Symposium 2023
The Fourth International Psychosynthesis Coaching Symposium
When: 09:00-18:00 Thursday 2nd March 2023
Where: NCVO, 8 All Saints Street, London, England, N1 9RL, London
Attendance: in-person
Price: £100 + VAT – Early bird tickets until 31 January: £80+ VAT
Ticketing: Eventbrite
Nearest station: Kings Cross
Below is the publicly available Symposium information: the agenda, session details, contributor details. You can download the brochure here: Brochure Symposium IV
Agenda – Thursday 2nd March 2023
09:00-9:30 | Arrivals & Registration Refreshments available |
09:30 – 11:00 | WELCOME: Aubyn – Context for the day, overview of sessions
Keynote Plenary : Alexandra Hatfield Presence Piece: Adrian Machon – The Inner Path of Healing & the Inspiration of Nature |
11.00 -12.30
|
WORKSHOPS 1 – sessions to choose from
Anne Welsh & Aubyn Howard – Dialogue between the sacred feminine and emergent masculine Maggie van den Heuvel – Using Art and Imagination in Coaching: a SoulCollage Perspective Margarita Steinberg – The Dance of Leadership |
12:30 -13:30 | Networking Lunch |
13:30 -14:15 | Adrian Machon – ‘This Work & The Precious Human Life’ |
14:15 – 15:45
|
WORKSHOPS 2 – sessions to choose from
Alexandra Hatfield – A taste of eco-psychosynthesis: I and Thou through the Mirror of Nature Harriet Hanmer – Exploring The Archetypal Feminine Leadership Anne Welsh – Seminar on Dark & Light Arrows |
15:45 – 16:00 | Networking Break |
16:00 – 17:15 | Jasenka Gojšić – World Cafe & Harvesting |
17:15-18:00
|
CLOSING: Aubyn Howard – Synthesis and Moving Forward
Including the new CPPD offering to the Community for 2023 |
Overview
The symposium this year will explore the place of embodiment, somatic experiencing, nature connection, creativity and soul in psychosynthesis coaching.
- How can embodied practice and somatic interventions help us to access deeper states of feeling, being and knowing?
- How can we work with nature as a teacher of systemic working and ally in nurturing regenerative leadership?
- How can we cultivate sovereignty and authentic creativity in ourselves and our clients?
- How can we synthesise such rich new learning and practices within a psychosynthesis context that supports working at greater depth as a coach?
- How can we connect our individual experiences of working in these ways to create a dynamic and vibrant source of collective intelligence?
Underlying the thread of our enquiry here is the recognition that the multi-level or meta crisis we are experiencing is ultimately a crisis of disconnection from self, other and natural world. And that leadership in this context requires a capacity for connection that spans the many dimensions of existing (body, feelings, mind, soul) and relating (to self, other and natural world).
In line with this year’s themes, the sessions will be dynamic and interactive and many will include embodied learning practices.
Session descriptions
Keynote Plenary – Alexandra Hatfield, Wild Rites
In 2015 Alex Hatfield and Jon Keen, two graduates of the Institute of Psychosynthesis, started to work with individuals and groups using a psychosynthesis influenced nature-based approach to self-realisation and actualisation – an eco-psychosynthesis. Seven years on, they have learnt a lot about working with Nature as a unifying centre and mirror to Self.
Through their many, varied clients, they have seen how the pursuit to become an ‘I’, a distinct individual, can result in the loss of connection to Nature and the whole, and they have witnessed the profound and growing call to move into deep empathy and belonging with each other and the natural world.
This keynote is an opportunity to hear the story of eco-psychosynthesis so far and to land in your own body and the body of this temporary community as we begin our time together at the symposium.
WORKSHOPS 1
Anne Welsh & Aubyn Howard – Dialogue between the sacred feminine and emergent masculine.
Anne and Aubyn will seek to facilitate a dialogue (in the large group and then smaller groups) between feminine and masculine voices or principles and how they speak in different ways to the challenges and crises we face in leadership, organisations and society today. Some sessions at this symposium are particularly seeking to help us connect with the sacred feminine and how to bring this more into our work and the world. As a counterpoint, Aubyn will articulate what he refers to as the emergent masculine voice which features prominently on the ‘sensemaking web’. As we engage in a liminal space, what higher principles or contexts can connect and create a new synthesis between these?
