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About “Sundays with Gene”
From early 2011 to late 2012, I volunteered to the International Focusing Institute as a consultant on strategic planning. It was meant to be a short engagement, but it was extended by an invitation from Dr. Eugene Gendlin (“Gene”) to work with him on a list of ideas he had for projects. That time is one of the most valuable experiences of my life.
Whenever I spoke of my experience of working with Gene, I was asked “What was he like as a person?” Many people had only seen him as a presenter or speaker, or had never encountered him in person at all. I started to write about my experiences, and discovered there was enough to say to produce an essay.
“Sundays with Gene -- A Memoir” is the result. I am delighted at the opportunity to post my essay here at LearnFocusing.org, through the kindness of Sandy Jahmi Burg.
Sundays with Gene - A Memoir Part 1 of 3 Audio
Sundays with Gene - A Memoir Part 2 of 3 Audio
Sundays with Gene - A Memoir Part 3 of 3 Audio
Ann Weiser Cornell, Author, Speaker, Teacher, has this to say:
“It’s a huge piece of work! And a fascinating read. You’ve found a way to write with respect and love while including the frustrations in a non-blaming way. As someone who had conversations with Gene, I found your experience helped me to make sense of my experience. And I thank you. … it is valuable, useful, fascinating, and generous.”
Peter Afford is a Focuser since 1984, TIFI Coordinator, and Founding Member of the British Focusing Association. Here is what he has to say:
"Thank you very much for writing this [memoir], it’s one of the best pieces about Gene I’ve come across - his strengths and his weaknesses, his genius and his failings."
(The opinions expressed in “Sundays with Gene” are strictly those of the author and do not reflect in any way the positions or policies of LearnFocusing.org. This work is copyrighted by Barbara J Dickinson, 2024. It is permissible to quote brief passages with full citation. Reproduction of more than a paragraph requires written permission of the author in advance of publication.)
About Barbara
After a long career as an Executive in the U.S. Federal Reserve, I devote myself to projects using Focusing in business coaching, strategic planning, performance effectiveness & more. Focusing helps bring compassion, creativity, innovation, and intuition to living. I learned focusing in 2006, & quickly became an enthusiastic advocate of Focusing & Thinking at the Edge.
In 2009, I earned certification as a Focusing Professional, studying Domain Focusing with Robert Lee. Since then, I have studied many forms of Focusing & use them in my life and work: Inner Relationship Focusing, Whole Body Focusing, Biospirituality, Interactive Focusing, & Thinking at the Edge.
Between 2010 & 2012, I volunteered my services to The International Focusing Institute as a Management Consultant, completing 3 projects, including working directly with Drs. Eugene and Mary Gendlin and the Board of the International Focusing Institute.
Besides my Certification as a Focusing Professional, I am a Certified Teacher of Interactive Focusing. I learned Interactive Focusing from one of two Master Teachers of Interactive Focusing, Masumi Maeda of Japan, over the course of their many years of Focusing partnership. Most recently, Barbara spent 1 1/2 years assisting Masumi in the translation of her extensive Interactive Focusing training program into English.
Most recently, I have partnered with Sandy Jahmi Burg to explore our mutual passion for bringing Focusing to Students and Educators. Our project, “Focusing Belongs in Schools”, converges from several directions, including neuroscience, teaching through story-telling, the need for evidence-based research on the effectiveness of Focusing, the interest of Dr. Gendlin in bringing Focusing to national associations of Educators, and support for Social and Emotional Learning curricula.