ICPIT Newsletter 2005

After the congress in Strasbourg, organized by Claude and Eliane, we held our 2005 ICPIT annual Convention in the Vosges mountains (La Bresse in La Chant de la Source). Fall was late in arriving, so even in late October we had the splendor of changing colors. The following were present: Henne Arnold Verschuren (Holland), Eliane Jung (France), Dirk Marivoet (Belgium), Niall O'Siochan (Germany), Jack Painter (U.S. and Italy), Claude Vaux (France), Silke Ziehl (England and Germany), Rosa Maria Sevilla (Mexico).
Rosa Maria presided. First we mapped out our program: 1) country reports, report from ICPIT officers, 2) update of EAP application, 4) update on web presence (ICPIT, ICEIT, ACIP - association psychocorporal Integration), update on lists of practitioners, 3) election of officers, 4) confirmation of constitutional change, 5) relationship between ICPIT and ICEIT, 6) closure of bank account, 7) new trainer.

Country Reports: Jack: I have continued to work on two continents, the US and Europe. In the U.S. the workshops I give three times a year are Energetic Integration but with a Tantric focus. In Italy I am offering a PI training in Rimini with 15 new participants, 3 trainers and 5 assistants. This Training has helped bring different parts of Italy together: Francesco has brought a contingent of students from Sicily and Massimo from Milano is giving PI and the Transpersonal. We have assistants from both Italy and Austria, with Gilberto Bianci doing a great job of organizing. I have also during the last four years been giving a training in EI and a number of students are almost ready for certification. In addition with the help of Carmine I have offered training in EI and Pelvic-Heart with ASPIC a counseling and psychotherapy institute in Rome.
Elisabeth and Margot are assistants in Austria. Practitioners and assistants are doing a great job keeping both EI and PI growing there. We are finishing training in Pelvic-Heart Integration and there is a lot of interest for a PI training next year. We are in contact with Kahdira and his team in Salzburg where they offer PI sessions, but at present are not doing a training.
I have enjoyed supporting other trainings in Europe: in Belgium with Dirk, in Holland with Arnolt, in France with Claude and Eliane, in England with Silke. In England I gave the Advanced training, organized by Silke. In keeping with our new policy, the second part of the work was optional and not part of a practitioner training but a study in sexual energy.

Silke: I have been working with Niall in the PI German training. It is now finished and the students are working toward certification. One post-training workshop was held, but a new one didn't happen.
A german group, Peraselsus, is interested in us creating a one year training. But after this year, the students can perhaps continue with Bernhard in a PI training. I will consider teaching EI in Germany, if there are enough people later, and the PI people can go to Bernhard. In England I finished a four year training in PI - including supervision. 16 people may get certified. Maybe two first year groups can now come together in a PI training group of 12-14. In England I have already advertised for the first year of an EI training next year. Sean will be my backup for the EI training. Next year, I'll be running three trainings simultaneously. So finally I'm doing even more work in my retirement. I need to organize my space so that I can go away sailing with David, so I don't have to do so many trainings.

Dirk: In my private practice I have lots of individual PI and EI sessions. These are more and more supervision sessions. My Bioenergetics groups are continuing - weekly groups. I have set up a new basic training which students take before starting the PI training. I am considering organizing EI training in another format. Presently I have 8 students, finishing their second year. In the pipeline I have a plan to change the hours of the training, organizing a one day afternoon-evening group which lasts a year. I haven't tested this formula yet. But it may be good for the Flemish part of Belgium. I do a variety of groups in centers for mental health (two weekends) or in school (adolescence), using body oriented activity, a kind of development education. Another project I have in the mental center is weekly to host 14-16 year olds who come from difficult families. I have been teaching PI in Holland where there are no PI trainers. For the moment Dutch students who want to train in PI are referred to Belgium by Arnolt. I continue to serve as the Secretariat for ICPIT. I refer people to other countries, quite a few from Europe, even from Asia.

