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Crossing is a concept introduced by Eugene Gendlin. Crossing brings out the way in which all the therapeutic methods involved can elevate the session, making it feel fresh

The moment of crossing cannot be willfully induced by the therapist. According to Gendlin, crossing happens through 'interaffecting,' which is the intersubjective reality stemming from the shared presence of the client and therapist (first level of crossing, term coined by Akira Ikemi). Using interaffecting for therapeutic purposes means that the therapist must be able to viscerally co-experience what the client is experiencing and expressing from felt knowing

Felt knowing, a term coined by Dr Rappaport, is what the body 'knows' about its living moment-to-moment. Its a knowing that is generating from introceptive and visceral levels. This kind of knowing is the touchstone that helps the client determine whether to stay with what is or try approaching something new, such as shifting to a different artistic medium or engaging in another form of artistic expression

It is only in retrospect that the client can see how trying something new has carried their situation forward as a whole (second level of crossing, Akira Ikemi). They know whether a kind of second-level crossing was successful by paying attention to a Felt Shift occurring. A Felt Shift (Eugene Gendlin) is a spontaneous breath release of the body. This release indicates that the client's body no longer has to carry their past situation. Something new has opened up in the client's inner landscape that did not exist before, and it feels fresh in both the body and artistic expression. The client will notice that their artistic expression and its symbolization have matched, as has their insight

In artistic terms, crossing is like mixing colors. A new hue is created. It did not exist before. It contains a More of all the colors that have been mixed in

The body sense provides information about what is needed in the given situation. In the therapeutic setting, it indicates how the client's experiencing can take a next move forward. The client's Felt Sense serves as an inner reference for both the client and the therapist. By attuning to the client's Felt Sense and clearing their own preconceptions, the therapist gains an intuitive understanding of how the next stage might unfold, though they won't know for sure in advance. Ideally, this attunement occurs before the therapist makes any suggestion or invitation

As art-based expression works with multiple forms of symbolization, the second-level crossing is likely to succeed when the client's artistic symbolization meets their actualizing channel of sensory expression. The moment where things match on all levels is embedded in what is called the Experiential Third (term coined by Freda Blob). The Experiential Third is the space where the first and second crossings, as well as creative artistic expression, merge to reveal an unexpected, newly found meaning that surpasses anything the client previously knew about themselves

Ultimately, it is up to the client to consult their Felt Sense and either engage in artistic activities or reject the therapist's suggestion. Whether the client's Felt Sense can unfold as a laboratory of truth that propels the therapeutic situation forward depends on the quality of the co-creative interaction between the therapist and the client. This kind of interaction is more like a Felt Sense-based zigzag processing between client and therapist than a mere conversation