The heart awakens

For arts therapists, students of arts therapies, physicians, medical students, psychotherapists, teachers

Dear Colleagues,

We warmly invite you to our 24th International Study Days for Anthroposophic Arts Therapies in Dornach from 11 to 14 January 2024! Our conference will begin one week later than in previous years.

We will start with a new three-year cycle on the special challenges of our time at the different stages of life.

In 2024, we will begin with the first three seven-year periods: early childhood, childhood and adolescence. In 2025, the focus will be on the middle three seven-year periods (21 to 42) and in 2026 on the following three seven-year periods (42 to 63+).

We are very pleased that Karin Michael, a member of the next Section leadership, will join us for this conference to provide a medical point of view. She will give the introductory lecture about the etheric heart on Thursday evening.

The focus of these study days will be on the accelerating pace of cultural change. How do phenomena such as AI, social media, gender and identity issues, rationality/creativity affect the health of children and young people?

How do we encounter children and young people in the therapeutic setting who have a much more sensitive perception? These sensitive forces need and demand our attention. The question arising in the therapeutic encounter is whether we can connect with this level. If we are authentic, can we create a space in therapy that is free and respectful of the autonomy of our young patients?

We consider it important that all events should be characterised by an enquiring attitude on everyone's part. We can only create new developmental spaces in community.

Once again, a varied programme awaits us in which everyone will find the opportunity to advance their training with artistic and meditative morning work; study for members of the School of Spiritual Science as well as open study for all; (dialogue) lectures; workshops; space for exchange and the consolidation of networks. In addition, case vignettes from the different therapy approaches will be presented and supplemented from a medical point of view by Karin Michael. We will end each evening with a joint artistic conclusion.

For colleagues who do not work with patients in these age groups, we hope to be able to offer suitable further training topics with the biographical U in mind, according to which the later phases in a person's life mirror the early phases of life. Themes from childhood and adolescence can also mature further or be experienced in adulthood and thus be strengthened and transformed.

We look forward to seeing you again in Dornach!

Warmly,

Laura Piffaretti, Esther Böttcher, Katja Schultz, Katrin Sauerland, Ute Basfeld, Marieke Schagen-van Houts, Linda Teipen and Dr. Karin Michael

For the ICAAT-Preparatory Group and the Leadership of the Medical Section