Eliane and Claude. Each year we begin a new training group for becoming a psychocorporal therapist. Taking all the year levels of students together, we have 60 students. The students can see what they have to do each year of the training. After graduation they can join the Association Européenne de Therapeutes Psychocorporelle et Relationelle, AETPR, a group from France, Belgium, Italy, Switzerland and Germany. This group is connected with the FFdP, Federation Francaise de Psychothérapie. AETPR organized the congress which ICPIT trainers attended with some making presentations. We are on the commission to allow for European Certificate of Psychotherapy, ECP. Claude is Vice president and member of the board of FFdP. We want to give people who are trained in PI the chance to be accepted as psychotherapists.
In Strasbourg we do individual supervision and group supervision - psychocorporal for psychotherapists. The law in France now requires some training in psychopathology, so we also give a training for psychopathology, one year extra, after graduation. We cooperate with teachers who also give the medical dimension of psychopathology - depression, psychosis, neurosis, addiction, pathology of sexuality. For ourselves we try to follow a schedule of 7 months of work and 5 months vacation in our Cogolin apartment, near San Tropez.
Our overall goal is to train body psychotherapists. We have integrated previously separated PI and Gestalt training. (Here there was a discussion in the Council of the difficulty of the doing psychotherapeutic work when there is also a long and difficult program of deep tissue work. Eliane talks of the negotiation process with the client -- getting agreement from the client to do the work). Also note that we work deep in the training but teach the students to go more gradually with their clients. (Jack recognizes our need to go gradually, but when we are working so gradually with the models, the students don't quickly enough arrive at the point where the models are ready for proper integration). Eliane wonders if “Integration II” is needed after graduation, along with further work on clients. We also use mother and father association with different parts of the body. First year is gestalt. Session 1 is motivation, 2 is mother, 7 is father, 3 is choice and conflict. Third year students work with sexuality - sessions, 4, 5 and 6. In session 5 we work with puberty and adult sexuality. (Jack here points out that the idea of development of child and family life is also a part of energetic development).

Niall: I am doing personal re-assessment and will be pausing for a year or so. In Germany I'm noticing that clients and practitioners are paying more attention to whether the therapy form they work with has some kind of recognition as a method. Students are reluctant to begin a training if they can't be sure the training will ultimately lead them to achieve practice recognition with their local health authority. It is also noticeable that through TV and radio publicity the public is becoming more attuned to different kinds of therapy and which will best give them what they are in need of. There has been much negative publicity about therapeutic conduct - especially subtle forms of abuse often overseen in the past, such as where a female therapist might seductively bring the client into their private lives on a friendship level. The public is becoming more educated into what to watch out for. In the future I plan how to offer my own trainings in my place rather than travelling and co-training. Learning new therapeutic approaches are important for my work, also how much time and space I devote to bodywork or to psychotherapeutic work.

Rosa Maria: There are three trainers in Mexico: Blanca Rosa, G. Mendosa and myself. I've been somewhat burnt out and had stopped my trainings - two years ago. Now I'm better and more active. I have started offering my psychoaroma therapy. I began a small EI training, and I'm also giving an individual training in EI. I have almost finished this EI training with my colleague who will give sessions to students and I will be free to supervise and teach. I want to give more to my graduates - for example by inviting Jack.
I was born in the Mayan part of Mexico and I'm fascinated by the Mayan calendars. There is one ritual calendar for the development of the soul -- 13 moons in one year, but also a solar calendar of 365 days. They had a very special astrology. According to your birth you have an essence. The child gets a special name and a guide (another solar symbol). You also have your unique purpose, your challenge and service of this purpose. This is your plan for life and includes how you transcend its details and relate to the whole.
I was touched see my own chart. I'm on the right track. I found working with the new moon is working with my shadow, the dark side (unconscious). The waxing half moon is half conscious. But the full moon is too much - filled with 24 hours of painting, writing etc. I took my own chart to my therapist. I would like to do this calendar with my clients. And I have already done two groups working with this approach. I work with them the whole night. I use Mayan symbols and integrating bodywork, including the energetic cycle. Two in the morning is the high point, then we come down by seven. We join to integrate. They don't realize totally what has happened until they go home. Later I look with them at their calendar. I find there are different issues in different workshops - essence, purpose, etc. The work is fluid but there is a lot of resistance. For example, I worked with a client and the monkey symbol, a symbol covered with markings. Later he said “Now I know I have been confused about who I am. I have been covering my essence my whole life. I want to be clear and follow my essence.”

