Σάββατο, Νοεμβρίου 27

Φιλοσοφία της Ψυχοθεραπείας, Συνέδριο 8 - 11 Ιουλίου 2011, University of East Anglia

Philosophy of Psychotherapy Conference

8th – 11th July 2011



Dear All,

This is news of an exciting conference to be held next year at the
University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 8 - 11 July 2011. The UEA
Centre for Counselling Studies is arranging this conference in association
with our School of Philosophy. We are aiming to bring together focusing
people, people who are interested in Gene Gendlin's philosophy, and
philosophers and therapists from other traditions. We hope in this way to
make Gene's philosophy of psychotherapy more widely known, and to make it
more a part of mainstream philosophical discussion.

Full details and an application form are on our conference website at:
www.uea.ac.uk/edu/counselling/philosophyconference

Amongst the philosophers whom Gene has written about is Ludwig Wittgenstein
(see Gene's article 'What happens when Wittgenstein asks "What happens
when...?" ' in the Philosophical Forum (1997|), and in the Gendlin On-Line
Library). In order to create a more focused discussion, and because of the
main orientation of the School of Philosophy, we are looking especially at
resonances between Gene's work and that of Wittgenstein, but presentations
from within other traditions are very welcome.

Our three keynote speakers are

Peter Hacker (University of Oxford) who is a world-renowned philosopher in
the tradition of Wittgenstein. His book 'Philosophical Foundations of
Neuroscience' is a brilliant critique of the difficulties involved in
relating neuroscience to our ordinary ways of talking about human
experiencing.

Hans Schneider (University of Potsdam) is a philosopher living in Berlin who
is very familiar with Gene's work and is a contributor to the book on Gene's
philosophy, 'Language Beyond Postmodernism'. He also has a fascinating
article on Wittgenstein and William James in our earlier conference book
'Spirituality and Counselling: Experiential and Theoretical Perspectives'.

John Heaton (Philadelphia Institute, London) was a colleague of the
existentialist therapist R D Laing, and is in private practice in London as
a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. He is a regular lecturer at Regent's
College, London and at Roehampton University. He is a founder member of the
Guild of Psychotherapists and was editor of Journal for Existential Analysis
for seven years. His books include: 'Introducing Wittgenstein',
'Wittgenstein and Psychoanalysis' and his most recent book, 'The Talking
Cure: Wittgenstein's Therapeutic Method for Psychotherapy'

The conference theme, as sent to the philosophy Lists, is the following -
but we also have our 'hidden agenda' of getting Gene's work more widely
discussed!

Conference theme
The nature of psychotherapy is in many ways problematical. Current
proposals for the statutory regulation of the field in the UK and other
countries have led to much discussion of the nature of the discipline, for
example about whether it can be subsumed under a 'medical model', or
whether approaches should be primarily cognitive or experiential.

Some of the issues involved are of an empirical nature, but others raise
conceptual and philosophical issues. Research in the area has tended to
concentrate on empirical issues of process and outcome, but psychotherapy
inevitably works with contested notions such as those of consciousness,
mental illness, delusion, diagnosis and so on. Further, in the development
of psychotherapy theory technical or semi-technical concepts such as those
of 'the unconscious', 'experiencing level', 'cognition', 'information',
'archetype', 'self-concept' have evolved, whose relationships to the
concepts of everyday language and clinical practice are not always clear.

The purpose of this conference is to bring together philosophers who are
interested in psychotherapy with psychotherapists and psychotherapy
researchers who are interested in the philosophical foundations of their
field. We would encourage participants to explain technical terminology and
generally present their work so that the more philosophically-oriented
papers are accessible to psychotherapists, and the more
psychotherapeutically-oriented papers are comprehensible to philosophers.

We welcome contributions from practitioners in any approach to philosophy or
psychotherapy. The Centre for Counselling Studies at UEA has been especially
involved with the traditions of Focusing-Oriented and Person-Centred
therapies, and the School of Philosophy has a strong interest in the
philosophy of Wittgenstein. Contributions relating to these areas of
interest would be especially welcome.

If you are interested in Gene's philosophical work - please do come!

www.uea.ac.uk/edu/counselling/philosophyconference

University of East Anglia, Norwich, England, 8 - 11 July 2011

Campbell Purton

Κυριακή, Σεπτεμβρίου 19

Solveigh Koetter - "Συστημικές αναπαραστάσεις" (Constellations)


Το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Focusing
στα πλαίσια των εκπαιδευτικών του δραστηριοτήτων
σας προσκαλεί στο διήμερο βιωματικό εργαστήριο με θέμα:

"Συστημικές αναπαραστάσεις"
(Constellations)

με την κλινική ψυχοθεραπεύτρια
Solveigh Koetter.


"Η δουλειά με τις αναπαραστάσεις διευρύνει την οπτική μας για το πόσο συνδεδεμένοι είμαστε μέσα σε συστήματα, όπως η κοινωνία, η οικογένεια, οι εργασιακοί χώροι ή η ψυχική μας οργάνωση, όσον αφορά ένα σύμπτωμα, ένα πρόβλημα, μια αρρώστια. Μέσω της αναπαράστασης του συμπτώματος εμφανίζονται ευδιάκριτα ουσιαστικοί παράγοντες του πλέγματος των σχέσεων, υποδεικνύοντας, με άμεσα ορατή, αισθητή και ακουστική ακρίβεια, δυνατότητες αλλαγής. Αναγνωρίζουμε έτσι τί συμβάλλει στη θεραπεία, τί μπορεί να επιλύσει τα προβλήματα και να μας καταστήσει επιδεκτικούς για μια ολοκληρωμένη συντροφικότητα, για αγάπη και συμφιλίωση, καθώς και τί εγκαθιδρύει την ειρήνη, και μας φέρνει σ 'επαφή με τη δύναμη και τις ικανότητες μας ".

