAFE CONTAINER” FOR PASSING DOWN A PRAYER TO FUTURE GENERATIONS: MY EXPERIENCE WITH THE HIROSHIMA PEACE MUSEUM Akiko Doi 5 TRANSFORMING FEAR: WHAT WE CAN LEARN FROM SOME PEOPLE WITH CANCER Joan Klagsbrun, Ph.D. 15 THE STORY THAT WANTS TO BE TOLD Joyce Kornblatt 21 EARTHQUAKE FOCUSING: CONTINENTAL AND PERSONAL SHIFTS Nina Joy Lawrence 25 COPING WITH FEAR IN SHORT TERM EXPERIENTIAL PSYCHOTHERAPY Mia Leijsson 36 MAKING PEACE FROM THE INSIDE Rob Parker, Ph.D. 48 FOCUSING: A FORCE FOR GROWTH AND HEALING Agnes Rodríguez 50 FINDING THE WORDS TO SAY IT: SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING IN LIFE Mical Sikkema, M.A. The Folio (ISSN: 1063-3693) is the journal of the Focusing Institute, Inc., Spring Valley, N.Y. The Focusing Insti- tute is a world-wide membership organization and a not-for-profit corporation in the state of New York. ii • THE FOLIO • 2007 60 INTO THE FEAR-FACTORY: TREATING CHILDREN OF TRAUMA WITH BODY MAPS Bart Santen NEW PATTERNS OF RELATING TO OTHERS 81 FOCUSING ENABLES CHILDREN TO LIVE WITH FEAR Lucy Bowers 92 BEFRIENDING FEAR: A STORY TOLD FROM TWO ANGLES Dr. Juan Prado Flores 95 DEALING WITH VICARIOUS TRAUMATIZATION IN THE CONTEXT OF GLOBAL FEAR Catherine Hudek 102 APPENDIX: CLEARING SPACE: A PRIMER Catherine Hudek 104 CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION: A MODEL FOR A NEW PATTERN OF RELATING: AN APPLICATION OF STOPPED PROCESS, LEAFING, AND CROSSING Doralee Grindler Katonah, Psy.D., M.Div., Edgardo Riveros, Ph.D., Lucy Bowers, Josine van Noord 122 FROM FEAR TO FREEDOM: HOW CREATIVE ALTERNATIVES THEATRE CAN HELP OVERCOME SELF-STIGMATIZATION Jacqueline Wislesky, M.A. NEW PATTERNS OF RELATING TO COLLECTIVE DEVELOPMENT 133 ASSERTIVENESS AND SOLIDARITY: IN A LANDSCAPE OF FEAR Rob Foxcroft 145 ILLUSION...REALITY? MAKING SENSE OF NON-SENSE THROUGH FOCUSING Bala Jaison, Ph.D. 152 A COMMUNITY BASED APPROACH TO FOCUSING: THE ISLAM AND FOCUSING PROJECT OF AFGHANISTAN Pat Omidian, Ph.D. and Nina Joy Lawrence NEW PATTERNS OF RELATING TO THE NEW TOWN 165 THE TOWN AND HUMAN ATTENTION Eugene Gendlin, Ph.D. Copyright © 2007 by The Focusing Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any material without prior agreement and written permission from the publisher is pro- hibited. Printed in the U.S.A. THE FOLIO • iii THE FOLIO A Journal for Focusing and Experiential Therapy PUBLISHER INFORMATION The Focusing Institute, Inc. Hard-bound copies of the Folio are avail- 34 East Lane able at a reduced rate for paid up members Spring Valley, N.Y. 10977 of the Focusing Institute. U.S.A. To order hard copies of this Folio please Phone: (845) 362-5222 go to: Fax: (845) 678-2276 http://www.focusing.org/feltmeaningfolio e-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.focusing.org For further information about Member- ship, Focusing Workshops, Training and Resources, please contact The Focusing EDITORS Institute: Bala Jaison, Ph.D. http://www.focusing.org Toronto, On. Canada [email protected] Doralee Grindler Katonah, Psy.D., M.Div. Sacramento, Ca. U.S.A. [email protected] James Iberg, Ph.D Chicago, Il. U.S.A. [email protected] COVER ART Gabriela Riveros Santiago, Chile [email protected] GRAPHIC ART AND LAYOUT Carolyn Kasper Marlboro, Vt. U.S.A. [email protected] LETTER FROM THE EDITORS • v LETTER FROM THE EDITORS Dear Focusing Colleagues, Friends, and other interested Readers, It gives us great pleasure to present this Folio. The first seeds for this issue were planted at our annual International Conference in Costa Rica in 2004. Over time, while gath- ering thoughts for the topic of this issue, it became clear that the subject of fear, related to both global and personal events, began to emerge as a real concern for many, touching peo- ple deeply, and in numerous and diverse ways. For instance, we thought of the welfare and safety of our Focusing colleagues in Afghanistan working with victims of war trauma. Then came another global concern — the effects of climate change and the plight of survivors of disasters such as hurricane Katrina and the tsunamis — and then more issues relating to fear became visible from the conse- quences of 9/11 and its aftermath. There were fears expressed related to the post traumatic effects of 9/11, such as how children have been affected, the possibility of sudden death, and so much more. The topic of fear clearly had a global relevance and resonance. We began to wonder how Focusing teachers, trainers, and psychotherapists were using Focusing and experiential work to address fear in a new ways that might contribute to new patterns of relating, both within ourselves and