Abstract

In November 2004 the AAGT conducted their seventh international conference in S. Pete's Beach, Florida, USA. The scene was a venue they had utilized two years previously, for their sixth international conference. Two first-person accounts of this conference follow.

Gstalt-L, An email discussion group devoted to Gestalt therapy and the community of its practitioners (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-l). Gstalt-J, An email discussion group devoted to research on Gestalt therapy, theory and practice (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-j). Supported by the Gestalt Research Consortium (GRC) (www.g-gej.org/grc). Gestalt Bookmarks, a place to begin researching the field of contemporary Gestalt therapy on the world wide web (www.g-gej.org/gestaltbookmarks).

Reflections by Sharon Snir:

When Linda De Tuilio was encouraged to share about the loss of her most beloved dog and Bud Feder’s eyes filled with tears of compassion and the air in the room became still with the gentle mingling of love and sorrow, I knew I was home.

In actual fact I was many thousands of miles from home having left Sydney three weeks before to teach a workshop in Long Beach. I had been traveling up and down the west coast of California and was tired and ready to see my husband and children and my own beloved dog again.

But here I was sitting in a hotel room at the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Pete, Florida waiting for John Blend to arrive so that we could continue organizing the registration table. Nancy Wolt had artfully arranged the work study program and I had volunteered to participate in this as offered a reduction in my registration fees and an opportunity to contribute to the conference in a practical way. Jet lag being what it is John had slept in and so I found myself ‘accidentally’ sitting in on the AAGT board meeting. What a gift that turned out to be.

As each person checked in I began to notice my breathing was becoming more and more peaceful. I was part of a process resonating trust and openness. I felt sure that that nothing said or shared would be treated other than with respect and kindness. I felt myself melting into the rhythm of the words and the wisdom of the feed back. Cradled in the safety of a group who knew each other well I began feel less home sick and more and more willing to be here now.

When the check-in came around to me, the door opened and John came in. It was time for me to go. I was not a member of that board and yet by default had become a member of that meeting and so when asked did I want to say something before I left I knew I did. What I said at that meeting matters less than how I said it and as I shared where I had been and what my experience was in being in this room with everyone I found tears streaming down my cheeks. At first I couldn’t understand what was happening to me.

Over the past few years Gestalt therapy for me had become entangled in organizational tasks. GANZ council meetings, being on the GANZ conference committee, editing the newsletter were all valuable and important parts of my life but in the process of doing these things I had allowed myself to become lost in task and focused so much on outcome that I and had forgotten to enjoy and indeed appreciate the process.

It was not until Isabel Frederickson reminded me not to confuse the ‘Organization’ with Gestalt therapy that I began to understand the tears. In 1978 I had fallen hopelessly in love with Gestalt therapy. Along the road much had happended and the sparkle had faded somewhat but here in a room facing the Gulf of Mexico, 26 years after our first meeting, I fell in love with it again.

And so the transformation, my transformation had begun.

The theme of the AAGT conference was "Re-creation, Transforming the Field through the Processes of Gestalt Therapy." True to its word,, this conference was indeed transforming in many ways.

One of the highlights was on Saturday in one of the plenary sessions when Bud Feder shared with the whole conference that he had called a meeting the night before of all the past presidents. In that meeting a profound healing had taken place. Wounds that had been seeping and suppurating for years were lanced and the soothing balm hearing, talking, taking responsibility, apology and acknowledgment was poured on all the wounds. By the end of that historic meeting it was agreed that this body of past presidents would never allow any future president to feel unsupported again. Each past president shared some of how he /she had become the president and something of their journey. Bud Feder then handed Brian O’Neil the gavel and declared him new president of the AAGT. It was not again what happened that was so imactful. The process itself was organic and authentic and wholly Gestalt. The AAGT had indeed lost their mind and had at last come to their senses.

You know you have friends in high places with you are put into a process group like mine way. Lead by Charlie Bowman and co facilitated by Marylin Myles we met five times and I believe this formed the heart of the conference. Each time we got together we reconnected to each other, to our own process and to the conference. Each time we met took new risks in sharing and in offering our observations to each other.

