Meeting at the Edge 2007

A Report From Ischia, Italy May 14 to 17

“Our bodies do our living… Our bodies don’t lurk in isolation behind the five peepholes of perception: we act from the bodily sense of each situation.” —Gene Gendlin

Body–centered practices and the self–discovery process known as Focusing share a special resonance for reaching deeply into personal process. This workshop was intended for professionals interested in integrating Focusing with our own body–centered therapies: body–work, yoga, movement therapy and dance, acupuncture, body–oriented or experiential psychotherapy, and related disciplines.

Organising Board: We formed as a group out of the Focusing and Body–work/Movement Interest Group that first met at the Focusing International Conference in Costa Rica in 2004 and continued to meet at subsequent Focusing Internationals. We are: Jack Blackburn (US); Francesca Castaldi (US/Italy); Claudia Conza (Switzerland); Nicoletta Corsetti (Italy); Mathias Dekeyser (Belgium); Larry Hurst (US/UK); Stephen Scholle (US).

At the workshop: Forty–seven of us gathered on the beautiful island of Ischia, coming from the Unites States, Ireland, Greece, Belgium, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and not least Italy. We came together with a fierce desire for sharing and experimentation, reaching to the tender and vulnerable spots in our work, trusting in our willingness to nurture each other.