Learn Somatic Focusing

The art of inner listening

A Personal Invitation

Dear Friend,

Some years ago I embarked on a somatic journey that changed me forever.

Growing up in suburban London in a traumatic family of origin, I fled to Australia in my late 20s, carrying feelings of severance and disconnection deep inside of me. I didn’t feel like I belonged—to a family, a community, or even to myself. Quarantined in the mind, I safely distanced myself from my body and its many unspoken stories.

At a crossroads, I encountered Focusing, and it altered the course of my life. With deep gratitude I am excited to open the door here for you today.

Focusing is a gateway into the deep wisdom of the body, offering tools for self-healing, radical creativity and profound insight. It is embodied alchemy in an age of anxiety, disconnection and despair, giving us a compass to do our own medicine walk inwards; healing, hearing and calling home the family of inner wounded ones.

In a world saturated with mindfulness, Focusing offers the deep bounty of what Christine Caldwell calls ‘bodyfulness’, affording new ways to know ourselves, each other and the natural world. More than personal healing, focusing also offers a doorway into a felt relationship with the more than human world and even into sacred dimensions of being.

It is my great pleasure to share this path with you. I hope you find, within these pages, the seeds of your own deep unfolding

In presence, Rob

Welcome to Focusing 1: Foundations

A 10-week transformative journey into the practice of Somatic Focusing. Whether you’re new to this powerful process or looking to deepen your inner work, this course will guide you in cultivating a profound connection with yourself, unlocking tools for healing, clarity, and personal growth.

Choose the format that suits you best: online or face-to-face, as you join a small, supportive group of like-minded people dedicated to the work of inner listening and discovery.

If you’d like to read more about the origins and practice of Somatic Focusing click here

What You Will Learn

In this 10 week foundational training, each week builds on the last, introducing you to the core skills of Somatic Focusing and guiding you toward a robust understanding of this transformative practice. Here’s what we’ll cover:

Week 1: The Art of Presence & The Felt Sense

Learn to cultivate Self in Presence—a compassionate and grounded state that allows you to meet inner experiences without judgment. Begin to notice and acknowledge your body’s subtle signals and the profound art of turning towards your inner experience.

Benefit: Develop a foundation for emotional regulation and connecting to the family of inner parts.

Week 2: Inward Sensing, Handles & Zig-Zagging

Deepen into the Felt Sense—the unique language of your inner world, which holds rich layers of unfolding meaning. Learn the art of putting what is emerging in the body into language to create a bridge between your inner experience and conscious understanding.

Benefit: Gain tools for identifying and articulating inner experiences, fostering inner relationship and deepening intimacy.

Week 3: The Flower Opens

Learn how to stay with your felt sense as it evolves, listening for what it wants to communicate. Develop patience and curiosity for inner dialogue, allowing the process to naturally reveal new insights or shifts.

Benefit: Begin to unlock the body’s wisdom and uncover deeper emotional healing.

Week 4: The Rhythm of Deep Listening

Develop the art of listening to yourself and others in Focusing partnership in a way that invites safety and facilitates the unfolding of bodily wisdom. Explore how to maintain rhythm and flow in inner and external dialogues. This week we also learn how to engage the body’s natural positive resources.

Benefit: Enhance inner and outer relational skills while building trust in your inner process

Week 5: The Empowered Focuser

Understand how to feel empowered as a Focuser, creating a container that best supports you in unfolding the Felt Sense. Explore the dynamics of a successful focusing partnership and initiatives that help Focusing support you for life.

Benefit: Strengthen your ability to hold space for others and feel supported in return

Week 6: Consolidating Presence

This week consolidates all the foundational skills you’ve learned so far, supporting an embodied learning of Somatic Focusing. Engage in extended practice sessions that reinforce Presence and the core elements of the Focusing process.

Benefit: Build an embodied confidence in the art of inner listening

Week 7: The Edge of Mystery

Explore "The Edge," where transformation begins. Learn to dwell in the generative space of the unknown with patience and curiosity. This week emphasizes the potency of the beginner’s mind and deepens an awareness of how to ‘find’ the Felt Sense in the white noise of mental story.

Benefit: Harness the alchemical ground of the emerging edge of the inner process.

Week 8: Creating the Alchemical Container

Learn how to guide others into a co-regulated, alert and peaceful state that supports the emergence of the Felt Sense. This week focuses on building trust with your inner parts, allowing for a more profound connection to your inner wisdom.

Benefit: Cultivate Presence for yourself and others as the ground of the work.

Week 9: Advanced Listening

Hone your listening skills by deepening your ability to hold space for nuanced, complex inner experiences, and find the living edge of the process that is wanting to unfold. Explore practical approaches to using Presence language effectively

Benefit: Strengthen your capacity to support others in exploring complex emotional landscapes with compassion and depth.

Week 10: The Focusing Compass

Anchor your journey with six essential recommendations that serve as your compass for integrating Focusing into daily life. Reflect on your personal growth, celebrate your progress, and prepare for the onward path of discovery and transformation with this profound practice.

Benefit: Leave with confidence in your ability to tune into the inner guide on the voyage onwards.

What You’ll Receive In This Course

9 x 2.5hr Classes + 1 week of integration

Join me and a small group of students for highly experiential sessions. Each week, we’ll build a safe container using nervous system regulation practices, explore core pieces of Somatic Focusing theory from Anne-Weiser Cornell’s manual, watch live demonstrations, and practice the tools with fellow students.
The Focuser's Manual

Receive your own copy of the Focuser's Manual, written by Anne-Weiser Cornell, the founder of Inner Relationship Focusing, as a comprehensive guide for your journey.
Weekly Handouts

Get easy-to-follow handouts with exercises to practice between classes, ensuring your learning remains embodied and accessibleription goes here
Supportive Community

Become part of a dedicated community of fellow students on the path of inner growth, healing, and discovery. Focusing partnerships often lead to lifelong friendships and co-discovery.

Duration: 10 weeks
Class Length: 2.5 hours per week
Weekly Practice: 1hr Focusing dyads between classes to deepen skills
Class Size: Small groups to ensure personalised attention
Resources: Comprehensive manual and exercise cards for each week

Course Format

Online Training: Tuesdays, 6:00 PM–8:30 PM (AEDT), via Zoom. Starts January 14, 2025.

Face-to-Face Training: Mondays, 9:30 AM–12:00 PM, at the Inner Space, North Katoomba, NSW. Starts January 13, 2025.

Learning Options

Why Somatic Focusing?

In a world saturated with mindfulness practices, Somatic Focusing offers a unique path to the body’s intelligence….

By turning your attention inward, Focusing helps you identify and process unresolved emotions. This allows you to release the weight of emotional pain and create space for clarity and healing.
Learn to attune to your body’s signals and cultivate a state of calm and balance. Focusing equips you with tools to manage stress and respond to life’s challenges with greater flow.
Discover the wisdom hidden within the bodily Felt Sense. Focusing opens a doorway to creativity, self-awareness, and answers that can guide you toward meaningful change.
Through ongoing practice, Focusing becomes a cornerstone for deeper self-understanding and transformation. It enriches every aspect of your life, from relationships to decision-making