Self in Exile - Psyche, Healing and Sense of Place

ASSISI INSTITUTE Summer Conference

Self in Exile - Psyche, Healing and Sense of Place July 20 -27, 2010
on the Island of Procida, Italy in the Bay of Naples

There is something profound about finding one's special place. We become transfixed by its power, charm and magic. The beautiful island of Procida is just such a site, and home to our 2010 Summer Conference. The oldest island in the Bay of Naples, Procida maintains its charm as an Italian fishing village, and with its scenic panoramas and unique Mediterranean architecture, the island has served as the setting for several films, including Il Postino, a story of the exiled poet, Pablo Neruda.

Throughout history, humanity has recognized the power of place, and has designated certain locations throughout the world as sacred sites. While we have always known the transformative power of place, contemporary researchers are discovering a physiological relationship between place, well-being, and healing. So too, we find that while connection to a place can be transformative, exile and estrangement create a loss of Self, a sense of rootlessness in the psyche, and a longing for one's place - in both the inner and outer world. Our faculty for this program, all leading thinkers and artists, will explore this theme from a truly trans-disciplinary perspective. We hope you can join us on the island of Procida for this special event.

Conference Faculty

MICHAEL CONFORTI, Ph.D. is a pioneer in the field of matter-psyche studies. He is Founder and President of the Assisi Institute, a Jungian analyst, and has taught at the C.G. Jung Institute-Boston, and the C.G. Jung Foundation of New York. Dr. Conforti lectures widely in the U.S. and abroad, including in Italy, Denmark, the Caribbean, Canada, Venezuela, and at the C.G. Jung Institute-Zurich. In addition to his clinical practice, he consults to organizations including the film industry, helping to identify archetypal patterns. He is the author of Field, Form and Fate and Threshold Experiences: The Archetype of Beginnings.

EREL SHALIT, Ph.D. is a Jungian psychoanalyst in Ra'anana, Israel, author and lecturer. He is a training and supervising analyst, and past President of the Israel Society of Analytical Psychology. He serves as liaison of the International Association of Analytical Psychology with the Jung Society of Bulgaria. He has been active in the peace movement, and is a member of The Council for Peace and Security. He is the author of numerous books and articles including: Requiem: A Tale of Exile and Return (2010), Enemy, Cripple & Beggar: Shadows in the Hero's Path (2008), and The Complex: Path of Transformation from Archetype to Ego (2002).

ESTHER STERNBERG, M.D. was on the faculty at Washington University, St. Louis, MO before joining the National Institutes of Health in 1986. Currently she is the Chief of the Section on Neuroendocrine Immunology and Behavior. Dr. Sternberg is internationally recognized for her discoveries in brain-immune interactions and the brain's stress response in diseases including arthritis: the science of the mind-body interaction. She publishes numerous scientific articles, reviews and textbook chapters and has authored two popular books: The Balance Within: The Science Connecting Health and Emotions and Healing Spaces: The Science of Place and Well-being (2009). Her PBS special, The Science of Healing, introduces viewers to the science behind the brain's role in healing.

GIOIA TIMPANELLI Often called the 'Dean of American Storytelling', Gioia Timpanelli is considered one of the world's foremost storytellers. Winner of two Emmy Awards, she has also won the prestigious Women's National Book Association Award for bringing the oral tradition to the American public. She has performed her improvisational telling of ancient and modern stories with other respected masters - James Hillman, Joseph Campbell, Robert Bly, Nor Hall, and Gary Snyder. She is one of the founding members of the New York Storytelling Center in New York City. Her latest book is called What Makes A Child Lucky.

Optional Seminars
Reality of the Psyche

Michael Conforti will be leading an optional case seminar on Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. In this colloquium, Dr. Conforti will present clinical and theoretical illustrations of archetypal pattern analysis, and will examine the workings of complexes and archetypes. This small seminar is a unique opportunity to explore ways of applying Jung's symbolic approach to psyche in psychotherapy and organizational consultation. This program is open to anyone attending the full conference. We hope you can join us for these special presentations. Seminar Fee: $100 per session. Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

Writing from the Soul - An Archetypal Perspective on Literature, Poetry and Film Script Writing

While all stories are written from a personal perspective, they also depict humanity's encounters with the Self. Universal themes such as love, fidelity, loss and joy, while part of our collective experience, are recounted by writers in a myriad of ways. Stories are deeply enriched when viewed from the perspective of their relationship with these eternal, archetypal dramas. Writers who understand that their inspiration comes from the Self, are more profoundly connected to this greater life, which then finds expression in their stories.

These workshops will help participants learn to discern the presence of the archetypal processes and universal motifs in their stories, and how to create an archetypally coherent narrative. Marie-Louise von Franz has called archetypes "nature's constants", as are the archetypal underpinnings of all stories. Workshop members will have the opportunity to share their writing with the group.

We hope that you will join us for this special opportunity to work with Jungian analyst and film script consultant, Michael Conforti and filmmaker Gregory O'Connor, founder of Solaris Entertainment. Michael and Gregory have worked together on the film Pride and Glory, and are set to begin a new film project based on Simon Weisenthal's book, Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness. Together, Michael and Gregory bring image and symbol to a new level of understanding, and make a major contribution to the world of literature and film. $100 per session.

Thursday and Sunday afternoons.

Conference Details
Conference Fee: $2395

Conference fee includes:- Tuition- Round-trip chartered bus and ferry from Rome to Procida- 7 nights accommodations (based on double occupancy)- Breakfast daily- Three dinners with local wines- Administrative fees- Pre-conference reading packet

Taxes and gratuities: $95Single room supplemental fee: $400.Optional Case Colloquia: $100 per session

Registration: $500 deposit is required at time of registration. Cancellations received prior to May 1 receive a refund less $250 per person. Before June 1, 50% will be refunded. No refunds after this date.

Travel Arrangements Conference tuition includes ground transportation from and to the Rome airport. We suggest contacting our travel agent, The Travel Loft at 888.843.5638 to ensure that your flight coincides with these arrangements.

For more information or to register, please contact the Assisi Institute at 802.254.6220 or Assisi@together.net

http://www.assisiconferences.com/

Continuing Education Credits

This conference is co-sponsored by the National Association for the Advancement of Psychoanalysis and the Assisi Institute. NAAP is approved by the American Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. The conference will carry 20 Continuing Education Units. The optional case colloquium will carry 2 Continuing Education Units per-day. NAAP maintains responsibility for the program. Full attendance is required at each presentation to receive credit. Fee is $10 per day for the main conference, and $5 per day for the case colloquium.

Please note: A limited number of partial scholarships are available for students and senior citizens. Also, if you are unable to attend the entire program, please contact the office at the Assisi Institute, as a limited number of seats are available for single-day registrations. In the event of illness or emergency, all rights are reserved to make faculty substitutions.