Abstract

Elfie Hinterkopf describes the Experiential Focusing Method, a model to help clients work through religious and spiritual problems, deepen existing spiritual experiences, and bring about new, life-giving connections to spirituality. Focusing can be used in conjunction with any psychotherapeutic model and is an essential part of any mental health professional or counselor's repertoire.

Through Focusing, the client learns to examine subtle, but concrete, bodily feelings that are a vital part of spiritual discovery and growth. Hinterkopf describes the Six Focusing Steps and illustrates the attitudes crucial to the Focusing process (receptive, expectant, patient, and accepting) with case examples, revealing how they help facilitate spiritual development. She also discusses how counselors can use Focusing to explore their own spirituality and outlines special considerations to ensure that sessions suit the individual client's religious tradition or spiritual orientation.

This hopeful book will help us all explore the spiritual dimension of the personal growth process in a direct, safe, straightforward, and culturally respectful way.
Mary Hendricks-Gendlin, Ph.D., Director, The Focusing Institute
Elfie Hinterkopf's clearly written book brilliantly presents Eugene Gendlin's Focusing as a method to integrate into counseling-harnessing the authentic spiritual dimension to uplift the challenges within the human experience explored in psychotherapy. Hinterkopf captures the essence of spirituality that can be applied with clients who define their spirituality or religion, and those who prefer not to. Her book presents the depth of Gendlin's Focusing in a manner that is easy to grasp and apply. This is a must read for all clinicians, clergy, and spiritual directors interested in cultivating compassionate presence, deep listening and access to the body's inherent wisdom that carries forward concrete, steps toward transformational healing and change.
Laury Rappaport, Ph.D., MFT, Author/ Editor, Mindfulness and the Arts Therapies and Focusing-Oriented Art Therapy
Hinterkopf examines spirituality in a manner that is real and easily accessible to religious and non-religious clients... An excellent, perceptive, and practical guide on how to use Focusing to facilitate spiritual development.
John J. Shea, O.S.A., Fordham University
Elfie Hinterkopf, Ph.D., is an international workshop leader and licensed professional counselor in private practice in Austin, Texas. She has an M.A. in anthropology and a Ph.D. in counseling psychology. She studied the Experiential Focusing Method with its originator, Dr. Eugene Gendlin, at the University of Chicago, and has taught Focusing around the world for more than 25 years. Elfie is currently a Coordinator for The Focusing Institute offering training for counselors to become focusing trainers and coordinators. She lives in Austin, Texas, USA.