Recommendations | Living Focusing

what people say about focusing...

Peter’s seemingly light-touch and enabling facilitator style drew on his own deep immersion in Focusing. I found it deft, sensitive and encouraging JN,

Your way of working, which felt very safe and grounded - along the Focusing style which avoids analyzing, so refreshing!! The course was a brilliant introduction to Focusing, with lots of space for practice in pairs. Peter\’s non-judgmental attitude made it very easy to ask questions and simply having a go at FocusingCT,

'The introductory course provided me with a very clear framework for understanding and practicing Focusing. Most impressive perhaps being the experiential depth achieved on the course - largely through dyad practice - despite it being online; a tribute to the power of Focusing and Peter's clarity as a guide!'PS,

I did three one to one sessions with Peter when I first discovered focusing, just to see if it was right for me. He is a very calm guide and created an atmosphere of acceptance which meant I felt very free to say and express my thoughts and feelings. I would definitely recommend him as a teacher and look forward to doing more of his workshops! TX, Admin Assistant

I've thoroughly enjoyed attending Peter's workshops in 2017 as they gently guided the course participants towards a deeper understanding of how to listen to and appreciate their own inner wisdom. Peter's facilitation of every course has been clear, open and friendly and always respectful of individual differences. I've enjoyed meeting and getting to know my fellow course participants who have all engaged in an honest exploration of different aspects of Focusing. Speaking from the heart, I've found that the workshops have helped me to negotiate a challenging time in my life and to discover that there\'s a rich inner world of resources on which to draw. GT

For me, focusing has felt like one of those occasional treats in life when something new transforms the world from within. Peter's calm, safe and clear style, together with his passion for the practice, awaken a kind curiosity to delve into one's inner reality and benefit from the wisdom uncovered. LT, Quigong Teacher

The deep listening course was a great introduction to focusing. Week by week another layer was added providing more insight into the technique. The course focused on experience rather than intellect, something I welcomed warmly. By using the words something in me, and a part of me feels made the sensations/emotions experienced easier to be with. The group was small and a place where whatever we were feeling was welcome. Peter holds space in a way which made me feel wonderfully held and allowed me to relax fully into the technique, he also has some pretty cool puppets which helped bring lightness and laughter to each week! A great and worthwhile investment! Thanks Peter. LR

“I loved my training with you and I have happy memories of your excellent courses and of your generosity sharing your own personal experience. I think focusing is fantastic. You are an exceptional teacher and I am really looking forward to being guided by you again” J.W. NHS administrator

I enjoyed the workshops with Peter and gained a lot. He has a gentle inclusive and totally non judgemental style mixed with humour that makes him both an excellent facilitator and also an inspiring exponent of the work. Focusing is a process of tuning into what's happening, listening in to your own body wisdom and making changes. Hilary Farmer, psychotherapist

Focusing works, even if you are not good at it, and even if you don't do it regularly. Whenever I want to feel relieved, self-worthy and relaxed, trusting myself again, focusing is something I can do on my own, just for me. E.W Educational support

"Peter walks the talk in terms of how he teaches focusing: his teaching is warm, clear, creative, humorous and inclusive. His easy, naturalness led to a deeper listening to myself and others and a way of being with the richness of my inner experience, living the questions and not trying to find the answers. I am grateful to him for opening the door of focusing and inviting me and others in." Sraddhagita

I participated in one of Peter's focusing courses in London a while ago. Peter is a fantastic teacher whose teaching is clearly based on very personal understanding of the benefits of this way of working. By combining focusing with Peter Levine's somatic experiencing approach, Peter is providing a very special understanding of how trauma can be processed through working with the body: research and understanding of this field now clearly demonstrates that words alone are often "not enough" to allow us to fully process and recover from some experiences. V. Hobbs

I did attend one of your focusing and meditation workshops in the past… I do remember how I warmed to your empathic approach to participants in group situations and your openness in sharing aspects of your own experience with us. I'd had limited experience of focusing prior to the workshop and the course added an increased impetus which motivated me to continue to persevere with focusing into what has become a valuable resource for me at times. Anon

