creating the first world congress for existential therapy in london, may 2015

Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being

A historic and unique gatheringof existential therapists from

across the world.

OUR KIND SPONSORS

Creating the first World Congress for Existential

TherapyEmmy van Deurzen and Digby Tantam

Co-chairs of the organizing committee

Facebook and LinkedIn: Existential Therapywww.existentialpsychotherapy.netwww.emmyvandeurzen.comwww.existential.academywww.dilemmas.orgwww.nspc.org.ukSlides will be posted on:www.slideshare.comTwitter: #exist @existtherapy

Emmy van Deurzen and Digby Tantam

Putting existential therapy into its cross cultural

perspective

The background

I have dreamt of this gathering for many

decades of my life. I have longed to

become part of this community and

contribute something new to the world,

something of value to the whole of

mankind, especially to those who are in

mental, emotional and existential pain and

who need us to help them articulate this

without us pushing them into the abyss of

mental illness, labelling them and

entrapping them in chemical alienation.

Drawing on our contacts in Europe

Work with EAP: European Association for

Psychotherapy

Work with European grants to create online

resources in existential therapy across

Europe, including Ireland, Belgium, France,

Portugal, Romania, Austria, Poland, Albania,

Sweden.

Twenty years of giving European and

worldwide talks. Lost of contacts and

connections.

Creation of ICECAP in 2006 in Waterloo

Reaching out Early invitations to create a core

of strength: key people:

Irv Yalom

Alfried Längle

Kirk Schneider

Ernesto Spinelli

Semjon Esselson

Xuefu Wang

Paul Wong

Alison Strasser

Decision to be inclusive

Daseins analysis

Logotherapy

Existential Analysis

Existential/Humanistic therapies

Existential/Integrative therapies

Existential positive therapy

Existential Therapy

Existential Phenomenological Therapy

Gathering strength

International conferences in Toronto, Kiev,

Lima, were the run up to gathering

colleagues

Research by Edgar Correia, providing email

addresses from all existential trainers across

the world.

New electronic ways of communication

Email

LinkedIn

Facebook

Twitter

Google Plus

Vchats

Gathering the honorary scientific committee under one banner:

international collaboration

First Announcement

First World Congress

for Existential Therapy

Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being

14 -17 May 2015

London

Come and listen to international keynote speakers and participate in

experiential workshops and live demonstrations. Watch rare footage of

classic Existential Masters.

You will be able to engage in a rich variety of lectures and debates with

leading Existential Therapists and Authors from all over the world. This

will be a unique chance to meet like-minded colleagues for an exciting

exchange and cross-fertilization of old and new ideas in relation to

Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being.

Supported by the International Collaboration of Existential Counsellors and

Psychotherapists (ICECAP) and by the Society for Existential Analysis (SEA) and

sponsored by the New School of Psychotherapy and Counselling (NSPC)

Register for updates at www.existentialpsychotherapy.net

Honorary scientific committee

84 members from 50+ countries and all continents represented

LinkedIn group communication

Some very active and enthusiastic

Others silent

Some critical

Negativity rare

Only one person refused invitation

Agreeing a title and a date

Linked In discussions on title and purpose

Agree to name the congress: ‘Freedom,

Responsibility and the Meaning of Being’

One day devoted to Freedom, one to

Responsibility and one to Meaning of Being

Emphasis on first world congress for

existential therapy

Getting serious and having a proper logo designed

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Keynote speaker bios online

Invited speakers

Finding a venue

Westminster: central London

Choosing Westminster

Finding Church House

Dean’s Yard of Westminster Abbey

Church House conference centre

Right place for us

Testing the food

The announcement

Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being

A historic and unique gathering of existential ther apists from across the world.

World Congress forExistential Ther apyLondon, 14-17th May 2015

Come and listen to internation al k eynote speakers, including:

Partici

pa te in experiential w orkshops and live demonstration s wi th e xistential e xperts from many backgrounds.

Watch rare footage of classic Existential Ma s ters.

Engage in a rich variety of lectures and debates with leading Existential Ther apists.

Meet like-minded colleagues to exchange ideas in relation t o Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being and many other topics.

The Congress will take place at the historic

Church House conference centre, in

Westminster, Central London.