in relationships. What are the distinctive con- tributions of our community in psychology, education, health, healing, spirituality, politics, and the myriad of other arenas in which Focusers work toward transformation? Many of us believe that Focusing and its practices can help resolve conflictual issues in order to move toward a more peaceful existence. Hence, the title of this Folio emerged: FELT MEANING AND GLOBAL TRANSFORMATION: How Focusing Brings New Patterns of Relating in a Landscape of Fear. In Experiencing and the Creation of Meaning, Gendlin discusses experiential mean- ing that is culturally derived. He differentiates how culturally derived meaning functions from how direct reference and fresh symbolization function. Culturally determined mean- ings involve an assumed and shared knowing of meaning — a kind of “pre-packaged” mean- ing. For example, if you see a stop sign you know what it means and do not have to go into your experiencing further to know how to respond. Such shared meanings make an impor- tant contribution to understanding social situations. For example, culturally determined meanings help us know what behavior is expected at weddings and other rituals, or what to do when meeting people for the first time in our hometowns. As Focuser’s we value and know how to attend to the felt sense, freshly creating mean- ing that is more specific and unique than shared cultural meanings. But this doesn’t negate the reality of shared meanings and their importance in how people live in the world. “Fear” is one of these cultural, and even cross-cultural signifiers for which everyone “knows” much of the culturally shared meanings without direct reference. There is something widely shared, perhaps universal, about fear that tends to bring a response before the Focusing process. Fear has physiological correlates rooted in basic instincts related to survival. It is strongly felt in the body and can direct behavior in reaction vi • THE FOLIO • 2007 to a situation when a threat to one’s physical survival is perceived, or when what one holds as an ultimate value or significance (like a religious belief, or need for power) seems under attack. Reactions to fear often happen without pausing to let a felt sense of the situation form. Whether or not this pausing step is taken may make all the difference in the kind of human interactions that result. We believe the subject of fear will be of crucial interest to people across cultures, religions, and theoretical orientations, because acting from fear con- tributes to the polarization and dehumanization of our fellow human beings. We believe this issue reveals some of what is remarkable about the experiential Focus- ing process. We hope that readers will notice how these articles keep pointing to a way to ‘be with’ fear before impulsively ‘reacting’ with the limited set of usual options, such as fight or flight. Pausing to let a felt sense form can produce an opening of meaning that generates many more subtle options for living forward. The diversity of articles in this issue mirrors the diversity of the people who practice, use, and live with Focusing in their daily lives. Some of the articles are deeply personal and speak of transformative inner experiences. Other articles demonstrate the power of Focusing in transforming the experiences of clients. One common thread running through the articles is the significant difference Focusing has made in viewing, sensing, and living from an implicit inner knowing that carries the Focuser forward to the next right steps of change. With only the culturally shared meaning of “fear,” you would not see such a diversity of responses. Some of the responses you read about here will surprise you, yet we believe you will easily grasp and feel the rightness of them. We sincerely hope that this issue stimulates new ideas, new projects, and new, more enlightening ways to turn a landscape of fear into a landscape of peace, harmony, and expanded global communication and understanding. The Folio Committee Bala Jaison, Ph.D. Doralee Grindler-Katonah, Psy.D., M.Div James Iberg, Ph.D. FOCUSING AND THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: AN OVERVIEW • vii FOCUSING AND THE EVOLUTION OF CONSCIOUSNESS: An Overview of Volume 20, #1 James R. Iberg, Ph.D. First, on behalf of the editorial committee, I wish to thank the authors for writing to share their experiences with the larger community. Publishing articles is one of the ways we share Focusing with others, and this collection is full of interesting accounts of how Focus- ing is used when fear is a factor.