Eugene Gendlin, official image of the International Focusing Institute.

Eugene (“Gene”) Gendlin has died yesterday 1 May 2017 ninety years old, and me, as the entire community of Focusing, I am moved by his death, and while grateful for all your contributions.

Eugene Gendlin was born 25 December 1926 in Vienna, Austria, and he escaped from Nazi persecution achieving reach US 1939. born American, He ended up graduating in philosophy and earned his doctorate after working for more than a decade in collaboration with Carl Rogers at the University of Chicago. The result of his dual training as a philosopher and as a psychotherapist, their contribution is extensive.

Gendlin always insisted that there had “created” the Focusing, a process of self-awareness and emotional and psychological healing through bodily sensations, but only “he had discovered a few steps to make the process more accessible”. It is now a tool used in psychotherapy and in many other areas. And all his discoveries are accompanied by a strong intellectual scaffolding, Philosophy of the Implicit.

In 1985 created what is now the International Focusing Institute (The International Focusing Institute) to give continuity to all these lines of work, which brings together more than 2000 professionals and supporters around the world, and where he has bequeathed his entire library that can be accessed online (the Gendlin Online Library).

Despite his advanced age, health problems and the death of his wife Mary Hendricks-Gendlin two years ago, Gendlin had remained active within its capabilities, writing articles and participating in training by phone.

In my case, Aside from having read his books and articles, I have had the pleasure and honor to participate in several “Conversations from the edge with Gene [Gendlin] In y [Weiser Cornell]”, the latter organized (watch my ideas September Conversation–October of 2016). For me it was a privilege to talk to him directly, with its warmth and brilliance despite their pain and difficulties, perceiving their interest in each person and the world, and very interested in knowing how his legacy continued. And I was impressed by his presence when he accompanied me on a process of focusing on one of the last conversations.

International Focusing Institute has enabled a special page that honor the memory of Gene Gendlin (www.EugeneGendlin.com), and from here I invite you to participate, Read other people's comments or add your own experiences. I certainly feel a lot of sadness at this loss, while I celebrate having met Gene Gendlin's work over the years and have been able to talk to him live on several occasions. I feel part of his legacy, and I hope to convey with warmth, inspired by him.

In celebration and mourning,

F. Javier Romeo

Upgrade 14 August 2017: I wrote an entry about three tributes to Gene Gendlin in which I participated, which completes the shared dimension at Community level.