Η Solveigh Koetter δουλεύει 25 χρόνια σαν οικογενειακή θεραπεύτρια και από το 1988 με συστημικές αναπαραστάσεις (Constellations). Εκπαιδεύτηκε μεταξύ άλλων από τους Virginia Satir, Bert Hellinger, Gunthard Weber και τα τελευταία χρόνια απο την Insa Sparrer και τον Matthias Varga v. Kibed. Η ίδια επίσης εκπαιδεύει θεραπευτές στην οικογενειακή και συστημική θεραπεία. Τα τελευταία χρόνια κάνει σεμινάρια στο Ηράκλειο, στη Ρόδο και στη Ζάκρο, όπου ζει και έχει ιδρύσει την "Ακαδημία Ζάκρος ".


Ημερομηνία:

2-3 Οκτωβρίου, 2010
(Σάββατο: 10:00-19:00 Κυριακή: 10:00-14:00

Σάββατο, Σεπτεμβρίου 11

Θετική απάντηση του «Ελληνικού Κέντρου Focusing» στη σύσταση του Συνηγόρου του Καταναλωτή

Θετική απάντηση

του «Ελληνικού Κέντρου Focusing»

στη σύσταση του Συνηγόρου του Καταναλωτή

(10/09/2010)


... ...

ΠΡΑΚΤΙΚΟ ΣΥΝΑΝΤΗΣΗΣ
... ...
Ύστερα από ακρόαση του εκπρόσωπου του Ελληνικού Κέντρου Focusing, οι
εξηγήσεις στις οποίες προέβη κρίνονται διευκρινιστικές και ικανοποιητικές,
επισημάνθηκε δε ότι ουδέν πρόβλημα υφίσταται με την αναφορά ή τη μνημόνευση
του συγκεκριμένου (East Anglia University) ή οιουδήποτε άλλου αλλοδαπού
εκπαιδευτικού ιδρύματος στις πάσης φύσης δημόσιες ανακοινώσεις του Κέντρου,
εφόσον τέτοια αναφορά γίνεται απολύτως σαφές ότι εξυπηρετεί αποκλειστικά
επιστημονικούς σκοπούς
και όχι την παροχή υπηρεσιών εκπαίδευσης και κατάρτισης
δίχως πλήρωση των κατά νόμο απαιτούμενων προϋποθέσεων.
Κατόπιν τούτων, σας ενημερώνουμε ότι η υπόθεση που αφορά το Ελληνικό Κέντρο
Focusing μπορεί να θεωρηθεί οριστικώς διευθετηθείσα, σύμφωνα με τις Συστάσεις
του Συνηγόρου του Καταναλωτή, ώστε ακολούθως να τοποθετηθεί στο αρχείο του.

Παρακαλούμε, δε, τις αρμόδιες Υπηρεσίες των Υπουργείων, ..., να αναστείλουν οριστικά κάθε τυχόν σχετική ενέργειά τους
σε βάρος του Κέντρου.

... ...
... ...




Διαβάστε τη σχετική σελίδα Ανακοινώσεων - Προκυρήξεων 
στο site του Συνήγορου του Καταναλωτή


Το άμεσο link για το σχετικό, ολοκληρωμένο, Πρακτικό είναι εδώ

Πέμπτη, Σεπτεμβρίου 2

Ενημέρωση

Ενημέρωση

του Συνηγόρου του Καταναλωτή

σχετικά με το θέμα διαφήμισης του Κέντρου μας για ακαδημαϊκή συνεργασία με ίδρυμα της αλλοδαπής


Αθήνα, 19 Αυγούστου 2010



Προς τον Συνήγορο του Καταναλωτή,
Λεωφ. Αλεξάνδρας 144,
11471 Αθήνα

Υπ’ Όψη κ. Ευαγγέλου Ζέρβα


Κύριοι,

Επιστρέφοντες, μετά ολιγοήμερες διακοπές, στον χώρο της εργασίας μας λάβαμε, μέσω φαξ, τμήμα της ενημερωτικής επιστολής σας (σελ.: 2, 4 και 7) που αφορά στο θέμα διαφήμισης του Κέντρου μας για ακαδημαϊκή συνεργασία με αλλοδαπό ίδρυμα (συγκεκριμένα το East Anglia University) σε επίπεδο παροχής προπτυχιακών ή/και μεταπτυχιακών σπουδών, χωρίς να είμαστε αναγνωρισμένο Κέντρο Μεταλυκειακής Εκπαίδευσης, με αποτέλεσμα την παραπλάνηση καταναλωτών.
Παρ’ όλο ότι στερούμεθα του πλήρους κειμένου της επιστολής σας, και λόγω του ότι δεν έχουμε επιτύχει να επικοινωνήσουμε μαζί σας μέσω των τηλεφώνων που αναγράφονται στην επιστολή σας, σπεύδουμε να σας παράσχουμε αναλυτικές πληροφορίες για την ακριβή ενημέρωσή σας.

