Focus Groups

So Exactly What Is A Focus Group?

It is a traditionally accepted form of gathering human opinion that helps organizations from market researchers to fortune 500 companies examine their target population’s opinions on any given topic(s).

Most traditional focus groups use verbal communication to question their participants and then have them answer, these questions which sometimes lead to  group discussion. Along with this there sometimes is the use of written surveys, etc. to understand how people feel and or think about the topic of interest.

There are some focus group moderators who have introduced hypnosis, play, role playing and other modalities of creative expression into their investigative “toolbox”. The results of all of the above groups and their techniques  are subject to many influencing factors. Some of them are psychological sway, where a more assertive person in a group influences (sways) others to be more like him/her. Along with this there is the real subjective agenda of the moderator, who often times is trained with a degree in psychology that uses conscious, verbal expression to provide the data. There are instances when a hypnotist is called in to “hypnotize” the participants of the focus group. This raises tremendous questions about the power of suggestion and the reliability of the information gleaned.

However, all these groups and techniques are subject to the powerful forces of the subconscious mind and heart. There are very deep perceptions that exist in all humans that we have access to, and at times are easy to identify. But more often than not they are not easily identified using words alone due to the powerful role of denial and other psychological defense systems.

That is why there is a need for self expression that embraces the male, intellectual. cognitive mind along with the female, emotional, subconscious mind and heart, where the creative spiritual forces emanate from. The conscious mind does not create, rather it judges. Focus groups that rely only on cognitive techniques alone that “tap” the logical, intellectual mind do not have the same access to the deeper, more emotionally charged perceptions of the unconscious , where they reside… and drive the judgements, opinions and decisions that is of interest to all investigators of human consciousness.

Whether it be a corporation seeking to understand it’s retention rate issues, employee’s happiness or feelings about their company or an advertising / market research agency seeking to understand consumers’ feelings about a new product about to come to market or re-brand an existing product, the insight that is critical to success is the ability to understand the target’s deepest perceptions that are sensory based, intellectually organized and result in human behaviors that affect everything!

A New Alternative:

The focus group alternative that integrates cognitive understanding, emotional drivers and spiritual perceptions is what Creative Sanctuary with Ed Regensburg, LCAT offers. The Perceptual Insights program seamlessly brings together ever deepening Delta brainwave states accessing altered states of consciousness that throw open the doors of creativity so that these perceptions can be re-organized and expressed through visual imagery techniques that are captured as works of art…and are available for analysis at a level that is blocked from conscious, verbal questioning alone.

The insights learned are direct understandings that answer the questions of not only HOW people feel but also WHAT is driving them to their judgements and ultimately decisions that govern their behaviors in life.