Recent discussion on the technique exchange has discussed neurolinguistic programming and the perception of feelings. Another tact is to notice how the client relates to an issue and whether or not the person FEELS it – often in the body – or if it’s all disassociated mental construct. The folks who do "focusing" capitalize upon the tendency that those who "feel" and are "aware" of their body and emotional states have greater success in therapy (for the original study, they examined videos of thousands of hours of psychotherapy and other talk therapy sessions and they found the therapy courses that had the greatest effect had nothing to do with modality or therapist technique or skill or the like but whether or not a client seemed to be responding intellectually or would falter with responses as they "felt" what was going on, often in the body).

Focusing is a means of "getting in touch" with one’s awareness of the body and emotional states. Emotions reside within the body.

Note that the original study did not compare NLP, hypnosis, or any other trance-based modalities.

As hypnosis and trance can be very effective in guiding a person into experiencing their emotions, feelings, or issues directly and powerfully for release and the like (experiential hypnosis, regression, parts, hyperempiria, 3D mind, focusing, and the rest are all tied into this phenomenon), purposefully training focusing (deep trance plus variations of ideomotor exercises to increase sensitivity and awareness of the system) as part of the process makes a lot of sense in order to increase success rates further.

I include focusing in my course but many gifted therapists have intuitively been using the phenomena as a matter of course when vetting clients and the like.

BTW, the recent quote about Wilhelm Reich in terms of emotions or feelings being trapped in the body was a nice selection . . . the rolfers are descended from that aspect of Reichian therapy . . . do keep in mind that Reich also said that many people would be helped if they could just learn to have a really good proper orgasm . . . so many people don’t know how to really find release within the orgasm but hang on to a lot of negativity . . . a number of modern relationship and couples sex therapy approaches find their roots in that particular aspect of Reich’s work as well, albeit many don’t know where they’re getting it. It is true . . . a really good orgasm can free a lot of energy and do a great deal of very positive good for a person, a couple, for society at large. The neat thing is that experiential hypnosis happens to be one of the most effective and enjoyable ways to help people learn just how to have those really really really gooooood orgasms . . . the kind that rock the world . . . any time they wish and every single time. Yes, I know how to do just that and have taught others how to help themselves and their partners do just that. Of course Reich also is the orgone guy and was imprisoned by the US government for selling his orgone boxes . . . albeit, his actual prosecution probably had more to do with his political and philosophical beliefs than his collectors. His books were banned by the US government for a number of years, even the ones that had nothing to do with the supposed "dangerous" or "crackpot" medical advice. Interesting character, well worth a looksee . . . taken with a grain or several of salt.

All the best,
Brian