Focusing on Existence: Five Facets of an Experiential—Existential Model / Auf die Existenz fokussieren: Fünf Facetten eines experienziell-existenzialistischen Modells / Enfocarse en la existencia: Cinco facetas de un modelo experiencial-existencial / Focusing sur l'existence: Cinq aspects d'un modèle expérientiel-existentiel / Focusing e existência: Cinco facetas de um modelo experiencial-existencial /

Abstract

This paper presents basic features of a model that is emerging as a specific form of focusing-oriented therapy (FOT). This experiential—existential model of FOT results from the application of Eugene Gendlin's philosophy of implicit process to the therapeutic practices of the British school of existential analysis. The model emphasizes the contributions of Gendlin's philosophical thought, including but not primarily based upon the practice of focusing, while also incorporating the ethos of existential—phenomenological practice as it has emerged over the past 25 years in the United Kingdom. The subsequent preliminary model illustrates how Gendlin's influence has expanded beyond its original association with person-centered theory, adding a greater diversity to the ways that focusing is incorporated into the therapeutic setting.