So if the process groups were the heart of the conference, the soul was the ever evolving essence of Gestalt therapy and that was present in the quality of the presentations. Luckily for me and all who may have missed a presentation in Florida due can attend the Amsterdam Conference in 2005 and have a second chance. I know I intend to be there. Europe in August is a seductive idea but Europe in summer at the AAGT AGM conference is almost irresistible. Hopefully I’ll see you there.

Reflections by Charlie Bowman:

Under Bud's leadership, changes have occurred that he has nourished and allowed to unfold. One of these has been to engage differences and at the same time not hold onto conflict that is perpetual. The old notion of a split in the conference along the lines of professionalism, for instance, is really now a moot point. It is very clear that the conference this time was what people wanted. And while the argument was raging, people were in the background measuring feedback responses from the last conference, identifying CE requirements and planning this conference (and the last, too) based upon this feedback. As a result, a very satisfying, professional experience was had by most. The peer reviewed presentations were excellent and the plenary sessions allowed for maximum contact in multiple small groups to consider the significance of Gestalt therapy and theory in our world toady. Unquestionably professional and unsurpassed in community-building. These, as Phil Brownell pointed out years ago, are not polar!

For me, a major development at this conference was the gathering and subsequent meeting of the former Presidents of AAGT to provide suppor for the office and offer a resource to the leadership of the organization as a collective. I think this is an example of organizational stability. I do not believe the community, led by the past Presidents, will allow for grandstanding or beligerant attacks based upon differing ideologies or personalities to persist and damage the fabric, or Self, of the community. We are past simple statements like "appreciating differences," etc. The Covenent of Community, which is available at aagt.org, is a statement which I disregarded at first (a result of my own wounds in this community) which I now thoroughly embrace.

Sheila Bowland's current struggle on Gstalt-L (www.g-gej.org/gstalt-l) to identify who she met at the conference who is "important" is an outstanding testament to the respect paid the individuals making up this community. And, I think, with more support and involvement in the community as I experienced it at this conference, she may aptly conclude that it is indeed she who is important in our community! By the way, she got the word "icon" from me...referring to Stephen Tobin. I was referring to finally meeting a man whose writing I held in high regard, taught from, pushed against, etc. Maybe I could learn a lesson from Sheila, while maintaining my respect for Stephan!

There was much less concern with the quantity of participants in the workshops than there was the quality of the material presented. So, some of the sessions with 10 or fewer participants led to brilliant discussion and stimulating new ideas for me. There were somewhere between 40 and 50 peer reviewed presentations, several orientation and welcoming sessons for newcomers, a process-oriented business meeting that was extremely well attended, and a marathon group! The usual dance, auction and meals were fun, allowed us to meet in less-than-professional style, and were highlighted against the perfect backdrop -- the beaches of St. Petersburgh.

This sounds too much like an advertisement for AAGT Conferences! You can see that I really enjoyed myself. There were many newcomers and younger folks - really warmed my heart. Of course a lot of my old friends made it, and I missed many folks like Alan and Gary (and Bob, Malcolm, Sean, Liv, Rita, Gordon, Phil Lichtenberg and many more).

Finally, the Irish Interest Group reigned supreme, as usual. We set the record straight that Brian and myself were the founders and there was no one there to dispute the claim. Someone named Sean was mentioned as a founder, but that's all in the past now (;-) We inducted many, many new members, including folks from around the world, 2 waitresses, a bartender, two bikers and an elderly couple - all local participants glad to partake the festivities. Does this matter? Well, a Londoner sitting at the bar got his hackels up when he heard an Irishman (Brian) lead off with "God Save the Queen." By nights end he was joining us for songs from around the world, recognizing that differences need not make enemies. Of course, it didn't hurt that he rode a Harley and I had on one of my many "Live to Ride, Ride to Live" tee-shirts!

See you in Amsterdam, for the community meetings of 2005, or in Vancouver, for the next international conference in 2006!