Feel connected to something larger…
Touching the Sacred through the Now
a 4-week live online course with Ann Weiser Cornell, Paula Gamble-Grant, and Peter Gill
If you took Focusing & The More, this course is a continuation and a new take on the topic of Focusing & Spirituality
We long to feel connected to something larger than ourselves.
When you gaze up at the stars at night, do you have a sense of being a loved and cherished part of a larger compassionate system?
Or do you feel small and insignificant, and that the universe is cold, chaotic, and uncaring?
Here’s what I’ve learned: The difference between these two worldviews is not an intellectual decision. It’s something you can feel in the wisdom of your body.
When life gets hard, you need your sense of something larger even more…
There are times when life can feel impossible. Too many challenges, too much struggle. In those moments, trusting you can lean into the larger system becomes even more precious. I’ve survived some of the hardest times in my life by deeply knowing I was supported by a vast web of interconnection. When I’ve needed it the most, the spiritual dimension has been there for me.
Feelings of disconnection seem like proof that you’re alone, and yet…
Your feelings of alienation and separation say more about your past than about the truth of what is around you now. When kids are hurt or ignored, they try to make sense of the world by seeing it as a cold and uncaring place. But the experience of wholeness has been patiently waiting for you to become aware of it, all this time.
There is a way to consistently tune into a vast presence in your life.
It starts with learning to trust the deep inner knowing in your body, the “inner sense of rightness” that’s built into all living beings from before birth. By trusting and following the knowing within, you can open up to experiences of being held and cared about by what is larger than yourself. These experiences have a universal quality and yet they are also unique to you.
What do we mean by the “Sacred” and the “Now”?
“The Sacred” points to a special dimension of life that is contrasted with the ordinary or the mundane. It is potentially a transcendent realm of life, a gateway to mystery and the eternal. “The Now” is the present moment, this moment here, embodied and lived fully. Touching the sacred through the now is a paradox of sorts, yet somehow fitting.
“To see a world in a grain of sand, or heaven in a wildflower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand, and eternity in an hour.” – William Blake
Last year we gave a course called “Focusing and the More.” We said that people can have their own beliefs and practices and still tap into The More, which is like a fabric of interconnection that we are all part of… and can all feel, if we try. “Touching the Sacred through the Now” is both a continuation of that course and a new take on the topic. We’ve got new exercises, new topics, new experiences. Whether or not you took that course, we believe you will find richness in this one.
Want to get a first-hand experience of what this course can offer you?
Watch a recording of a free one-hour webinar where we’ll:
- help you recall and be nourished by your own experiences of the Sacred
- explore how Gendlin’s philosophy supports finding wholeness in the present moment
- invite you to notice the Sacred in surprising places of daily life
“Your physically felt body is in fact part of a gigantic system of here and other places, now and other times, you and other people–in fact, the whole universe.”
― Eugene Gendlin
Join us in this course where we’ll show you how:
- Focusing on your own membership in the world of nature can open you up to a grounded sense of belonging
- Focusing can support you in finding meaning in difficult times of loss, adversity, and even death
- You can create or deepen your own contemplative practice with writing or meditation combined with Focusing
- Focusing helps you heal the wounds of separation in which some experiences are considered more “sacred” than others
- Gene Gendlin’s philosophy of the implicit shows us a universe in which we belong, centered on living creatures
- Focusing can open new doorways to the “the Sacred”
- And more!
This course could be right for you if:
- You’ve ever struggled with feelings of disconnection and existential loneliness
- You feel you want to deepen your awareness of what is sacred and precious in ordinary life
- You want to develop an embodied process for living your life more fully moment by moment
What You’ll Get:
In this course, you’ll experience a series of comfortable, grounded processes for accessing the spiritual side of embodied awareness… in a way that you can trust more and more
Not only that, but you’ll connect to a community of people who are also exploring the spiritual side of inner sensing, each in their own unique way.