α) Καταρχάς θέλουμε να υπογραμμίσουμε, ότι το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Focusing είναι ένας Συμβουλευτικός- Ψυχοθεραπευτικός, Εκπαιδευτικός Οργανισμός με βάση την Προσωποκεντρική και Focusing-βιωματική Συμβουλευτική και Ψυχοθεραπεία. Αυτό σημαίνει, ότι προσφέρει «εκπαίδευση» στην Προσωποκεντρική και Focusing-βιωματική Συμβουλευτική και Ψυχοθεραπεία.

  • Η εκπαίδευση αυτή νοείται ως επαγγελματική εξειδίκευση και ως τέτοια απευθύνεται αποκλειστικά σε επαγγελματίες του χώρου κυρίως της ψυχικής υγείας (ψυχιάτρους, ψυχολόγους, κοινωνικούς λειτουργούς), αλλά και επαγγελματίες που προέρχονται γενικότερα από τον χώρο των ανθρωπιστικών επιστημών (νοσηλευτές, εκπαιδευτικούς, δικηγόρους κ.ά.).
  • Η συγκεκριμένη εκπαίδευση είναι κυρίως βιωματική, πρακτική και κλινική, περιλαμβάνει δε ενδεικτικά ομάδες προσωπικής ανάπτυξης και ψυχοθεραπείας, εργαστήρια συμβουλευτικής και ψυχοθεραπείας, θεωρητικές εισηγήσεις, ομάδες εποπτείας, παρουσιάσεις κλινικών περιστατικών, πρακτική-κλινική άσκηση και άλλες σχετικές δεξιότητες.


  • Σε καμία περίπτωση λοιπόν δεν απευθυνόμαστε σε μαθητές ή/και αποφοίτους λυκείου για να σπουδάσουν σε μας!


β) Το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Focusing ανήκει αποκλειστικά στην πλειάδα των Κέντρων που παρέχουν τις υπηρεσίες τους στους ενδιαφερόμενους να αποκτήσουν δεξιότητες ή/και εκπαίδευση ως μέλλοντες Σύμβουλοι Ψυχικής Υγείας ή/και Ψυχοθεραπευτές. (Προς ενημέρωσή σας, στην Ελλάδα, όπως και στην Ευρώπη, οι ποικίλες ψυχοθεραπευτικές προσεγγίσεις – ήτοι: Ψυχαναλυτική, Συμπεριφορική/Γνωσιακή, Ανθρωπιστική κ.ά. – εκπροσωπούνται από ανάλογα Κέντρα ειδικευμένα στις αντίστοιχες προσεγγίσεις, στις οποίες και εκπαιδεύουν και τα οποία Κέντρα δεν είναι ούτε Κολλέγια, ούτε Πανεπιστήμια, ούτε Μεταλυκειακά Κέντρα, αλλά Κέντρα, Ινστιτούτα, Εταιρίες που εκπροσωπούν συγκεκριμένες ψυχοθεραπευτικές προσεγγίσεις, μοντέλα, σχολές). Η δική μας ψυχοθεραπευτική προσέγγιση είναι αυτή της Προσωποκεντρικής και Focusing-βιωματικής και ανήκει στην Ανθρωπιστική σχολή.
Κατά συνέπεια αναγνωριζόμαστε από και ανήκουμε στις συναφείς με το έργο μας εθνικές και διεθνείς εταιρείες (Εθνική Εταιρεία Ψυχοθεραπείας Ελλάδας – ΕΕΨΕ, Ελληνική Εταιρία Συμβουλευτικής – ΕΕΣ, Δίκτυο Ευρωπαϊκών Εταιριών Προσωποκεντρικής και Βιωματικής Ψυχοθεραπείας και Συμβουλευτικής – NEAPCEPC, Παγκόσμια Εταιρία Προσωποκεντρικής και Βιωματικής Ψυχοθεραπείας και Συμβουλευτικής – WAPCEPC, Ευρωπαϊκή Εταιρία Ψυχοθεραπείας – ΕΑΡ, Διεθνές Ινστιτούτο Focusing Νέας Υόρκης).

γ) Για όλους τους παραπάνω λόγους, αλλά και για λόγους δεοντολογίας, οι ανακοινώσεις μας είναι σαφείς, προσεκτικές και συγκεκριμένες.
Το κύριο μέσο που χρησιμοποιούμε είναι η ιστοσελίδα μας, η οποία απευθύνεται, και μπορεί να γίνει αντιληπτή, όπως ήδη αναφέρθηκε, αποκλειστικά από τους ειδικά ενδιαφερομένους και ενημερωμένους ψυχολόγους, κοινωνικούς λειτουργούς η/και άλλους επαγγελματίες που ήδη ενημερώνονται μέσα από τις πανεπιστημιακές τους σπουδές, ή/και τον χώρο εργασίας τους για τα συγκεκριμένα Κέντρα.

