Welcome to Sydney! The 6th World Congress for Psychotherapy (WCP2011), will be held in Sydney, Australia from 24-28 August 2011. The Congress will feature internationally renowned psychotherapists, representing different fields of psychotherapy, counselling, and related disciplines. A number of oral and poster presentations, invited symposia and workshops are currently being planned for the Congress. Invitation While the interconnectedness of the modern world has given rise to the phenomenon known as “the global village”, we are a long way from appropriate recognition and understanding across the many cultural divides that shape the richness and diversity of humanity. At times overwhelmed by this diversity, we are all still aware of our common humanity and shared environment. The intention of psychotherapy has always been to find forms of communication, expression and understanding that allow non-violent resolution of conflicts and the emergence of the individual human spirit. Many Indigenous Australians say that the capacity to hold in mind a living connection with the environment has been integral to the culture of “The Dreaming” that has been sustained for more than 40,000 years. Arguably this worldview reflects a form of human life in relative balance with its surround. The Indigenous vision is ancient but may contain something relevant to the needs of humanity in the new millennium. One of the oldest living cultures in the world today may be in a special position to share knowledge about the continuity of human experience across the ages. We also see the pain of traditional cultures struggling to adapt to the modern world and the need for all peoples to recognize this struggle as their own. Psycho-analysis and psychotherapy have given attention to dreaming as a path to the understanding of self. The impact of interpersonal trauma upon our capacity to think and dream is profound. Trauma impacts individuals, communities and cultures. It reverberates across generations with devastating effects on identity and well-being. Responding to trauma does not simply involve the recognition of brute facts: it involves the recognition and animation of human encounters through the imaginative elaboration, between people, of new ways of being together, of playing, and of working together. This is World Dreaming. You are cordially invited to participate in the World Dreaming experience. Anthony Korner, Hosts
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