Gendlin's View on “Gut Feelings”

Gendlin, the founder of Focusing, emphasizes the senses felt in the body. If so, does he have a positive view of “gut feelings”? After all, Gendlin seems to view them as something akin to emotions, a stage before forming a felt sense.

Nor do I let them scream the same phrases and work in circles on the same things over and over again as happens in some of the newer therapies. Many people can get in touch with feelings—but then what? They have “gut feelings” all right, but the feelings don’t change. (Gendlin, 1981, p. 8)

FOCUSING IS NOT JUST GETTING IN TOUCH WITH “GUT FEELINGS” (Gendlin, 1981, p. 69)

People think they already know what they feel. They may be in excellent touch with their “gut feelings,” but then they let it go at that. They don’t know that a road of many steps would open if they sensed beyond the obvious feelings, into what is not as yet clear. (Gendlin, 1981, p. 152)

People in therapy often have strong emotions and “gut feelings” that are quite concrete and experiential. They are not just talking or intellectualizing. Yet despite the fullness of their emotional content, it does not change; they feel the same feelings over and over again. (Gendlin, 1996, p. 12)

In general, I think that Gendlin sees statements that touch on gut feelings as follows:

On the seven-level Experiencing scale, the statements are higher than Level 2, which is merely intellectualized, but remain at Level 3, where “the speaker expresses feelings in response to external events, but does not describe himself further from there.” They have not reached the point of sensing unclear feelings (Level 4) and examining appropriate words (Level 5).

The difference between emotion and felt sense was discussed in my blog post:

Emotion and felt sense

References

Gendlin, E.T. (1981). Focusing. 2nd ed. Bantam. Books.

Gendlin, E. T. (1996). Focusing-oriented psychotherapy: a manual of the experiential method. Guilford Press.