13 BLOCKS TO FOCUSING AND THEIR REMEDIES:

A COMPILATION
by Joan Klagsbrun, Ph.D. and Neil Friedman, Ph.D.
(who have borrowed liberally from Focusing literature,
and acknowledge and give thanks to all who have contributed to these ideas)

Focusing can sometimes be a smooth process, but often at different points, it

doesnt go easily. Over our 25 years of teaching, we have found that the obstacles
to successful focusing are many, but that there are usually remedies for each one.
For a recent advanced focusing training group, we culled the literature and
compiled a list of the most frequent obstacles and their remedies. We think it
might be handy for new teachers to have this list with them when teaching
focusing. Being aware of the blocks to focusing can help the teacher assess where
the focuser is actually stuck, and what the teacher can then suggest. Of course,
this list is not exhaustive; other blocks and remedies surely exist.

1) Block: The Focuser has a mindset that going into the body isnt useful a
feeling that nothing of value or wisdom will be found there. This might be
experienced as feeling unsafe or denigrating the processone fellow dragged to a class
by his girlfriend called it chick stuff.
Remedy: Acknowledge this and then you might ask if there were ever a time that
checking inside was useful? Listen and reflect if there was such a time.

2) Block: The Focuser has a hard time getting into the bodystays in the head.
Remedy:
a) First, begin by doing a short relaxation exercise. Its hard to come into the body if
it is full of tension.
b) Ask them to notice bodily experience by sensing from the feet up, i.e., can you
feel your toes, your feet, your knees, how your sitting in the chair, now how it is
in the middle of your body, etc.
c) Do some exercises that might engender a body sense such as comparing the
feeling inside when with a close friend one would like to see with how it feels
inside when with someone with whom there is currently tension.

d) Tell your self I am perfectly happy everything in my life is going beautifully,

and wait to see if something inside comes to contradict that.
e) Remember that it is often easier for a head person to start sensing into the body
by starting with a positive feeling rather than a negative one.

3) Block: The Focuser is unable to get a felt sense, and the reason is not clear. For
some people, sensations come but they are not meaningful. A clue that someone is
tracking only physical sensations might be that there are a whole lot of sensations and
they keep moving around the body.
Remedy: It is important to distinguish that felt senses have an aboutness to themthe
tightness that is about some issue or relationship and cant be mistaken for a too tight
belt. Ask whether this tightness or heaviness or blankness feels as if it is about
something. Then, try to find out if it is either because the issue is too close and the
Focuser is overwhelmed (its too intense or heavy) OR because the issue is too distant
(its far away and s/he feels numb about it).
If there is a possibility that the reason the Focuser cant get a felt sense is because they
are feeling good, be sure to acknowledge that. You might have them put their attention
on an even slightly good mood to see if there is a body sense of that.
In some instances, medication can keep a person from feeling into the body, so check for
that possibility. However, it is also true that medicine can sometimes allow people to
focus when they were unable to previously.

4) Block: The Focuser is unable to get a felt sense because the concern is too
close/intense/heavy.
Remedy: If the concern is too close, see if the Focuser can place it outside and get some
distance; back up and just take a peek; or be with a small part of it, remembering to be
gentle with oneself. As the listener, its often useful to do a lot of reflective listening here.

5) Block: The Focuser is unable to get a felt sense because the concern is too distant.
Remedy: If the concern is too distant, suggest the Focuser ask how does this whole
thing feel in my body? and wait for any slight feeling or sensation to come. It is also
useful to use evocative techniques such as you might tell yourself this whole thing is
fine and see what the body says. Be sure to encourage the person to take their time.
If the Focuser is a chronic dissociator, and seems to be getting lost inside her/himself,
you might keep in particularly close company (even interrupting the silences if they seem

unproductive, to ask what the Focuser is experiencing, and to l

et the person know you
are there). You might also suggest s/he opens their eyes to get grounded and oriented.

6) Block: The Focuser is unable to be friendly to the felt sense.

