The interconnectedness of the modern world has resulted in an expansion of the horizon of awareness of individuals and communities. This has given rise to the phenomenon that has become known as “the global village”. We are a long way, however, from appropriate recognition and communicative exchange across the many cultural and geographic divides that shape the richness and diversity of humanity.
We are at times overwhelmed by this diversity and wonder at the apparent incompatibilities and conflicts. Yet we are all simultaneously aware, however vaguely, of our common humanity and the commonalities we share in relation to our environment. At the individual level the intention of psychotherapy has always been to find forms of communication, expression and understanding that allow non-violent resolution of individual and interpersonal problems 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 that informs our day-to-day lives and actions 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 interpersonal and environmental surround. In contrast many modern cultures seem to lack such balance.
The Indigenous vision is ancient but perhaps contains something relevant to the needs of humanity in the new millennium. The oldest living culture in the world today may be in a special position to share knowledge about the continuity of human experience across the ages. In Australasia we see the pain of cultures struggling to adapt to the modern world. It is reasonable to expect that all peoples recognize this struggle as their own. The pain and struggle of modern urban dwellers to be in touch with the emotional basis of life is evident in the widespread phenomenon of alienation in our communities.
In the modern era psycho-analysis and psychotherapy have often 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 can impact on individuals, communities and cultures. It can reverberate across generations with a potent impact on identity and history. 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.
WCP Sydney 2011 will encompass “Dreaming and Culture”, “Development and Diversity”, “Trauma and Healing” and “Visions for the Future of Psychotherapy”.Those interested in attending the congress are invited to submit abstracts of papers for inclusion in the program of the 6th World Congress for Psychotherapy (WCP) to be held at the Sydney Convention Centre, Darling Harbour, Sydney from 24th – 28th August, 2011. Psychotherapists from all disciplines and theoretical orientations are invited to submit abstracts of no more than 250 words. There will be both oral and poster presentations. Most oral presentations will be of 20-30 minutes duration, although there will be a category of workshop presentations that could be of longer duration (up to 90 minutes). There will also be a special category for consumer presentations. Submissions can be made via the website,
wcp2011.org