Maggie van den Heuvel, PhD – Using art and imagination in coaching: a Soulcollage perspective
In this brief workshop I will give a taster to a creative and transformational method of connecting to our inner world using our imagination and intuition: Soulcollage. Soulcollage® (developed by Seena Frost) is a self-discovery process that includes the creation of “collage-cards”. These soulcollage cards represent or are connected to parts of our psyche (e.g. subpersonalities) and our soul. Over time, the process will result in a deck of personal cards that can be used to tap into your intuitive wisdom, to heal and to transform. As such it is a powerful tool to support your self-development journey as a coach or therapist.
During this interactive workshop you’ll be introduced to the broader theory of using art, imagination and creative techniques in helping-relationships, as well as the theory behind Soulcollage and its link to Psychosynthesis. In addition, you will have the opportunity to make your first Soulcollage card and learn how to “read the card” from a Soulcollage perspective. I look forward to working with you.
Margarita Steinberg – The Dance of Leadership
This session will use Tango dance to explore how we lead and follow each other, and how we form a community by moving together. The embodied experience becomes a model for how we interact and negotiate – in workplace and personal relationships, in projects and in forging fruitful connections. This innovative format for embodied learning was first presented at the Active Learning Conference in 2019 at the University of Sussex, with a focus on applying this format as educators. You can read about it in Margarita’s chapter, ‘A Tango for Learning…’, part of the ‘Disrupting Traditional Pedagogy’ open-access book
WORKSHOPS 2
Alexandra Hatfield – A taste of eco-psychosynthesis: I and Thou through the Mirror of Nature
In becoming an ‘I’, a distinct individual, we can lose our connection to Nature and the whole. When we have a deep relationship with Nature it means we are less likely to treat the planet and each other as soulless objects. Nature also offers us very natural ways of regulating traumatised nervous systems. This experiential taster is an opportunity to find a thread of your story reflected in the mirror of Nature through engaging first hand in 3 eco-psychosynthesis processes, taking a Soulmaking Walk, participating in a Story Council and giving/receiving The Blessing Mirror. Part of this workshop includes solo time outside but local to the venue so please dress accordingly.
Harriet Hamner – Exploring the Archetypal Feminine
This session will explore how we can ’support the emergence of the archetypal feminine for transpersonal coaches and practice’. It will include:
- How the theme sits within a shadow-masculine patriarchy that has contributed to the denaturing of ourselves and our planet;
- Listening for and hearing the archetypal feminine
- Guided visualisation,
- Creativity through crafting,
- Nurturing community and connection,
- Inviting the inner masculine/Will to support the emergence of the feminine in coaching practice
Anne Welsh – Seminar on Dark & Light Arrows
Jasenka Gojšić – World Cafe
This session invites the whole group to explore our collective identity and value proposition to our clients and the world. Small group conversations will be facilitated according to the World Cafe method, inspired by the flow and experience of the day.
About the session leaders and contributors
Aubyn Howard
Aubyn Howard is the co-founder (with Paul Elliott) of Psychosynthesis Coaching Limited. Aubyn holds an MA in Psychosynthesis Psychology with the London Institute of Psychosynthesis and an MSc in Change Agent Skills and Strategies with the HPRG at Surrey University. He draws upon more than 30 years’ experience as an organisational consultant, facilitator, educator and coach, supporting transformational change and leadership development with leaders of all sizes of organisation, across many different sectors and national cultures. Certified Spiral Dynamics and NLP practitioner, APECS Accredited Executive Coach and a Psychosynthesis Coaching Supervisor. Author of two chapters in: The Call of Self, Psychosynthesis Life Coaching, Edited by Didi Firman (2018). Author of Psychosynthesis Leadership Coaching (2020).