The result: the opportunity to make Touching the Sacred Through the Now a trusted and supportive part of your life from now on.
About Your Teachers
Ann Weiser Cornell, PhD, is the co-developer (with Barbara McGavin) of Inner Relationship Focusing. Ann learned Focusing in 1972 from its developer, Eugene Gendlin, and was his close friend and colleague to the end of his life.
Ann has written several definitive books on Focusing, including The Power of Focusing: A Practical Guide to Emotional Self-Healing, and Focusing in Clinical Practice: The Essence of Change.
She has taught Inner Relationship Focusing around the world since 1980, and is a past president of the Association for Humanistic Psychology.
“As compassionate and loving as you are to your inner parts, there is something larger than you that holds you in that same compassion and love.”
― Ann Weiser Cornell
Are you ready to explore the spiritual side of embodied awareness?
Let’s do it together!
“Let yourself be slowly drawn by the strange pull of what you really love. It will not lead you astray.”
― Rumi
What Our Students Have Said About Our Past Focusing & Spirituality Course
- Susan D.
"Before Touching the Sacred, I felt like no one could understand my feelings, so why bother to be with people? During the class, I was able to be with people and it didn't feel bad. It felt as if I could be myself. I connected to the aspects of myself that enjoy being alive despite the challenges. I also felt accepted and understood. The course gives you the opportunity to discover what you love about living in a gentle, supportive atmosphere. It doesn't matter what you believe about the sacred, you'll enjoy what you find here."
Additional Information
How Online Courses Work
We use Zoom, an online video conference platform, to connect you to other students and the teacher. Before the class starts you will receive a Zoom link to use each time the class meets. You can join us via your camera-equipped computer, tablet, or smart phone. Prefer not to be on video? You can turn off your camera. Don’t want to call via computer? You can call in by phone. Zoom is free and easy to use. You will be able to sign on in advance to make sure you can access it, but we’ve had very few problems with it. Students also receive access to a private webpage where course materials can be found.
Prerequisite
There is no prerequisite for this course. All are welcome.
Continuing Education Credit & Record of Completion
Course meets the qualifications for 8 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences. Focusing Resources, CAMFT Approved CE Provider #62524
Focusing Resources is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs. Focusing Resources maintains responsibility for this course and its content.
There is a $25 administrative fee for CE Credits. Records of Completion are awarded at the end of the course upon completion of all requirements and the course evaluation. (If you don’t want CE Credits but would like a Record of Completion, the $25 fee does still apply.)
Eligibility for CE Credits requires at least 80% live attendance. If you miss a class, it must be made up.
Cancellations, Changes & Refunds
Up to 14 days before the first day of class: Just let us know and we'll refund your course fee. Or you can choose to apply the entire course fee towards a future class with us.
Cancellations received 13 days or fewer before class begins: No refund, sorry.
When Something Doesn't Go As You'd Hoped...
We are always open to discussing experiences with our courses that didn’t work for you or didn’t go the way you expected. Depending on the circumstances, you may want to email your course instructor, the staff member in charge of your course, or Ann Weiser Cornell. Email addresses for all these people will be supplied on registration. We will work with you to find a way to meet your needs.
Do I need to attend every class meeting?
You can enroll in this course and listen to the recordings that are available 1-2 days after each class meeting. We call this remote attendance. Please Note: If you attend remotely, you are ineligible for CE Credits.
Is this a course with partnership practice?
No, partnerships are not available for this course.
Tell me more about the classroom environment and how course content is provided?
Sure. This course is taught using an online video conference system called Zoom. You’ll receive all the details you need to join us via Zoom prior to the first class meeting. You’ll also receive access to our course platform (Ruzuku) where homework assignments and class recordings can be found. Participants will be able to communicate via an online forum in Ruzuku.
Tell me more about the recordings for this course
To respect the confidentiality and privacy of our participants we do not provide video recordings of our classes. All recordings are provided as audio files.