Reflections upon the “1st IAGP Trauma and Disaster and the 5th IAGP Mediterranean Regional Conference”, Antalya, Turkey, 2023 November 2-5.

Dear colleagues, in the following text I would to share with you my thoughts and impressions after the 1st IAGP Trauma and Disaster and the 5th IAGP Mediterranean Regional Conference, which was held in Antalya, Turkey in 2-5 November, 2023.

I would like to remind you that IAGP (International Association for Group Psychotherapy and Group Processes) is a network of professionals engaged in the development and study of group psychotherapy and group processes applied to clinical practice, consulting, education, scientific research, and socio-cultural contexts. IAGP’s network provides opportunities to connect with others – professions, theories, and cultures – that are exploring the applications of group processes in small, medium, and large groups within clinical, organizational, and political contexts. IAGP is a truly international and global organization and its main disciplines are Group Analysis, Psychodrama, Family Therapy and Organizational Consultancy.

This very important Conference, eventually, was realized and held, even though so many predicted and unpredicted obstacles needed to be overcome, namely, in a realistic level, regional wars, natural disasters, violence, terrorism, occupation etc and also in an unconscious level, the restraints and constraints occurring due to fragmentations, polarizations and fundamentalisms (of any kind) as an aftermath of the failures of Patriarchy and the prevalence of primitive and psychotic phenomena, due to the overwhelming effect of collective helplessness and hopelessness worldwide. The disintegration of the name of the father by means of dispute against any given constitutional authority in a rather chaotic and perplexed manner; the prevalence of weak, without any vision and self referential leaders; the anguished efforts to maintain an unstable and superficial veneering of safety and prosperity; the emergence of so called messianic solutions (religious, political or ideological); all these bearing on current times topics have been discussed and put under critical consideration.

It is more than obvious that the aggregation of so many singletons (persons, societies, countries etc) on the one hand and blind and ruthless massification on the other seem to prevail, but we still believe that together we are better. Despite the fact that so many walls, borders, prejudices and socio-political -cultural myths tend to divide our world, we still believe in groups, in work groups. Groups may be the best therapeutic option regarding recovery and resilience, holding and containing the unspoken or the unbearable, providing an opportunity for reparation and rehabilitation after the exposure to catastrophic or devastating situations.Feelings raised after the actual or the secondary exposure to traumatic situations, like pain, sadness, grief, anger, fear, despair etc were given a good enough container and a reflective space, with mutual respect and dignity, for as much as we could.

It is so important for us, group psychotherapists, under all these extremely difficult, traumatic and challenging times, to be able to meet, exchange, reflect and process thoughts, ideas, knowledge and experience. There are so many different perspectives, theoretical backgrounds; aesthetics that need to be cross fertilized by constructive dialogue and creative, but careful critique.

The Conference as a whole, with Master classes, Supervision Groups, Keynote Lectures, Social Dreaming Matrix, Round Tables, Experiential Workshops, Large Groups, in combination with vivid and cheerful Social Activities contributed in a very important event, where the interplay between Eros and Thanatos manifestations were dealt in a meaningful and productive way.

Some important topics covered were:

• The transformative wisdom of dreams in the work with Collective trauma

• Working with Trauma and collective trauma in childhood and adolescence

• Psychodrama and Sociodrama with children’s Groups-child work and child

play

• Psychedelics in modern healing- new possibility in trauma treatment

• Supervision group for therapists. Working with victims of political

persecution, ethnic conflict and torture.

• Combining Group Analysis and Art Therapy

• Working with shock trauma via completion of psychophysiological

reactions.

Three exceptional keynote lectures, which drew our attention to major theoretical contributions in the common ground of trauma and group psychotherapy, were presented. Our dear Marina Mojovic presented her innovative and ground breaking – “Reflective Citizenship”, the Turkish Professor of Psychiatry Vedat Sar, presented very vividly and didactically “Trauma as a Prolonged inner process: Implications for small and large group dynamics”, whereas our dear Elisabeth Rohr gave an outstanding presentation about “Understanding and dealing with collective trauma in a culturally foreign environment”, putting emphasis on the indisputable presence of Trauma and Disaster in a global level and not only in chosen areas of our world.In one workshop, a Greek Group Analyst and a Turkish psychodramatist, tried to build bridges both in a theoretical and a practical level between two of the basic pillars of group psychotherapy, by exchanging ideas and thoughts about a very traumatic issue of nowadays: the refugee/ immigrant crisis across any given borderline between two countries ( in this case the borderline between Türkiye and Greece) and the social trauma that occurs in both countries due to these completely unexpected and devastating situations.