www.psychosynthesiscoaching.co.uk
Bonny Tydeman
Bonny Tydeman is a psychosynthesis coach & facilitator. In her coaching work with individuals and groups, she focuses on connection to and expression of soul essence, drawing on a range of wisdom and techniques to help people answer the questions, ‘Who am I? Why am I here? & Where am I going?’ in a way that is dynamic and creative. Her background is in the creative industries, where she has worked as an art director, event producer and cultural curator and she is still committed to her own creative expression which currently takes the form of performance poetry. www.soul-beam.com
Adrian Machon
Adrian Machon has spent much of his working life in global businesses and running his own coaching business while in parallel living a less known life steeped in creative writing and its use in learning. His passion now sits with his creative work and within it the underlying underpinning of psychosynthesis beliefs, principles, and approaches. Both the pieces Adrian is sharing today come from a much larger body of work created by him called ‘From Surviving to Thriving – Stories of empowerment and inner leadership’. His deep interest is in how we continue to evolve in the epicentre of daily living, amid an exponentially faster-changing world with many challenges. His approach is to use a combination of natural image, evocative word, and music in the presentation of his work, and you will get a taster of this in each of the pieces shared at the Symposium. Each are designed to help arouse deeper personal reflective enquiry and realisation as we experience the day and begin to make meaning of all that we have learned. [email protected]
Anne Welsh
Anne Welsh. I have worked in the field of personal and professional development for over 30 years. Initially I trained in psychology and practiced as a psychotherapist. Alongside this practice I was operations director of a psychological training and development institute, training people in coaching, psychotherapy and counselling. In the last 10 years, I have specialised in executive coaching and have worked with clients across the globe.Since 2010 I have been training and supervising employees at GlaxoSmithKline in Job-Plus Coaching. Synthesis-in-the-city
Maggie van den Heuvel
Maggie van den Heuvel, PhD., works as an Assistant Professor in Work & Organizational Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. Her research focuses on how to build a happy, healthy, effective workforce able to proactively cope with change and adversity. Areas of expertise are positive psychology, job crafting, meaning-making, mindfulness, burnout and work engagement. Maggie also works across Europe in the field supporting leadership and team development via her company Art of Work. Maggie is a certified Mindfulness and ACT trainer and has completed training in Gestalt and Psychosynthesis therapy. Artistic interests include singing in a band and making bronze sculptures. Maggie believes that everyone is an artist and that using one’s creativity is a direct route to well-being and flourishing. https://www.linkedin.com/in/mvandenh/
Alexandra Hatfield
Alexandra Hatfield is a psychosynthesis therapist, coach, wilderness guide and co-founder of Wild Rites – an organisation dedicated to providing meaningful personal transformation in Nature including Vision Quest in the UK. She has been creating ceremony, rites of passage and initiatory experiences for 20+ years. Her particular passion is designing and leading events based in the mytho-poetic. She is a lover of the earth and is helping the corporate world make the energy transition happen so we can collectively achieve net zero in line with the Paris agreement. www.wildrites.uk
Harriet Hamner
Harriet Hamner is a psychologist specialising in leadership and organisational development, and has a particular passion for combining this with the magic of equine guided learning. She is an experienced facilitator of group work, in particular for women, and is passionate about supporting the emergence of the evolving feminine. She has a Masters in Leadership and Organsiational Development and has completed the psychosynthesis psychotherapy at the Institute of Psychosynthesis, where she is now part of the faculty and a coaching supervisor. www.equilibrium-partners.com
Margarita Steinberg
Margarita Steinberg is a Money Psychology, Prosperity and Leadership Coach. She’s a TEDx speaker and an author on educational practice. Margarita earned her PGC in Leadership Coaching with Psychosynthesis Psychology in 2018. Her previous experiences teaching Argentine Tango and in the wellness space as a Shiatsu and Oriental Medicine practitioner add extra dimensions to her practice, which she shares at her workshops and in publications. byheart.co.uk
Jasenka Gojšić
Jasenka Gojšić is a consultant, teacher, mentor, and facilitator of transformational learning. She is a proponent of the Art of Hosting and Solution-focused cultures; a member of the Association for the Advancement of Psychosynthesis and a founding member of the European Psychosynthesis Association. Jasenka holds an MA in Psychosynthesis Leadership and Organisational Coaching from the London Institute of Psychosynthesis. http://www.isoropia.hr