Workshop - Kibbutz Ein Gedi, Israel

 5-8 March 2009

The Israeli Institute of Group Analysis is planning to hold an international workshop for professionals from Israel and around the world on 5-8 March 2009, at Kibbutz Ein Gedi, ISRAEL, by the Dead Sea near Masada.
The workshop will deal with the emotional world of individuals, groups and societies; it will explore issues related to hard feelings and to our ability to process and transform them into constructive communication.

The title of the workshop is:

KNOW  HARD  FEELINGS      A bridge over troubled waters     From the Lowest Point on Earth to Growth and Expansion

The aim of the workshop is to explore the "affective matrix" in which individuals and societies exist, and to enhance our awareness of the impact that covert and overt emotional experiences have on our lives.
We assume the existence of an "affective matrix" that consists of  "areas of vulnerability" which define and shape the nature of the inter-personal and inter-cultural discourse in any given situation.

These "areas of vulnerability", whether conscious or unconscious, delineate the boundaries of the individual's ability to maintain relationships of partnership and co-existence; it may hinder communication, obstruct mutual understanding, and at times may even be destructive and generate cycles of distancing and hostilities.

Following is a partial list of the  emotions, whose combinations may create "areas of vulnerability": neediness, love, hate, jealousy, competitiveness, envy, vindictiveness, pettiness, shame, obstinacy, joy, sadness, despair, helplessness, inferiority, guilt, gratitude, generosity, kindliness, tenderness and others.

As mentioned, the workshop's aim is to improve our ability to identify the emotional "areas of vulnerability", to understand their meaning and implications and to transform them into positive energy; we believe this process facilitates communication between individuals and groups in conflicts and helps to create a climate of rapprochement, conciliation and cooperation.

Miriam Berger and Suzi Shoshani
The Chair-Persons
Israeli Institute of Group Analysis

 Kibbutz Ein Gedi, an oasis in the heart of the Dead Sea desert region
Get more information about the accommodation and Ein Gedi,

The workshop will take place at Kibbutz Ein Gedi, a.k.a. "Ein Gedi Country" – a gem on the shores of the Dead Sea and at the foot of the Judean mountains, in one of the most beautiful spots in the world: the David and Arugot Streams, the Ein Gedi Springs, with its botanical garden, the background of the desert landscape and next to Masada.
The term "Ein Gedi Country" expresses the uniqueness of the location, which is characterized by a wonderful combination of contrasts: barren desert next to a spectacular botanical garden, a very salty sea alongside fresh-water springs and streams – harmony between the inanimate, nature, flora, fauna and man – a place where we can deal with the assortment of emotions (contrasts) within us, a place where we can meet different nations, cultures and religions.