Arnolt. Thanks for admitting me to ICPIT. (Arnold was grandfathered in as a EI Trainer, since he had taken many special courses for trainers which we offered at Trimurti years ago and since he has been working as an assistant in the Dutch Bodymind for many years). Last year there was financial bankruptcy of Rashma's Bodymind Integration. Now we have restarted as Bodymind Opleidingen. We have a team of 6 teachers for different types of subjects - bioenergetics, psychodrama, etc. We work as a team and plan together around establishing the training. The Instiute became very fragmented, but now we have set up a very clear educational program. We noticed that the previous program of change from the first two years to the third year has been too much for many students. Now we have only the first year as preparatory (they can also do the work elsewhere). In the second year the training starts, third year there are models. First year is “who am I,” second “you and the other” (other people in the training, or give and take), third year “developing the therapist with group supervision” (change). There has been a problem of the learning therapist (special therapists for the students) becoming the student's supervisor. (In france this is done separately: therapist and supervisor for student are different). And now in Hollland the therapist and group supervisor are different. Fourth year is: “therapeutic relationship and object relations.”
For this we use Steve Johnson's model rather than the Lowen model -- Lowen in first two years and Johnson in the last two. The student can begin in fourth year with supervison and models - 6 days of group supervision before certification. During supervision, the student brings a report of work with models and plays client and therapist. They have to do two clients in a series of 15 sessions. They can also do 25 hours of assisting and 25 hours leading a group. They can choose to do only individual work or also choose to do group work. On the certificate it is noted that they are qualified for group work. Most want to do group work.
I am only an Energetic Trainer, not a PI Trainer. We tried to organize a PI Training but it didn't work. Maybe in the future. The Dutch Association of Body Oriented psychotherpy is related to EABP which is the umbrella for NVPITea (Dutch Association for Postural Integration Therapists and others). We want to focus on the EI training - a year ago we announced PI training, but now that is too much for us. We hear that other institutes are losing, we think our focus has allowed us to get a full first year.
Insurance companies pay for sessions but it is less and less. Our rating is high. We are grooming members of the team to become trainers, and I would like for Marjolijne, one of our assistants, to come in my place next year to report on Holland. We also want to do workshops in family constellation and spiritually - not as part of the training program but in the institute.
Note: In our general discussion an article by Bessel van der kolk about neurological work with trauma was recommended.

Marc, Robert, Massimo, Martyne, Marie-Louise, Beverley. They all sent letters of their regrets for not being able to be present and wished us well with our meeting.

Sepp. Sepp wrote us that due to other commitments he could no longer serve as a PI Trainer.

Update on EAP application from Claude and Eliane

This is about Postural Integration and Energetic Integration as Psychotherapies. In each country - there are 41-there is a NAO (National Organization), for example, FFdeP (Federation Francaise de Psychotherapie) in France. All the NAO's in EAP (European Association of Psychotherapy) offer the ECP certificate (European Certificate of Psychotherapy). In Holland the Dutch Assiciation for Psychotherapy offers the certificate. After 5 years in offering trainings you can ask your NAO to issue the certificate.
Eliane is a member of the commission to approve the ECP certificate in France. This commission approves, not the method, but whether you are a good psychotherapist. The protocol of questions is on the site of FFdeP.
EAP central committee now is creating standards for institutes. There is a procedure for approval of the individual institute through EAPTI. Then the local institutes can give the ECP certificate. First stage of process is accreditation of an institute by the NAO which sends two inspectors (claude and eliane were ok). Second step is accreditation by your EWAO European wide organization. There are 6 accredited institutes in france. In the third stage the method (bodypsychotherapy, gestalt) has to be approved by NAO.
In our application it is important that we dissociate from Richard Meyer since there was a criticism from the assessor. Jack has done this in his revision of the discussion of the Somatic Congress in San Francisco.
Note from Jack: Claude and Eliane want to keep the response to the 15 questions sent to the EAP. And Jack wants to change the response part dealing with the origins of Psychocoporal Integration and also to change our websites to include the below statement as well as more detailed descriptions of the methods.
This following (1.Bodymind Integration and also 2. The International Center for Release and Integration) will appear on just my website but other trainers may use parts of it as they see fit. For those doing Psychocorpal Integration see the next section.

