Bodyful Episode #13: Susan Shor Fehmi on the Power of Learning the Open Focus Style of Attention

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by Valerie Martin

Confession:

As much as I’ve lived (and practiced psychotherapy) long enough to know there is no such thing as a “magic bullet” cure-all for emotional and physical pain, I remain permanently and eagerly on the lookout for strategies and ideas that might be juuust a bit shy of magic.

And believe me when I say that I have purchased an embarrassing amount of books, programs, apps, trainings, and online courses in that ongoing quest. In the summer of 2021 as I was clicking around on Amazon, the good ole’ hate-it-but-kinda-love-it algorithm recommended a newly published book that caught my eye, called The Open Focus Life: Practices to Develop Attention and Awareness for Optimal Well-Being.

Focus? Attention? Tangible practices? Optimal Well-Being? The book was immediately in my cart. And because I also cannot ever just have a “casual” interest in anything, while I was waiting on it to arrive, I started listening to the audiobook of Dr. Fehmi’s previous book, The Open Focus Brain, which I quickly devoured, and downloaded/started using the Level 1 audio practices from the Open Focus website.

Almost immediately, I noticed that Open Focus practice— while similar in ways to other mindfulness meditation practices I’d done— left my mind feeling different than any of those practices. The best I could describe it is lighter, clearer— and, yes, more open.

I was hooked, and I decided to begin mentoring with Susan Shor Fehmi, who has carried on the work of her late husband Les (the creator of Open Focus). It was such a gift to have the experience of learning directly from Susan, who is a kindred spirit in many ways. I was delighted when, at the completion of my Open Focus Coach training process, I asked if she’d come on the podcast, and she said yes.

To listen to the episode, stream from the podcast player below, or search & subscribe to Bodyful on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

About Susan Shor Fehmi, LCSW (she/her)

Susan received her Master’s degree from Columbia University and is currently the Director of the Princeton Biofeedback Centre in Princeton, NJ, where she combines the teaching of Open Focus™ training with multi-channel, phase synchrony neurofeedback.  She is interested in combining traditional psychodynamic psychotherapy with the skills of Open Focus and Synchrony Training.  She, along with Les Fehmi, Ph.D. are co-authors of several peer-reviewed journal articles and their latest book, The Open-Focus Life, published by Shambhala.

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