The first World Congress is organised by The New

School of Psychotherapy and Counselling (NSPC),

Irvin Yalom

Emmy van Deurzen

Kirk Schneider

Alfried Längle

Alice Holzhey-Kunz

Robert Stolorow

Mick Cooper

Digby Tantam

Rimantas Kočiūnas

Susana Signorelli

Xuefu Wang

Louis Hoffm

a

n

Betty

Cannon

Dmitry Leontiev

Erik Craig

Robert Neimeyer

on behalf of the Existential Ac ademy, and is

supported by the Internation al Col labor ation

of Existential Couns el lor s and Psychotherapists

(ICECAP) and by the Society for Existential

Analysis (SEA).

Tickets are selling fast. Please visit www.existential p sychotherapy.net to book yours now.

Concessionary tick ets for students are available.

Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being

A historic and unique gatheringof existential therapists from

across the world.

OUR KIND SPONSORS

Fin

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sors

SEA

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Some of the organizing team.

Setback: the move to the Existential Academy

Getting the badges

Printing the programmes

The Congress programme

Digby with the badges team

The arrival of colleagues

Visits to Existential Academy

Training the volunteers

Grasshopper pop up

Freedom, Responsibility and the Meaning of Being

A historic and unique gatheringof existential therapists from

across the world.

OUR KIND SPONSORS

530 people over 4 days

Volunteers packing the bags

Volunteer team at reception desk

NSPC table

3 Book Launches

Bookshop by Waterstones

With Lindsay and Charlie: key members of organizing

committee

Pre-congress workshops

Erik Craig’s workshop

Digby’s workshop on ASD

Emmy’s pre-congress workshop

Opening ceremony

For so many decades existential therapists

have been silent, isolated, withdrawn,

secretive.

Existential therapy has long been one of the

more arcane and less well known therapies.

We have hidden our light under a bushel.

Electric atmosphere

Digby and Emmy co-chairs at the opening session.

FULL HOUSE: delegates from 56+ countries

Opening speech: a new clan

I thank you for being here. I feel very moved

that we are here together in this way. I feel

deeply grateful for the work and the effort

all of you have put into coming here today.

And I know you have made considerable

sacrifices to be here.

We are here today as a new clan. Really an

ancient clan.

Keynote speakers: Alfried Längle, Emmy van Deurzen,

Kirk Schneider

Yalom film and interview

Yalom award from the SEA

FRIDAY keynote: Emmy van Deurzen: existential freedom

Saturday keynote: Kirk Schneider: responsibility

Sunday keynote:Alfried Längle: the meaning

of being

Roundtable sessions with invited speakers

Cultural roundtable

Boat trip on the Thames with the Russian delegation

Martin Adams and PrunellaGee existential

development workshop

Defining existential therapy

Brainstorm

FETE (Federation of Existential Therapists in Europe)

founding meeting

Valuing a shared philosophy

Our long, deep roots in philosophy East and

West will enable us to grow steadily from

here and to affect the fields of psychology

and psychotherapy more than we have

been able to affect them in the past.

Meaning, purpose, choice, responsibility,

freedom to be. Authorship of human

existence. Courage to be.

Founding of the World Confederation for Existential Therapy (WCET):

Saturday May 16th 2015: 8am

Coffee and tea breaks

Catching up with old colleagues: Emmy van Deurzen with her graduates: Diana Mitchell, Simon

DuPlock and Lucia Moja-Strasser

Walkie talkie security with Digby Tantam

Congress dinner

Latin table

Keynote speakers table

Roehampton team

Swedes and Americans

International meetings

East and Central European table

Sasha Smith and Dawn Farrow, key staff at NSPC

Flowers and votes of thanks to the co-chairs

The after dinner dance

The band

Practicing the dance

Smiles on all faces

Explaining a new dance

Susana Signorelli in the Scottish dance.

2019: Argentine Tango

Cultural communication

A jolly atmosphere

Stripping the willow

Erik Craig in the dance

Dan Stiwne and Mick Cooper in the dance

The organising team

Passing the baton to the Latin American team for

2019 in Buenos Aires

With Yaqui Andres Martinez from Mexico

With Susana Signorelli, president of ALPE

Final goodbye

A most moving moment

Those who stayed till the end for the closing

ceremony

Posing by the queen’s portrait: relieved it was such a success!

The congress allowed us to launch the new generation of existential

therapists and secure the future of existential therapy worldwide.

Second World Congress for Existential Therapy: Anxiety and Guilt in Times of

Change

Buenos Aires: 8-11 May 2019