1.BODYMIND INTEGRATION
Bodymind Integration is an extraordinarily powerful approach to personal transformation. Its unusual effectiveness comes from the simultaneous use of deep connective tissue massage, energetic release through breathing , expressive movement and the opening of feelings and attitudes held in our bodyminds. All these ways of working with the individual are used in the below approaches, although each approach has a different focus.
Postural Integration (PI), through deep bodywork, softens connective tissue
Energetic Integration (EI) supports the flow of our energy
The Heart in Sexuality, as a specialization of EI, helps us connect our love and desire
Rhythmic Fitness is a complete method for physical exercise
Bodymind Drama opens us to the expression of new inner and outer choices
Advanced Somatic Centering offers techniques for releasing and integrating the core dimension of our bodymind
Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration Psychotherapy (PPI) and Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration Psychotherapy (PEI) are forms of PI and EI offered by specially trained psychotherapists.

2. THE INTERNATIONAL CENTER FOR RELEASE & INTEGRATION
450 Hillside Avenue
Mill Valley, CA 94941

The International Center for Release and Integration is a world wide organization cooperating with centers and institutes in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Australia, England, France, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Belgium and Holland. Jack Painter, Ph.D. its founder, is originator of several methods of self-discovery and self-learning in which our bodies, thoughts and feelings are integrated, grounded and transformed.
An approach developed by the International Center in collaboration with an international team of bodyworkers and body psychotherapists, “Bodymind Integration,” generally refers to two different types of bodymind healing: 1) self-discovery and self-learning, and 2) body psychotherapy.
Bodymind self-discovery and self-learning includes two methods: a) Postural Integration and b) Energetic Integration which were created by Jack Painter and further developed by a team of international trainers, The International Council of Psychocorporal Integration Trainers, ICPIT (www.psychocorporalintegration.info).
A number of the Trainers in ICPIT are body psychotherapists and have also developed two methods which are forms of body psychotherapy: a) Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration (PPI) and b) Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration (PEI). Since Jack Painter is not a psychotherapist, he does not practice these psychotherapeutic methods but has consulted in their development with the psychotherapists on the team of Trainers. (www.psychocorporalintegration.info/bodypsychotherapy) .
The International Center in Mill Valley, directed by Jack Painter, offers Bodymind Integration as self-learning and self discovery. Its methods are given as individual sessions, guided by practitioners and may be introduced in demonstrations or workshops. There are also programs for training practitioners. Visit ICPIT (www.psychocorporalintegration.info/trainers) for an international list of active trainers and their schedules of trainings.

The International Center also offers other programs of self-healing, Rhythmic Fitness and Bodymind Drama which are not part of the ICPIT programs

(The following will not appear on my website since it involves a discussion of Psychocorporal Integration, which I do not offer, but this can be used in answering the 15 questions from EAP or in statements that Psychocorporal Integrators want to use on their sites.)

Bodymind Integration and Body Psychotherapy

“Bodymind Integration” generally refers to different kinds of healing: 1) two non-psychotherapeutic methods, Postural Integration and Energetic Integration (see www.posturalintegration.info and www.energeticintegration.info ) and also to 2) two body psychotherapeutic methods, Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration and Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration (see www.psychocorporalintegration.info/bodypsychotherapy.
Origins of Bodymind Integration as body psychotherapy. In the late 60’s Dr. Jack Painter, (Ph.D. graduate from Emory University), who was a professor philosophy at the University of Miami, in Florida, explored the unity of body and mind through academic and personal research. His study and experience of existentialism, zazen and yoga led him to work with the body. He also received many individual sessions in bodywork in Rolfing, Shiatsu and Connective Tissue Massage (CTM). And through this learning and discovery he developed Postural Integration and Energetic Integration as concrete and active forms of a bodymind philosophy in which working with the tissues and energy of the body brings both corporal and cognitive transformation.
He developed this method as a non-psychotherapeutic approach to philosophic growth and self-healing in which the practitioner acknowledges the client’s process of self-learning and self-exploration without the practitioner making psychotherapeutic interventions. Dr. Painter has made clear that Postural Integration and Energetic Integration are not in-themselves, psychotherapeutic methods, but that they open the way for clients to work with their psychotherapists. Dr. Painter, while opening his own body and energy with the Postural Integration and Energetic Integration techniques he developed, received separate therapy sessions in Gestalt and Reichian work with Marty Fromm, Fritz Pearls, Raffaele Estrada Villa and Peter Levine.
As Dr. Painter offered trainings in the 70’s and 80’s many of his students were psychotherpists and naturally their interest was to use Postural Integration and Energetic Integration in the context of a psychotherapeutic process. This need has led several of his graduates, who are also trainers of practitioners, to use the basic philosophic principles of Postural Integration and Energetic Integration (see below, e.g., the unity of body-mind and the energetic flow as the basis of this unity) to create the body psychotherapy methods: Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration and Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration. The trainers saw the need for separate methods, not to be confused with Postural Integration and Energetic Integration. They have collaborated in the development of these new methods and have also worked to help make clear the boundaries between the non-psychotherapeutic and psychotherapeutic work.
Clearly the psychotherapeutic work of Bodymind Integration involves issues such as the process of transference, diagnosis, character structure and psychopatholgy which are not part of the Postural Integration or Energetic Integration methods in which practitioners work with the clients’ bodymind attitudes but are taught not to therapeutically intervene.” (More specific descriptions of Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration and Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration are naturally needed on the website of each practitioner and on our Council website).

