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πηγή: Process Work Institute Newsletter, May 2007, Volume 1

IAPOP Buzz!
by Alexandra Vassiliou

If I had only two words to describe the first IAPOP Conference in London, they would be: It Rocked! Yes folks, it came and it went, and it left us with a buzz! The first Conference of the IAPOP was an incredibly stimulating gathering with people from all over the world! It will take weeks for those of us who were there to absorb all that we heard and experienced together, but there was immediate shared feeling of connection, of a sense of community, and of inspiration. If you take a look at the IAPOP Program, you will get a sense of the incredible diversity of presentations at the conference. It was three days of presentations, lectures, research findings, posters, round table discussions, and networking. Overall, 28 events were offered by 51 presenters from 16 different countries. There were also parallel presentations, which left many of us with the disappointment of not being able to hear everybody’s work. It was touching to see people collaborating and making arrangements so that they would not have to miss events: “You go here and tape that one for me, I’ll go there and tape this one for you. We were trying to take in as much as possible.”

Each morning, the conference had a key presentation followed by breakout sessions on a specific theme. In the afternoon, there were workshops and more presentations from various process work practitioners followed by round-table discussion on the theme of the day. It would take a book to outline the wealth of work presented, the passion with which people use and apply their learning tools, and the diversity of styles in applying Process Work to various settings. Some of the presentations gave us answers to questions we did not even know we had!

The structured format of the conference was something new for a Process Work gathering. Being respectful to time constraints and the speakers that followed each presentation, enabled us to remain focused and dense in our discussions. It was awesome to see seasoned Process Workers along with less experienced practitioners and students, all presenting along side one another. This created a feeling of collegiality in which learning, resources, and experiences were shared in order to further each other’s work. There was a buzz in the atmosphere, an excitement that inspired us all and brought us closer together. Thank you Jean-Claude Audergon, Lily Vassiliou, Anup Karia, Stanya Studentova, Arlene Audergon, and all the helpers in the foreground and background for organizing such a rich and fun event. We are eagerly waiting for the second IAPOP Conference!

The IAPOP Diplomate Gathering:Reflections on the Gandhi Room
by Kara Wilde

Fifty Diplomates from around the world – Ireland, UK, Switzerland, USA, Czech Republic, Israel, Germany, Scotland, Greece, Poland, Italy, Australia and Japan – shared two exciting days of getting to know each other and working on collective visions and organizations. The first IAPOP Diplomate Meeting centered on discussions of the group’s identity as a training community with diverse local needs and the group’s vision of affecting the world. Pierre Morin was re-elected as co-president for the second year, and the group elected Shar Edmunds from Australia as a new co-president to replace Arlene Audergon who is stepping down this year. Kara Wilde, who was there, reports on her experiences at the meeting.

Traveling from all around the world for the International Association of Process Oriented Psychology, Diplomates ended up in the Gandhi room at the Indian YMCA, where people are no longer only young, men, or Christian. The room had a dark wooden floor, red curtains on a stage, strong light coming in windows from grey skies, and loud noises coming from London construction sites. We popped up from an underground station disoriented about which direction to go, then ended up being hailed by Alexandra and Lily Vassiliou as they looked for a coffee, and together we found the way.

The symbol chosen to represent IAPOP was an umbrella, which seemed appropriate given the amazing span of diversity shown in the room. There were Diplomates of Process Work from many places and training programs including; Australia/NZ, Portland, Japan, Switzerland, Ireland, Israel, Greece, Poland, UK, Slovakia, Germany, Estonia, Moscow, and St. Petersburg. There was also a warm feeling of support from those that could not be there but share the same love for Process Work.

At the beginning of the Diplomates meeting, we talked about dreams, and I imagined us all as being beneath a large tent in the desert. A tent with a huge sense of space, people coming and going, sharing ideas – the cover protecting us from the rain, shading us from the sun, dreaming with us at night. Sometimes it was dusty and dry, sometimes a green oasis, and occasionally a big wind would come through and lift the edges, shake us, and make it difficult to hear! There were many spaces in this tent to eat and greet, and there was room enough for everyone to come together. Gandhi’s idea of Satyagrah, of nonviolence inspiring civil rights, and of freedom was alive behind the questions of standards and training that we explored.

The central themes of trusting the process and finding meaning to make life easier became really complicated as we tried to organize where a group of us were going to eat. In the end, I realized it can be good to just sit outside on the steps and wait, that maybe its time to live more freely as everything changes!