"I did the Introduction to Focusing course with Peter (Spring 2014) and absolutely loved it. When I arrived on the course, I forgot what it was about and simply went from a position of curiosity. What an amazing surprise. Very gently Peter guided us through the philosophy behind and the practice of Focusing, always more than happy to answer questions and elaborate where necessary. The course was experientially, meaning that, although Peter explained sufficiently, we learned, step by step, by doing. This worked very well as there was, for me, an immediate sense of understanding and recognition. This course with Peter changed my life as I discovered there was so much more going on inside of me than I knew and could have imagined. It has facilitated my general well-being extraordinarily and also supported and enabled me to relate differently to and in other practices (for instance, in my own psychotherapy, group facilitation practice etc). Peter is calm and patient, clear, funny, and very warm and empathic. He is also very good in setting boundaries to make the course a safe place and, as such, set an example for setting up your own practice with a focusing partner. After the course I have practiced a lot with my focusing partner and am considering attending the Level 2-5 course." DDH, PhD student

I stumbled upon 'Focusing' purely by accident. I wanted to experience a retreat and booked myself a week away at Dhanakosa in Scotland. The only space available to me was in The Focusing week run by Peter and his team. I had no idea what it was all about, but having practiced yoga and mindfulness meditation for about 10 years, it seamed an appropriate and natural progression to my practice. That was in 2012 and it has since proven to be the most invaluable choice I have ever made. Focusing is the most grounding and empowering method of self support and self observation I apply to my life. Just recently I have been diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder. This unsurprising news has brought fear and relief in imbalanced measures. A final piece of the jigsaw to my erratic and exhausting emotions. This new label doesn't define me as a human being; my reaction to it and how I accept it does.

Focusing is my strongest tool in the box to pull out and use when needed. Whether I'm having a manic high or a crushing low, the practical guidance of Focusing and it's core belief of self compassion is a treasured method to me. Focusing is not something you can easily explain to anyone, it needs to be experienced. You don't require a reason or any life qualification, just a self invitation to explore the felt sense of where you are in present moment. Sue Donald: Self employed Bookkeeper

Peter has a calm, gentle and relaxed presence which creates a great space for focusing. I find he helps create a feeling of inviting whatever may arise, being ok with it, and then holding and exploring it. I also found his teaching very clear. It seemed to me there was a lot of thought, experience and preparation behind each workshop - but this was in the background. The workshops themselves flowed in a natural and unhurried way. Jeremy, London.

"I attended one of Peter's workshops as a means of reconnecting with the trust of what I'd call my inner wisdom. I had done Focusing practice and training before, elsewhere, and hoped to refresh my willingness to re connect with the practice through the workshop. I found Peter to be a gifted facilitator, in terms of his respectful presence and, the quality, pace and sensitivity in which the activities were offered throughout the workshop. I felt welcome and safe, to really trust myself and learn” Lynne

Peter will open to you a very simple yet powerful means to hear what has always been in you awaiting a chance to be heard.This revealing can become the rudder that you use to steer you through life; the revealing of formerly hidden parts of ourselves is a tremendous adventure and one to be savoured. Jane Brown: dyslexia and ADHD facilitator 2015

"As someone new to focusing, I found Peter to be an excellent teacher. I enjoyed both individual and group sessions and learned a great deal. He managed the very mixed group with sensitivity to individual needs and got us doing things outside our comfort zones but without pressure. The mixture of practical tips, inspiring thoughts and guided practice helped me to find a way of doing focusing that I have been able to use in my daily life. I am happy to recommend Manju to anyone". Linda west

I have found your workshops on focusing to be wonderfully clear and understandable, and at the same time humorous and very enjoyable.You seem to have the knack of delivering deep insight within the process and the language of children at joyous play... I found your own energy loving, warm, and yet very solidly grounded and boundaried. I find the practice of focusing you've taught me to be profound. Its like suddenly hearing a fountain speak the storey of its flow - my flow. Adam Langer. Counsellor