δ) Όσον αφορά στην συνεργασία μας με το East Anglia University, Norwich, U.K., παρακαλούμε σημειώσατε, ότι πράγματι το εν λόγω Πανεπιστήμιο αναγνωρίζει το συγκεκριμένο συμβουλευτικό/ψυχοθεραπευτικό πρόγραμμα μας (Εκπαίδευση στην Προσωποκεντρική και Focusing-βιωματική Συμβουλευτική και Ψυχοθεραπεία). Ο ουσιαστικός λόγος γι’ αυτήν την αναγνώριση βασίζεται στο γεγονός ότι το Focusing και το ΤΑΕ (Thinking at the Edge), μία άλλη φιλοσοφική διάσταση του Focusing, εμπεριέχονται στο Syllabus του εν λόγω πανεπιστημίου, το οποίο, ως Πανεπιστήμιο απονέμει ακαδημαϊκούς τίτλους σπουδών.


Εμείς, όπως ήδη υπογραμμίσαμε, προσφέρουμε επαγγελματική εξειδίκευση, την οποία όμως αναγνωρίζει το Πανεπιστήμιο αυτό, ως συναφή με το δικό του ακαδημαϊκό πρόγραμμα, γεγονός ιδιαίτερα τιμητικό για το έργο μας. Η αναγνώριση βασίζεται λοιπόν στην κοινή συμβουλευτική/ψυχοθεραπευτική προσέγγιση που ακολουθούμε. Σε καμία περίπτωση δεν εκπροσωπούμε το Πανεπιστήμιο, ούτε έχουμε οιαδήποτε οικονομική συναλλαγή με αυτό.


Με αυτή την έννοια, εφόσον κάποιοι απόφοιτοί μας πληρούν τις ακαδημαϊκές προϋποθέσεις (είναι δηλαδή ήδη ψυχολόγοι, κοινωνικοί λειτουργοί, ή κάτοχοι διπλωμάτων ανθρωπιστικών επιστημών) και θέλουν να συνεχίσουν να σπουδάσουν στο εν λόγω Πανεπιστήμιο στην Αγγλία, το πρόγραμμα μας επιβραβεύεται από το εν λόγω πανεπιστήμιο με την απόκτηση ακαδημαϊκού Masters στην Συμβουλευτική από το εν λόγω Πανεπιστήμιο. (Σημείωση: στην Ευρώπη μόνο αυτό το πανεπιστήμιο και το πανεπιστήμιο της Leuven, Βέλγιο, διδάσκουν και κάνουν έρευνα στην Focusing Βιωματική Προσέγγιση, μία προσέγγιση που βασίζεται στην Ανθρωπιστική Προσωποκεντρική Προσέγγιση, που εμφανίστηκε από την δεκαετία του 1940 στην Αμερική, από τον Ψυχολόγο Carl Rogers). Μπορεί όμως κάλλιστα να αρκεστούν στο δικό μας πρόγραμμα, εφόσον, όπως προαναφέρθηκε, αυτό πιστοποιείται και αναγνωρίζεται από τις βασικές επαγγελματικές εταιρίες του συμβουλευτικού/ψυχοθεραπευτικού χώρου.

Η συγκεκριμένη, ως εκ τούτου, αναφορά αναγνώρισης του προγράμματός μας από το σχετικό πανεπιστήμιο δεν συνεπάγεται ουδόλως δόλο.
Αντιλαμβανόμεθα, πάντως, ότι το εν γένει «κλίμα» των τελευταίων χρόνων γύρω από τα αυτοαποκαλούμενα κολλέγια, σας οδήγησε σε αυτή την παρανόηση, λυπούμεθα όμως για την μη προηγούμενη επικοινωνία σας μαζί μας, ούτως ώστε να μας δοθεί η δυνατότητα να σας ενημερώσουμε ενδελεχώς, και ν’ αρθεί άμεσα η τρέχουσα παρανόηση, η οποία μας πλήττει βαρύτατα, ως καθ’ όλα νόμιμους επαγγελματίες.

Τέλος, επειδή δεν είμεθα γνώστες όλων των σελίδων της επιστολής σας θα παρακαλούσαμε για την ταχυδρόμηση ολοκλήρου της επιστολής σας σ’ εμάς. Επίσης παρακαλούμε όπως η παρούσα επιστολή μας κοινοποιηθεί στο Υπουργείο Παιδείας και όπου εσείς κρίνετε αναγκαίο.

Με την επιφύλαξη παντός νομίμου δικαιώματός μας,
Για το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Focusing,

Παύλος Ζαρογιάννης - Άννα Καραλή
Ψυχολόγοι – Ψυχοθεραπευτές

Υ.Γ. Την 27η Αυγούστου λάβαμε ολόκληρο το κείμενο της συστατικής επιστολής.


Μεταβείτε στο site του Συνηγόρου του Καταναλωτή

Κυριακή, Μαΐου 23

Akira Ikemi - Σάββατο και Κυριακή 26-27 Ιουνίου 2010

Το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Focusing, έχει προσκαλέσει στην Αθήνα τον κ. Akira Ikemi,
Καθηγητή Κλινικής Ψυχολογίας του Πανεπιστημίου Kansai (Οσάκα, Ιαπωνίας) (http://www.akiraikemi.com/ai).

