Direct, persistent focus on the client's avoided feeling. Pressure invites emotional contact and prevents the session from staying in intellectualization or story.
Step-by-step guide
- Ask directly about feeling
- Bring the focus back when the client moves into story
- Track bodily anxiety
- Name defenses when they block feeling
- Repeat the feeling question until genuine contact appears
When to use
- When the client speaks about painful material without affect
- When the alliance is sufficient
- When anxiety remains in a tolerable channel
Key phrases
What do you feel right now, toward them?
Follow-up questions
If you let yourself feel it, what is there?
What happens in your body as we move closer to this?
Alternative phrasings
Not what you think about it — what do you feel?
Can we stay with the feeling for a moment?
Warnings
- ⚠️ Pressure without alliance is harmful
- ⚠️ Reduce pressure when anxiety moves into smooth muscle or cognitive-perceptual disruption
- ⚠️ Do not confuse pressure with impatience
Source: Davanloo, H. (1990); Frederickson, J. (2013)
Materials are informational and educational and summarize publicly available scientific sources. They are not medical or psychological advice, are not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment, and do not replace consultation with a qualified professional.