Human Soul
The Annual Conference of the Medical Section from 12 to 15 September, which attracted 700 people to the Goetheanum, focused on resonances of soul and body.
The idea that positive life forces – spiritual ideals, love, and hope – have a positive effect on body and soul resonated in all eight lectures and 45 workshops of this conference, which was entitled «Human Soul! Motion and Emotion – Living Resonance». The workshop «Pastoral Medicine – an impulse for the future», presented by Matthias Girke and Tomáš Boněk, was attended by 100 people! A Science Space and Poster Sessions presented the most recent scientific studies on Anthroposophic Medicine, while music, singing and eurythmy provided scope for artistic expression.
In his lecture on «The Principle of Resonance: Affectivity, Interaffectivity and Neurobiology», Thomas Fuchs, professor of philosophy, psychiatry and psychotherapy at Heidelberg University, combined medical and philosophical aspects: a broader look at the interaction of resonances in body, soul, and mind makes the purely neurobiological view of the brain prevalent in today’s mainstream science seem like a thing of the past.
Joining forces to build bridges
It was a wonderful experience in times of national seclusion to hear about the European-Middle-Eastern Research Collaboration for Integrative Oncology, led by Thomas Breitkreuz and Eran Ben-Arye. The working group on manual therapies, external applications, the overcoming of communication barriers and professional ethics was partially open to all conference members.
That bridges can be built with joint forces became visible when physicians, nurses and researchers from Europe, Israel, Palestine, Iran, Turkey, Egypt and Jordan stood together on the Goetheanum stage, holding hands, pooling their energy productively and amicably in order to help human beings all over the world – an image that will continue to resonate in all of us as a glimmer of hope.