Ο καθηγητής Ikemi,
o οποίος αυτή την χρονιά θα είναι κεντρικός ομιλητής του Διεθνούς Συνεδρίου της Παγκόσμιας Εταιρίας της Πρόσωπο-Κεντρικής και Βιωματικής Ψυχοθεραπείας και Συμβουλευτικής ( World Association for Person-Centered and Experiential Psychotherapy and Counseling - WAPCEPC) στην Ρώμη,

θα αναπτύξει, σε μία ευρύτερη ομιλία του το Σάββατο, 26 Ιουνίου, 2010, και ώρα 20:00, το θέμα:

«Η Διαδικασία Άρθρωσης μιας Αίσθησης Ζωής: Πρακτικές και Θεωρητικές
Αρχές της Focusing Διαδικασίας και της Focusing Βιωματικής Προσέγγισης»



Την Κυριακή, 27 Ιουνίου, 2010, και ώρα 10:00 με 15:00 θ’ ακολουθήσει Εργαστήρι με θέμα:

«Focusing: Η Διαδικασία Άρθρωσης και Προσεκτικής Ακρόασης της Βιωμένης Αίσθησης»


Για την πρώτη εκδήλωση, η είσοδος θα είναι ελεύθερη και θα πραγματοποιηθεί στο Αμφιθέατρο του Χαροκόπειου Πανεπιστημίου.

Για την δεύτερη εκδήλωση, η οποία επίσης θα πραγματοποιηθεί σε μία εκ των αιθουσών του εν λόγω Πανεπιστημίου, παρακαλούμε για την έγκαιρη ανταπόκρισή σας, μια και ο αριθμός των συμμετεχόντων θα είναι περιορισμένος 
(Η συμμετοχή ανέρχεται στα 60 ευρώ.
Ειδική συμμετοχή για φοιτητές/εκπαιδευόμενους 40 ευρώ).

Η ομιλία και το εργαστήρι θα δοθούν στην Αγγλική γλώσσα.

Για περισσότερες πληροφορίες παρακαλούμε επικοινωνήσατε
με το Ελληνικό Κέντρο Focusing
(Τηλ. 210 645 9459, E-mail: info@focusing.gr).

Ελπίζουμε να έχουμε την χαρά να σας καλωσορίσουμε και να μοιρασθούμε εξαιρετικά ενδιαφέρουσες ιδέες/σκέψεις/θέσεις από έναν ιδιαίτερα έμπειρο, αλλά και χαρισματικό άνθρωπο,
ο οποίος έχει συνεργασθεί με τον εμπνευστή του Focusing, Eugene Gendlin, στο πανεπιστήμιο του Σικάγο κατά την διάρκεια των εκεί σπουδών του,
και του οποίου, σημειωτέον, η Αγγλική γλώσσα είναι πολύ βατή.




[Presentation]
To be held on Saturday, 26th June, 2010
Location: Harokopio University (Central Auditorium)
Time: 20:00 p.m.

Articulating a Sense of Life:
Some Practical and Theoretical Aspects of Focusing and Focusing Oriented Psychotherapy (FOT)

Akira Ikemi, Ph.D.
Certifying Coordinator, The Focusing Institute
Professor, Graduate School of Clinical Professional Psychology
Kansai University
Osaka, Japan

As Eugene Gendlin showed in his psychological and philosophical works, a felt sense, or a sense of meaning, functions in our thoughts, feelings and actions. By highlighting aspects of Japanese culture and language, I will first show how the felt sense is already functioning in experience.
 I will also show how I point to the felt sense in Focusing and Focusing-oriented Therapy (FOT) sessions. Secondly, I will show how Focusing and FOT encourages us to articulate or explicate from the felt sense. The felt sense is to be articulated by the focuser (client), not “analyzed” by the listener (therapist). In articulating the felt sense, symbols and language interact and a new understanding of life comes to form.
 I will discuss how reflective listening that Carl Rogers practiced helps the interaction between the felt sense and symbols.
 Thirdly, I will discuss the mode of experiencing and its relation to the mode of relating between the focuser (client) and the listener (therapist). I will show how our reflective listening can be enhanced by attending to the focuser’s (client’s) mode of experiencing. Through this presentation I hope to show how Focusing and Listening promotes a cyclic movement of felt sense, articulation (explication) and understanding.




Akira Ikemi grew up in Japan, received his MA from the University of Chicago (working with Eugene Gendlin), and his PhD in Japan.
Akira has an insider’s view of the Oriental cultural and spiritual bedrock into which Focusing has been planted. 
He is a gifted therapist, university professor (clinical psychology) and seasoned presenter who weaves stories about Zen Masters into deeply experiential wisdom and academic proficiency.






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Παρασκευή, Μαΐου 14

“Greek Myths and Tragic Heroes” - Focusing on the issue of Responsibility

22nd International Focusing Conference
5 – 9 May 2010 Pforzheim, Germany



INTRODUCTION
Let me first of all thank you for your presence here.
It is really a pleasure for us to have drawn your attention!
As we mentioned in our short abstract, it is our belief that the archetypes of Greek myths are still relevant nowadays, as they demonstrate, among other things, human potential and boundaries…
Apparently, the central issues in this context are free will and free choice, which are closely related to responsibility, the theme of our Conference.
To be responsible in a conflict, a crisis, a dilemma is to be inevitable in life.
After all, to live actually means to take Responsibility... And this leads to choices and consequences, which are not necessarily easy but very often difficult, painful, devastating…
Every myth we have chosen highlights a different aspect of this thematic complex, a different facet of the concept of Responsibility, and thus a different attitude towards life…
In our understanding, the essence of Greek myths can be employed by the modern man as a guide in his quest for being acquainted with himself…
Finally, let us point out that the center of attention in myths is the experiencing… This is what matters, not the plot… Thus the myths may facilitate in a way our experiencing process… they give meaning to our experience… they actually emphasize their relevance to the Focusing experiential process.
Under this premise, we had the idea of conducting a workshop with our trainees, who participate in this International. We asked them to choose a character from a Greek myth and study it, by focusing to the specific character’s handling of Responsibility... We had a very positive feedback, which led us to proceed with this Experiential Workshop.
Thank you!