"Focusing has helped my being more open to what comes. Your workshop brought how worthwhile and useful the practice is. I think of it as a form of assisted, enquiring, engaging and reflective meditation. A valuable practice in furthering awareness. I notice how it contributes to my being present, more mindful, including in my therapeutic approach. I experienced you as warm, friendly and approachable, guiding a fair balance of information, techniques and the experiential to process. I'm thankful your workshop helped my Focusing develop, and happy to recommend you" G Stewart Counsellor & Psychotherapist

"Focusing has helped me to find something within that I thought I had lost. It has helped me to discover some truth about myself, release creativity and quieten anxiety. Manjudeva is a calm, steady, accepting teacher who makes the learning process fascinating and, often, quite amusing too! I can't recommend Focusing or Peter highly enough." Karen, Mental Health Support Worker, West Midlands

"I first came across focusing when I was on a Buddhist retreat and overheard an enthusiastic conversation about it. I've now completed 2 weekends of training with Peter in Manchester. It's inspired and amazed me how quickly I am able to tune into and learn about myself. I regularly use focusing with a friend by phone or face to face. It has also been insightful using focusing by myself. It was particularly useful when I needed to make a decision about work. I regard focusing as an important method to help me broaden my understanding of personal and work situations; to listen to more than just what my head is telling me. I have discovered there are quieter parts of me that don't get heard normally. There is relief and sometimes clarity that comes with listening and acknowledging those parts of myself. I am really glad to have discovered focusing and be able to apply it whenever I want" Kirsty, Occupational Therapist

I can warmly recommend focusing with Peter for anybody that is ready to be with themselves in a more connected, integrated way, and who would like some support in doing so. He helped create a safe and experimental environment to explore the feelings and sensations in the body, and did so with openness and generosity. It was a pleasure to work with him." Millie, London

"I just wanted to tell you how much I feel I have benefited from your teaching on the focusing retreat...I've come back home with a different & braver approach which is allowing me to ask for support where I need it and be a lot truer to myself. Your enthusiasm for what you do shines through and I feel privileged to have been taught by you - I think you are quite gifted. Thanks for the great intro to focusing". Lindsey, Scotland

"I like focusing because it honours my sense of what is right, my pacing and my wisdom - it doesn't try to impose ideas or hurry me." "I like focusing because it reflects my own intuitive sense that 'the answers' I'm looking for lie in my body and not in my mind and that life involves an on-going unfolding and discovery of who we are. I have really enjoyed Manjudeva's workshops. The always seem very relaxed and unhurried but by the end I have really gone places and learnt loads. I have a sense that he deeply understands and honours what focusing is about and is able to communicate it in a very sensitive and clear way" Joy McKeith - Consultant

"I really enjoyed the workshop and found it very useful. I work as a counsellor /psychotherapist and would be very much into this therapeutic tool as an intervention. I found the workshop personally challenging and found the group work really good, the dynamics within the groups that I was in were really good. I really enjoyed the amount of time we were given for the practical work. Your handouts and explanations were very easily understood. Dave Murrey, Dublin

"I love focusing because it is simple, short and sociable.It works in a precise way with everything in us that is imprecise. It considers the small, vague and half-formed parts of ourselves as important as the louder, clearer, more certain parts. A teacher of mine once told me that great art is two things: inevitable and surprising. For me, focusing is a little like that. We already know how to do it, we already have all the tools, nevertheless there is so much to discover. It's tempting to say that focusing is like many other healing practices, yet it isn't really. In my view, it sits somewhere between meditation and therapy. But with focusing, even though it was invented by a therapist, you don't need to pay one to do it. You can practise it on your own, or with a friend. And it's sometimes easier than meditation because it works directly with all those indirect, niggling feelings and thoughts we try to acknowledge and struggle to 'put aside' in order to get on with meditating. Manjudeva once said that whereas meditation is like meeting a friend on the street, saying hello and moving on, focusing is more like stopping to have a chat. Manjudeva certainly makes it easy to have that chat. His approach to teaching focusing is passionate yet unobtrusive. He meets you as an equal and fosters an environment where you might finally, quietly, discover your potential" Sinead Rushe - Actress/performer, London

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