When we begin to be mindful of the state of our lives through meditation, we may become aware of a “feeling” that manifests itself within our bodies. This “feeling” is an expression of the energies that influence us within our lives. Philosopher Eugene Gendlin called this “feeling” The Felt Sense. The Felt Sense functions as a connection between our Body, Mind, Spirit and Passion Energies reflected as an inward attention to what is at first sensed un-clearly. Zen Roshi Paul Genki Khan describes the Felt Sense as our whole sense of something – a person, relationship, situation, or feeling that may include thoughts, but is primarily sensory and unknown. It is an un-thought known, in that we can feel it, but it is not yet accessible to cognitive definition. It is unformulated experience, something we have been through or are in, but have not yet grasped.
People experiencing a felt sense feel more in tune with their body and bodily processes, and often even feel as if they can feel themselves within their stomach or chest. While a felt sense is partially emotional, Gendlin characterized the concept as a combination of emotion, awareness, intuitiveness, and embodiment. The felt sense is often unclear; people cannot specifically verbalize what they are feeling, but often describe it as a vague awareness of things ranging from old psychological traumas to burgeoning ideas.
For a more detailed discussion of our Body, Mind, Spirit and Passion Energies, see the Daibo Zen – Free To Be Blog – Energy Series at Daibozen.com.