Note: In the pamphlet we have handed out it is outlined the schedule of the whole workshop process, in details.


PERSEPHONE
Persephone, the youngest and prettiest daughter of Demeter, Goddess of the Earth-Mother and Fertility, and Zeus, King of Gods, was violently abducted by Hades, God of the Underworld, who was captured by her beauty and fell in love with her. Demeter was in such anger and pain, that she caused dryness of the Earth, so nothing could come to fruition. Humanity was facing death and catastrophe. In that prospect Zeus decided to send Hermes to his brother Hades and order him to let Persephone return to her mother. Hades agreed, but before he let Persephone go, he offered her some pomegranate seeds. And there, Persephone faced a dilemma:

I feel so happy I can finally return to my mother, but at the same time I know deep within me, I am not the same person I was before I came down here. And that hurts. There’s a part of me which would like to forget all about the violence and the pain I have faced in the darkness of the underworld, all the grief I have felt when separated from my mother against my will. I am not the innocent girl I used to be, and I will never be again. My innocence was violently stolen. So what am I going to do? Accept the seeds my husband offers me, accept the life I had with him, accept that part of myself and always carry it with me, being a lighthouse where there’s darkness and despair, or just leave it all behind as if it never occurred, because it hurts so much?


PROMETHEUS
Prometheus because of his wisdom and knowledge he overcame his mortal nature and became half God. Then, Zeus asked him to accomplish a very important mission: to share the Gifts, such as physical strength, speed and other abilities, to all living creatures of the planet. His brother, Epimitheus, was offered to help him and Prometheus accepted it. Epimitheus though wasted all the gifts and when Prometheus was ready to share them with the people, he discovered there were no more Gifts remained. The human generation was contemned…
Without any hesitation, Prometheus broke into Hephaestus’ laboratory, stole the Fire and buried it inside a giant fennel, to restore it for the human beings.
Zeus punished him with the greatest punishment ever given by Gods. To be eternally bounded on the mountain of Caucasus and every day an eagle to eat his liver which at night would grow back, until the next day that the eagle would come and eat it again.

I’m stuck here! Alone, abandoned, confused… I feel like time has stopped! This place is dry and lifeless, rocks and stones everywhere. The only thing that reminds me I’m alive is this pain! Sometimes I’m lucky enough to see some birds… and the sky. Yes…! I guess I’m so lucky, I can see the sky!
I’m thinking about my life, recall the days of my glory... I was happy those days... I remember the endless days I was travelling to reach Olympus…How much pain and suffering, but what a relief that I made it.
Now, every single day looks the same with the previous one.
Some moments I only suffer pain and others I’m mad at Zeus’ decision. There are other moments though that bring almost a divine clarity and everything seems so bright and clear!
There is a place here in my heart, which endures all the pain and believes that I did the right thing. This part feels love and compassion for every living creature on this planet. This part tells me that I must go on, it trusts me, tells me that this world needs me! “Sometimes, you have to make the choice about the side you defend”. I didn’t want to be a partner in crime!


ARTEMIS
Artemis was Goddess of the Hunt and of the Moon. Artemis was the first-born twin sister of Apollo, God of the Sun. Their mother, Leto, was a nature deity; their father was Zeus, chief God of Olympus. Leto gave birth to her children on the barren island of Delos, hounded by the vindictive wrath of Hera, the lawful wife of Zeus. Artemis was the first to be born. As soon as she was born, Artemis aided Leto during the prolonged labor and difficult delivery of Apollo. Artemis, having been a midwife to her mother, was thus considered goddess and protector of childbirth. When Artemis was three years old, her mother brought her to Olympus, to meet Zeus and her divine relatives. Artemis asked for bow and arrows, a pack of hounds to hunt with, nymphs to accompany her, a tunic short enough to run in, mountains and wilderness as her special places, and eternal chastity – all of which her father granted, plus the privilege of making the selection herself.

I am Artemis the Hunter, the Archer, the virgin Goddess, protector of childbirth. ‘Responsibility’ was the first concept I came across as soon as I was born. I took responsibility of myself, as well as of my mother, as soon as I was born. When it was time to choose my life and my domain I was just an infant. ‘Choice’ was the next thing to come to know. These brought me forward and I became Artemis the Hunter with eye-on-target clarity of focus which is one of the two modes of ‘seeing’ associated with me. By hunting in the night I gained trust and intuition and not to rely on my physical sight, but on my inner one. As Archer I aim for any target, either near or far away, and could know that my arrows would unerringly reach their marks. As virgin goddess I have chosen the intactness, the one-in-myselfness, the attitude of ‘I-can-take-care-of-myself’ that allows me to function on my own with self-confidence and an independent spirit. But where are my infancy, my childhood, where is partnership, a home, to be loved, and motherhood? It is not only ‘responsibility’ and ‘choice’ that I have taken, but also ‘sacrifice’.