Remedy: Help the Focuser just acknowledge this truth even if they cant be friendly to
it, such as acknowledging the shame that comes up, etc.
You might suggest that if they cant be friendly to the felt sense, to see if they can stay
friendly to their response or reaction to it (feeling scared or angry, wanting to run away
etc), and then acknowledge and take time with each part.
You might also suggest that they try to get some distance from it. One way to get distance
is to pretend it happened long ago.

7) Block: The Focuser is not able to find a Handle for the felt Sense
Remedy: Suggest they call it That one. It is also useful to use more modalities such
as gestures, images, or making a face that matches the feeling inside.
Sometimes, it works to take the handle they have that is not a perfect match, and ask,
whats missing from that, whats off about it or whats no quite enough or quite right
about it? Example: If beautiful doesnt quite capture the scene I am thinking about, I
would ask myself, Whats missing? And then wait. Ah, yes. (pause) Whats beautiful
is that it touches meits touching. Thats a better handle for this.

8) Block: The Focuser cant get a felt sense to shift.

Remedy: Let the Focuser know they neednt try so hard. Maybe suggest they let it be
for now, and check back with it later, treating it like a cake in the oven which you want to
let cook, without opening the door every minute. It also helps to look for subtle changes,
and to trust that in time, answers will come.

9) Block: The Focusers mind wanders.

Remedy: First, assure the Focuser that this is perfectly normal minds tend to wander.
Then, suggest they gently bring back their attention to whatever slipped away. Sometimes
it helps to start all over again. What was I working on? Oh, yeah, that issue with my
girlfriend. And what was my body sense? (pause), Oh, yeah, that heavy feeling. And
what was the handle? Oh, the image of a door, pressing on my heart.

10) Block: Intrusion of the critic. The inner critic is the harsh inner voice that attacks or
shames you. It always points to the worst, is full of judgment, makes you feel wrong,
bad, or guilty, and lacks empathy. It generally sounds familiar, and it interferes with
Focusing.
Remedy: If it seems like the critic is lurking or attacking, suggest to the Focuser that this
voice or part they are with may be an inner critic. The first step is to recognize this voice
as the harsh inner critic it is. See if the Focuser can acknowledge that this voice is not to
be trusted in terms of leading to forward movement and growth (it will tell you the same
old thing). Awareness of a critic attack is usually 80% of whats needed to get distance
from this voice.
Other things that are helpful include: Waving the critic away saying come back when
you have something new to say.
It can also help to get distance from this voice by asking, how would I fee if I didnt
have this critic?
Recognize that this critic is an unhealed part of you. If you cant wave it away, you
might turn towards it. Then, when you turn your attention to it, making sure you have the
proper distance, ask What do you want for me? (This helps you remember that the
critic was originally on your team and had your best interests at heart, even though it has
now gone amuck). Its also sometimes helpful to ask the critic what it is afraid of,
because often under this big bully is a scared child.

11) Block: Doubting what comes from Focusing. Here, there is a voice or a part that says
what came is not new, not important etc.
Remedy: Suggest to the Focuser that they say back to the doubting part it is
something, and see if they can trust the body version rather than the analysis of the
issue. You might suggest that whatever steps come from the Focusing be treated like
new blades of grass that you want to keep alive and not allow to get stepped on.

12) Block: Rushing the Focusing process. If there is a quality of impatience or any hurry
or forcing, Focusing is usually impossible.
Remedy: You may need to have the Focuser turn their attention towards the impatience
and at least acknowledge it. Try to help the Focuser honor that this is a process that takes
time and patience.

13) Block: Forcing Answers to Questions. Near the end of a Focusing session, there are
sometimes open-ended questions that get asked, such as Whats the worst of this? What
needs to happen? Is there a step in the right direction?
Remedy: Its important to wait for the body to respond, and not to give automatic
intellectual answers. Honor the bodys timetable. Focusing cant be forced. We can set
up the conditions and bring the right attitudes to our inner places, but its up to the inner
place to send us the answers. Some call this grace.