Report from ICPIT officers

Dirk: Dirk has an active practitioners list on the website - all the people who responed throught the website. We need to announce in this newletter the need for practitioners to register with Dirk. ICPIT new name for council show self-learning on one side, body psychotherapy on the other with clicks to PI and EI and then PPI (Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration) and EIP (Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration).

Discussion of Pelvic-Heart Integration. Claude and Eliane were concerned about Jack's use of the phrase “Pelvic-Heart”, considering some of the negative comments of some European therapists about pelvic work. Jack proposed to keep Pelvic-Heart Integration separate from Psychocorporal Integration and ICPIT. But some felt that as long as the name appears connected to Jack, it will also be connected to the members of the council. The alternative suggestion was that “The Heart in Sexuality” could be a specialized part of Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration. Jack is willing to try this but the problem is that one group of students is being trained in “Pelvic-Heart Integration” and the term is in wide use because of workshops already given. More discussion is needed.

Election of officers. Hearty thanks was given to Rosa Maria for serving as our President. The Emu (big bird like ostrich) Caller was given to us by Robert from Australia. We use it to call in our new President. Eliane Jung became our new president and Silke remains vice president. And as usual Dirk stays as the Secretary/Treasurer and Jack as the Editor.
In our discussion of our new language -- Bodymind, Bodymind Psychotherapy. Psychocorporal Integration, Psychotherapeutic Postural Integration, Psychotherapeutic Energetic Integration, Heart in the Pelvis Energetic Integration Psychotherapy, etc. - it became important for us to create committees led by coordinators and post these on our website:
Bodymind Psychotherapy Committee: Coordinator Claude, members -- Dirk, Silke, Rosa Maria, Arnolt, Carmine, Massimo, Bernard and Sean.
Bodymind Self-Development: Coordinator Beverly - members - members are Niall, Jack, Martyne, Robert, Bruno.
Ethics: Arnold, Sean, Eliane, Silke, Niall, Jack
Coordinator for Bodymind Self-Development Ethics: Niall
Coordinator for Bodymind Psychotherapy Ethics: Silke

Update on web presence. Marco sent word that our ICPIT site should have clearer choices and links. After some discussion it was proposed that choices on the first page should include Bodymind Integration as a general category, then Self-Development or Body Psychotherapy. Each of these latter two being broken down into appropriate sub-categories.

New Trainers. . Greg has finished his requirements, except he seems unclear that he needs to appear before ICPIT-ICEIT and his Trainer paper needs more work. Marjolijne will represent Arnolt at the next meeting. She is an assistant, so she can become clear on what will be further required of her to become a trainer.

New Practitioner: Doris Guidon, from Switzerland, took special work with Jack in the London Advanced Training. She needs to write a five page paper, elaborating the differences between Energetic Integration Release and Integration - body, breath and emotional work.
We need to oversee any students who were working with Achim, In the next meeting we will discuss what qualifies one as a Bodymind Integration Psychotherapist..

Future Meetings. The meeting in 2006 will be September 10, 2pm at Giulia Agriturismo in Gallese, Italy (one hour north of Rome). Dirk will organize our Council meeting September 24-27, 2007