AGAMEMNON
Mycenae was once a mighty kingdom of Ancient Greece, and its ruler, Agamemnon, was considered one of the greatest. When his brother’s, Menelaos, beautiful wife, Helen, was abducted by the Trojan prince Paris, the history of Greece was to come into one of its most famous phases: The Trojan War. Agamemnon offended the goddess Artemis and she punished him by stopping the wind and impeding the advance of the whole Greek Army.To restore the wind Artemis requested the sacrifice of Iphigenia, Agamemnon’s daughter. And that is how, by pretending that she was to be married to Achilles, Iphigenia was invited to Aulis, where the army camp was. Agamemnon had to face the hardest decision of his life. He had to choose between the life of his daughter and the loyalty to his kingdom.


I feel devastated. My heart is divided between the love a father feels for his children and the love a king feels for his people.
All of my highest values are, now, in conflict and seem contradictory. My deepest beliefs do not help me now. I wish someone could spare the pain of taking such a decision! But no one can. It is my duty, I am the King and Iphigenia is my daughter.

My heart aches, my soul is in pain, my body feels sick. My whole self is straggling to find out what is the best thing to do.
How can the goddess Artemis ask me to sacrifice my own daughter? My own flesh! What kind of vindictive and evil divinity would require such an act? Should I worship and honour a goddess in this way?
As a king, I am more than happy to give my life for my country’s and my soldiers’ sake. But, how could she ask me to end the life of my beloved youngest daughter? My poor Iphigenia has been the sweetest creature on earth, the joy of my life … the dearest treasure of my heart …

But now I see the eyes of my soldiers staring at me. They want to fight; they want to fulfil their duty and return home. I see they understand my pain. They are good men. They are ready to die for their values and their country. And so do I. That’s my duty and I am a man of honour.
I am a king. Suddenly I feel frozen and extremely sad. But I am calm. It is like something unknown, a hidden source coming from my inner self shows me the right way. I know what to do now and I feel in peace with myself.


ULYSSES
Ulysses’ voyage to Ithaca, after the end of the Trojan War, was adventurous. All his mates died, but he himself managed to arrive to the island of Calypso. Calypso was a kind and beautiful nymph, and the island where she lived was a paradise on earth. She fell in love with Ulysses and told him she would offer him immortality and a serene life, provided that he would live with her for ever. Ulysses stayed with her for seven years but he was always suffering by the following dilemma:

“What should I do? I cannot find peace for my soul. If I stay on this island with Calypso I will become immortal and I will enjoy a peaceful life I have always dreamed of. Till now I have suffered a lot… Yes, there is something inside me that it is hurting... something like dizziness, which is getting more and more intense… I get the image of my lungs. They look like thin pipes that are getting thinner and thinner. There is not enough space for the air to come in… I see my mates, who have followed me all these years, and now they are gone… They are gone because of me, and that hurts a lot. I am so lonely… And then comes the image of Calypso and takes away all the dizziness, the sickness and the lack of air. Finally, I can breathe again! Her image softens everything… She is so beautiful, loving and understanding. Being with her I will not have to worry about anything anymore… Everything feels so calm and encouraged… I have suffered a lot, I deserve this calmness… But it does not last for long. There is something more coming up. My wife and my son! The image is so vivid and intense! How can I forget my family? How can I forget my people? Will I ever be able to see them again? Or will I die in despair? And what if they have forgotten me after all these years? It is easy to stay in paradise, but I have a responsibility towards my family and my people! What should I do?”


ICARUS
Icarus' father, Daedalus, a talented and remarkable Athenian craftsman, attempted to escape from his exile in the place of Crete, where he and his son were imprisoned by King Minos, for whom he had built the Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur (half man, half bull monster). Daedalus, the superior craftsman, was exiled because he gave Minos' daughter, Ariadne, a clew of string in order to help Theseus, the enemy of Minos, survive the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur.
Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for himself and his son. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, or too close to the sea. Overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared through the sky curiously, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea. His body washed ashore on an island southwest of Samos named Icaria after him, where Heracles found and buried it.
When the name of Icarus is put in the breath area, an image appears:
Immense space – blue, openness, clarity, inner wisdom and peace, and it is like my heart – open as ever – reflects light. Then it feels I know; not what I want or where I go, but that all are one, united, without beginning nor end, without solidity, unfading and unchanged. And there’s a thrill reaching my throat and eyes, which becomes a sigh and open arms.

I am the teenager wearing wings, flying higher and higher and even higher. And somewhere below me, very afar… a dot: another man – my father: creator and teacher. And we fly. I play with the air; rise and fall, do swirls and somersaults – I go in a cloud, hide behind it – thinking of nothing, I am happy, I am free; I feel neither limits nor obstacles.

I am present with all my senses. I feel there is more life – bigger than the one I received – different. I want to be responsible for my existence. I must transcend limits – my boundaries. And I can only do that alone! There is no other way! I must go beyond my own mortality!
It is then when I cross the line between life and death, go over to where boundaries are surpassed, where time and space are one, united and infinite.

The youth has not perished, just crossed to another dimension, eternal and unbroken, blazing and equivalent.

