PRESS RELEASE
Dear Colleagues and Friends of Body Psychotherapy,
We have the honor and joy to invite you to the 15th European Congress of Body
Psychotherapy, which is organized by the European Association for Body
Psychotherapy (EABP) and the Greek Association of Body Psychotherapy (PESOPS)
in Athens on October 13-16, 2016.
The Congress entitled “The Embodied Self in a dis-Embodied Society – Body
Psychotherapy 2016” aspires to introduce the modern theories of embodiment, which
have a great impact on philosophy and other disciplines and focus on the importance of
the Body in every aspect of reality. Furthermore, it seeks to explore the parameters and
aspects of the on-going crisis of society, as a result of the disembodiment of the mind
and man’s uprooting from life and nature.
The lectures, round-tables, workshops, presentations and discussions during the
Congress intend to become a meeting point for body psychotherapists, who place the
body-mind unity in the center of their therapeutic work, using different approaches, or
starting points and aims at bringing to the surface the common ground of Body
Psychotherapy but also the differences, which diversify and enrich it.
The Congress also aspires to become a meeting point for scientists, researchers,
therapists, educators but, above all, people, in order to help us share the knowledge
and experience we have acquired from exploring our “body-mind unity” as a gateway
to our own subjectivity, truth and humanity.
The main lectures of the Congress reflect the urge for synthesis; two colleagues, a
woman and man, will attempt to dialectically merge their unique perspectives on the
issues addressed. Furthermore, round-tables will focus on interdisciplinary and
interactive dialogue between academics from relevant fields.
Synthesis is also a key element in the three Symposia which will take place during the
Congress; the Scientific and Research Symposium of EABP, which will be held on
the historic premises of the Old University of Athens aims at promoting the scientific
field of Body Psychotherapy in Greece and its interaction to other relevant academic
fields; the “New Roses” Symposium, which emerged from Berlin and was first
introduced in the 14th Body Psychotherapy Congress in Lisbon, covers all subjects
related to Women’s issues in Body Psychotherapy. Furthermore, a new Symposium
titled “Psychotherapy and Politics” will open on the third day of the Congress,
officially introducing the dialogue between Body Psychotherapy and Politics.
Since, tending to our body’s needs is as important as attending to our thirst for
knowledge and scientific exchange; and in order to address our need to “stretch our
bodies” and restore our energy, esteemed colleagues have put together a series of
“warm ups”, which will take place during the 5-10 minute scheduled breaks between
lectures.
On the website of the Congress, www.congress.eabp.org, you may find
information about the programme, speakers and content of the Congress, as well
as useful tips which will help you enjoy your stay in Athens.
Let us give you a taste of the atmosphere and ambiance of the Congress:
We have decided to host the Congress in mid-October as the weather is mellow in that
time of the year and students will be able to participate in the Congress, since their
exams period is over by then.
We have selected the center of Athens as a location for two main reasons: the first
reason is that this particular area is identified with many events of the Greek academic
world -a world our Congress wishes to approach- and the second one is that it will
encourage the participation of colleagues from Greece. Furthermore, the Congress will
take place in TITANIA hotel -which we recommend for your stay- which is identified
with the great medical conferences of Athens as well as with social responsibility, since
47% of its shares has been granted to the Greek NGO “The Smile of the Child”.
Furthermore, we suggest that you reduce the cost of your stay by sharing a two-bed
room in TITANIA hotel with a friend or colleague; as for students from low-income
countries we have compiled a list of low-cost nearby quality residences.
Let us note that your registration fee includes lunch for two days (Friday and
Saturday), coffee and snacks during the Congress.
To prove that Greek hospitality stands strong despite the crisis, your colleagues from
Greece, who participate in the Congress Committees, have put all their efforts and
enthusiasm together in order to offer you a taste of artistic and cultural Athens by
organizing parallel events and proposals for your leisure time.
In that context, a trip to Sounion, a place of extreme beauty and strong symbolism,
will take place on Monday, October 17. The excursion will include a post-congress
morning workshop at the ancient temple of Goddess Athena, a tour of Poseidon’s
Temple (the ancient God of the Sea and of the Unconscious) and a swim in the crystal
waters of the Aegean Sea.
If you wish to combine your stay in Athens with a short vacation, feel free to contact
the travel agency, which sponsors the Congress, in order to learn about special discount
travel packages to very interesting nearby destinations. The agency’s contact
information is available at the website of the Congress.
We are looking forward to sharing with you the fruits of our creativity and
imagination, the KNOWLEDGE but most of all the JOY of this encounter!!!
On behalf of the Congress Committees
The Chair of the Organizational Committee
Sofia Petridou