It became apparent that, in order to understand the socio-macroscopic, we should scrutinize the socio-microscopic (sociometric structures, according to psychodramatic literature). In Group Analysis we, correspondingly, refer to the foundation and the dynamic matrix (especially considering the context of tripartite turned out to be a very important theoretical tool, in the endeavour of giving meaning to otherwise vague and controversial outcomes of human activity.

Despite the differences in perspectives, the contradiction between verbal and non verbal communication, how fast or how deep can one explore and for how long can one reflect and process, the background differences ( foundation, dynamic and personal matrix, on one hand, and sociometry and sociatry, on the other) , there was a quite optimistic expectation to create (as much as possible) a safe environment, where very important (and difficult) interactions and encounters took place.

Another important Round Table by the title “Theoretical considerations upon the immigrant situation: Discussion upon culture, language, inclusive matrices and states of being” made a strong impact. Migration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon in which individual, group, societal and global dynamics interact. Starting with a reflection on E.H. Erikson’s concept of ‘ego identity’ (1968, p. 211) it became articulated that when the immigrant/refugee meets a new society, where he/she seems to be compelled to compare and question the homeland identity and a state of incongruence usually occurs. Any form of severe trauma may be expected to cause a feeling or condition of “not knowing who one is”. Culture and language become part of the body and mind, in a similar way as nutrition is absorbed by the organism. Each word is the core of a romance that involves one’s personal history, one’s interaction with the significant others and one’s relationship with the surrounding environment. Finally, the concrete experience of displacement was highlighted and especially the vicissitudes and unavoidable fluctuations generated after the encounter with the welcoming societies.

Both the Social Dreaming Matrices and the Large Group sessions of the Conference contributed to further processing and elaboration of the dynamics of the Conference. Traumatized persons, groups, societies, countries etc need safe spaces, safe containers to express themselves, if verbal communication is possible, or with any other non verbal communication way. Even though for some people is possible to express their fear, anger, wrath, hate, or just simply complaining ( mourning processes need much more time), the vast majority of the traumatized ones remain silent, frozen, obviously fearful and full of psychotic anxieties, dissociated, feeling powerless and desperate ( even if time and space are provided). More attention should be paid to the silent ones, because otherwise they are trapped into the vicious circle of constant re traumatization.

Unfortunately, so many dear and beloved friends and colleagues were not able to attend, even though they had supported the organization and the scientific committee so much. On the other hand, traumatized colleagues from poor and usually excluded countries were there. It’s been so openly addressed the sadness and fear upon inclusion and exclusion issues. It needs to be reminded that the conference was held in a country where quite recently around 60.000 people died due to an earthquake.

After struggling a lot, there was voice, and hopefully meaning, given to the restraints and constraints provoked when a kind of authoritarianism is imposing its power (political, military, religional, cultural etc). Human omnipotence and omniscience, human HYBRIS, are a phantasy, an illusion, used defensively, obstructing the recognition that when ego breaks down under traumatic situations, the bigger enemy is within (ourselves) and we should be very aware of this.

In order to speak about Peace and Dialogue, we have to speak first about War between genders, generations, cultures etc. Whenever balance can be achieved in this eternal fight, between Eros and Thanatos, then MATURE HOPE can be.

The profound hospitality of Turkish colleagues, their enthusiasm and energy, offered opportunities for encounters to happen, for ideas to be expressed, for experiences to be shared. More than 150 colleagues from 28 countries were able to attend and participate in this endeavour, more than 80 Workshops and Presentations were held and a strong declaration against xenophobia, racism, intolerance, stigmatization and stereotypes (of any kind) was made.

No matter if new gods, new temples, new Eros offsprings inhabit it, the maternal body is there, offering nature and nurture, fertilizing and becoming fertilized and we, human beings, continue our tragic and para- logical life journey, creating and dreaming on one hand, destroying and fighting on the other.

But, still, everything is one (Heracletus).

Konstantinos Liolios, MD

Psychiatrist-Group Analyst; IAGP Board Member; IAGP AGS Chair