- I live in another reality, bigger than the one I left behind…!


PHAETHON
Phaethon, son of the Sun God Helios and Clymene, made his father promise that he would fulfill his wish to drive the sun chariot. But as the sun chariot was pulled by powerful horses’ everyday from Dawn to Sunset, Sun God Helios tries to prevent his choice explaining that chariot horses’ have exceptional powers and therefore the control of it requires skills and experience.
Phaethon, distinguished charioteer, obsessed by the challenge, insists and he finally gains the leadership of the sun chariot. By the time he reaches mid-heaven, though, he loses consciousness instantly, and the horses sensed that his control is looser and they started galloping without direction.
As the sun chariot approaches the earth lakes dry up and land turns into desert, while as it is getting away of the earth, seas turn to ice, and the cold desolates the nature. Zeus decides to interfere. He pulls down the sun chariot; ceases the disaster and leads Phaethon to death.

Now standing at the depths of Hades, for an eternity, a devastating dilemma arises. If I could imagine of the massive disaster I could cause, I would never have decided to drive the sun chariot.
Burned up forests… Frozen Lakes… My heart is burning, facing the consequences of my decision.
Who wouldn’t have taken the right decision, if one was aware of this tragedy?
But feeling the desire of my heart, the intoxication of power and the joy of guiding the sun chariot, without having forecasting the actual size of this catastrophe, I caused my own death.
Nevertheless, I still wonder: How poor is the man who does not listen to his own heart! How could I have denied this challenge? And since Zeus has intervened and stopped my destructive course, I cannot give a proper answer to this dilemma…


HERCULES
Hercules is probably the most well known figure of Greek mythology; due to his physical strength, almost a semi-god. He was called to walk his life from his human to his godly side. On another perspective he represents the eternal student, the potential hero in every one of us, who is struggling daily, not being fully aware of his inner strength. It is not by chance that the tasks he undertook are called labors and not achievements. Every time he accomplished one, he went through the same process, healing humanity from a wound and bringing it to higher level of consciousness. He is the one who transforms the silent watcher in life to become an aware and active participant. Labor by labor, step by step, the seeker of truth, the eternal student of life faced the same dilemma:

Gods have endowed me with special gifts, which will make my mission easier. I decide to put them aside and walk this journey without them, having with me only my wooden glob, like every other human being. This is going to be my ordeal.
But why am I doing this? What purpose for? What will I gain personally from this? Do I wish to gain fame and glory; do I seek atonement for the crimes I have committed? In every labor I gain personal awareness, I learn to master my destiny becoming an adult taking full responsibility of my actions, baring the consequences…
Am I to share though this wisdom by being humble and showing respect, acknowledging that I am part of a larger community?
In conclusion, what is the quality of every call? Is it personal or collective?


ANTIGONE
I am Antigone, daughter of Oedipus and Iokaste, sister of Eteocles, Polynices and Ismene. The tragic story of my family is well known. Once I was the daughter of the savior of the polis and then I became the daughter of a sinner, of the one who unwittingly married his own mother….

But now I have to put this suffering aside. There is a new devastation that burns my whole existence, which is tearing me apart. My brother, my brother, my beloved brother, Polynices, has been laid down dead. Dead, dead, not only dead but dead by the hand of his own brother. Although this alone is unbearable, I feel that I could have stood it if this was the will of the Gods, and I would have been free to mourn my brother’s death. But there is something greater that doesn’t let me feel my pain, because my pain is covered up by anger. There is anger on the surface, pain in the background and something else there, my sense of responsibility towards my brother and the Gods. My uncle and king of Thebes, Creon, accused Polynices as a traitor of his own polis, and therefore had issued a law against the burial of my brother. If I set aside my feelings towards my brother, I feel Creon is right, and I also feel that my other brother, Eteocles, turned against his own brother out of love for the safety of our polis. But leave him unburied? Let him be pray of vultures? Leave him wandering around the door of Hades like a shadow? Let him go without any proper lament?

How do I feel about this, how do I feel? He has issued a law. Law, law, law. The law of a king. But burial is not a matter of human beings, it doesn’t have to do with human law, and it never did. Burying is the will of the Gods, and it always was. How does it feel, how is it for me, what is my duty, my responsibility towards this crisis? Am I answerable to the law of the king, or to the law of the Gods?

I feel fear, I am afraid. But if I see myself obeying the rule of Creon, gloominess surrounds me. If I go for the will of the Gods there is a sense of elevation of my soul. I am afraid but I am going to do it, I’m going to bury my brother. Me alone, a woman. I’m going to disobey just for my brother’s sake. If this regarded my husband, if I had any, I might have succumbed to the law of humans because I could have married another husband. But since my parents are both dead, I will never have the chance for another brother. I am afraid but I am going to do it, I’m going to bury my brother. Me alone, a woman.


Παρασκευή, Απριλίου 23

Myths 2010

Εν αναμονή του συνεδρίου στη Γερμανία ...






Τρίτη, Ιανουαρίου 5

Ευχές για μια καλή χρονιά !!!

Ευχές για μια πολύ καλή χρονιά,

καλά "εστιασμένη" στην ποιότητα ζωής και συνύπαρξης ...


(μαζί με μια πρόσφατη φωτογραφία του Gene Gendlin)