On Becoming Emotion Focused

Leslie S. Greenberg, PhD, is Distinguished Research Professor Emeritus of psychology at York University in Toronto, Canada and the primary developer of emotion-focused therapy. He has authored many books, the most recent being Changing Emotion with Emotion (2021). He has received the Distinguished Research Career Award of the International Society for Psychotherapy Research, as well as the Distinguished Professional Contribution to Applied Research from the American Psychology Association. Dr. Greenberg has also received the Canadian Psychological Association Professional Award for Distinguished Contributions to Psychology as a Profession. He is a past president of the Society for Psychotherapy Research. Although retired, Dr. Greenberg is still currently training and supervising people internationally in emotion-focused approaches.

• Preface Chapter 1. Introduction: Toward Becoming Emotion FocusedChapter 2. Emotion-Focused Therapy: Emotional Functioning and Therapeutic PracticeChapter 3. My LifeChapter 4. PresuppositionsChapter 5. Empathy: My First LoveChapter 6. My Love Affair With EmotionChapter 7. My Process: From Empathy to Focusing to Awareness to Emotional ArousalChapter 8. Marriage: The Crucible of My VulnerabilityChapter 9. Human Functioning: The Origins of Emotion-Focused Therapy TheoryChapter 10. Development of a Dialectical Constructivist TheoryChapter 11. On Emotional Knowing: Tacit Versus Explicit Knowledge and Emotional FunctioningChapter 12. On Method: The Context of DiscoveryChapter 13. ConclusionReferencesIndexAbout the Author

"Greenberg has taken us back in time with him to understand--and experience--his incorporation of emotion-focused therapy into the mainstream of therapy interventions, arguably one of the most important contributions made to the field of psychotherapy in the 20th century. He also shares the details of his groundbreaking development of an innovative process research methodology that has had important implications for clinical practice. An educational and fascinating read." - Marvin R. Goldfried, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Psychology, Retired, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States "It is rare to find an academic book that persuasively connects the author's autobiography to the theory and therapy he developed so brilliantly. I was intrigued to learn how core elements of the humanistic philosophy, affect theory, and clinical wisdom that are present in emotion-focused therapy emerged from Les Greenberg's lifelong search for authenticity and meaning, as shaped by the familial and cultural milieu of his South African upbringing. What a gripping and effective way to learn the conceptual underpinnings and clinical practice of this process-experiential, evidence-based therapy!" - Stanley B. Messer, PhD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus and Former Dean, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ, United States "Les Greenberg has not only investigated, practiced, taught, and built the theory of emotion-focused therapy, he has been living it. This memoir, full of revealing self-explorations, touching recollections and insightful reflections, may be the best resource to understand and learn EFT, as it gives us a profoundly human window of how EFT can be embodied, and how it can facilitate our own personal and professional actualization." - Louis G. Castonguay, PhD, Liberal Arts Professor of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, United States, and Former President of the Society for Psychotherapy Research Greenberg's well-written, compelling description of his rich inner life is fascinating and provides a window into his personality and the development of emotion-focused therapy. I recommend this book as a model for the rest of us to reflect on how our experiences influence our implicit and explicit theories." - Clara E. Hill, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, United States "A compelling intellectual and emotional journey leading to the development of emotion-focused therapy, by one of the pioneers of psychotherapy and its research. An eye-opener and an embarrassment of riches for anyone interested in EFT." - Erkki Heinonen, PhD, Professor of Psychology, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway